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Homesteading for the Homeless:
How Converting Empty Commercial Spaces into Indoor Farms Can Address Food Insecurity and Unemployment
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to high vacancy rates for commercial spaces in metropolitan areas, especially malls and skyscrapers. At the same time, homelessness remains a significant issue, especially in coastal cities. One solution to address both these problems is to convert empty commercial spaces into indoor farms and communal living areas for homeless Americans, owned and operated by their workers.
Indoor farming has emerged as a sustainable and efficient method for producing high yields of crops in a small space, regardless of weather or climate conditions. Vertical farming, a method of growing crops in vertically stacked layers, has gained popularity in recent years as a way to maximize space and improve efficiency. Repurposing vacant commercial buildings could create a new industry that addresses food insecurity while providing employment for the homeless.
According to a report from CBRE, the United States had a 16.4% office space vacancy rate at the end of 2020, the highest it has been since 2011. The retail sector was also struggling, with a national vacancy rate of 10.5% in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, homelessness remains a significant issue in coastal cities, with an estimated 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in January 2020, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Startups in the vertical farming industry have been on the rise in recent years. According to AgFunder, an online platform that connects investors with agtech startups, there were over 60 vertical farming startups that raised over $1.2 billion in funding in 2020. These startups are using innovative techniques to grow crops in urban areas, close to consumers, and reduce transportation costs and emissions.
Converting vacant commercial buildings into indoor farms using vertical farming techniques would provide employment for the homeless and communal living spaces. However, these indoor farms could also be operated as worker-owned commercial enterprises. Communal living spaces for homeless individuals would provide a sense of community and stability, as well as a chance to learn valuable skills through participation in the farming process. By operating the indoor farms as worker-owned enterprises, homeless individuals could take ownership of their work and have a say in the direction of the business.
Homesteading using vertical farming is an opportunity to work with individuals who share the same interests and values. For young people, WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) provides opportunities to travel around the world and learn about sustainable agriculture practices. Similarly, converting commercial spaces into worker-owned indoor farms could create new opportunities for homeless individuals to participate in the farming process and learn valuable skills, while also taking ownership of their work.
While there are challenges to converting commercial buildings into worker-owned indoor farms, such as significant investment and expertise, the benefits are significant for those experiencing homelessness and the wider community. By creating worker-owned indoor farms, we could create a new industry that provides stability, food security, and employment opportunities, while building a stronger sense of community.
The conversion of vacant commercial buildings into worker-owned indoor farms using vertical farming techniques and communal living spaces for the homeless could address the challenges facing our society. We have the potential to create a new industry that provides stability, food security, and employment opportunities, while building a stronger sense of community. Let us consider homesteading with worker-owned indoor farming as a solution for the future.
I just realized, I can be just about anything I want. I can do just about anything. In high school, it feels like college is the end of your life. Everything builds up to it. Ever since Kindergarten, everything we’ve done is so that we can get into a good college. And then, get a good job that makes a lot of money. It feels like my life is almost over at 17. We’ve been instructed to take specific classes in order to get into the college we want or career we want, and we have to do specific extracurriculars and volunteering so that it “looks good” for college. Of course these things are important, but you should only volunteer or be in a club if you care about what you’re doing. There are so many people in my school’s NHS that do the bare minimum volunteer hours and complain the entire time. What really makes be sad is hearing seniors being asked what they’re going to major in, and they reply with, “Umm, probably business? I’m not super interested in it but I’ve heard you can make a decent amount of money.” There’s nothing wrong with going into college undecided, but when there are so many kids doing that and feeling forced to decide on a major they aren’t passionate about…it really depresses me. I hear my 20-something year old coworkers talking about how they’re stuck at this barista job and want to go back to college and start their own restaurant or business but they don’t have enough money and how they are so depressed and we young kids don’t know how terrible the world is. I want to correct them, say that you can be anything, say that they can leave their job, move to Germany, go to school, all for cheap. I wonder why they say that when the world is so vast. Why stay in your town, your state, your country your entire life? Why would anyone do that?! But I read books. I watch movies. I see the news. I know that I am privileged. I don’t have anyone counting on me to provide. I don’t care about disappointing my family (well, maybe a little) because it’s MY life. I want to help people that aren’t as fortunate as me, but I don’t want to be forced into a 9-5 job that I hate in order to do so; to get enough money for everything I want. But you can do most things for cheap if you know how and are willing to work for it. Living in a different country or even a different state doesn’t really cost any more than living close by. You could do WWOOFing, au pairing, or work as a barista in any country, or even your own. Anyway, back to what I was saying:
I realized that I am at a point in my life where I could be or do anything. I could go to college… or not. I could go to art school or culinary school or a trade school. I could take a gap year, or two! I could go to school in another country, or go to school two hours away. I could go to a small historically women’s college on the east coast that looks like a castle or I could go to a futuristic-looking school with over 20,000 students in sunny California. I could work at Disney World or do the DCP program, I could become an actor or just work behind the scenes at Warner Bros Studios and see movie stars every day. I could start a business now or in thirty years that could become known all across the world or a tiny bakery or 50s style soda fountain that’s the favorite hangout spot for teens and college kids. I could start a nonprofit or volunteer abroad in refugee camps or schools. I could discover a love for archeology and dig up 20,000 year old mammoth fossils, or astronomy and chart the stars. I could learn karate and gymnastics and swordplay and archery and become a superhero (for real or at Disneyland). I could start a reality show or summer camp based on The Selection series and let teen girls become princesses-in-training and teach them horseback riding and archery and how to waltz. I could buy a french château or start a bed and breakfast or become a CIA agent - living out my childhood fantasies. Or I could climb the corporate ladder and crush men who get in my way. I could become a bestselling novelist, a street artist, or compete on Chopped. I could become a scuba instructor in Fiji or work as a tour guide or gap year counselor. I could learn 5 languages or work as a reporter or for the UN. I could do any number of these things and more.
My fate isn’t sealed at the end of high school, or even the end of college. I can take as long as I need to fulfill my goals and dreams. Maybe I’ll discover a passion for science or architecture in 20 years and pursue that. There’s no need to rush into my career or even marrying and starting a family. I have my entire life to do whatever I want. I get caught up in what everyone around me is doing and preparing for and I really need to stop and think, “are my goals the same as theirs?” I guess I’ll just have to figure that out. Here’s to you figuring out your path, too :)