An Idea on how people of limited funds can get land, addrssing the social issue of homelessness

I have been thinking about this for some time. In most counties, you can pick up a 40 ac. piece for about $40,000.00 of less. What would happen if eight families went together, put all their names on the title and got 5 acres apiece for about $5000.00 each? You could draw for the lots so it would be fair. Run a road up the middle, with four lots on each side. This would also be a shared expense. Now everyone has their five acres, and a road to it. Each county and township is different so you have to see what the requirements are for a minimum acreage. You could even do a common well and share the expense. It seems that people have to start getting together and fixing it for themselves. You could even do a questionaire abut lifestyle choices so you don't have people diametrically opposed to each other as neighbors. Of course there is more to consider here, however, it can be done. Each state is different, each county is different. But it would be worth looking into. I would tell people to ask your counties about everything that is required, BEFORE you buy anything. It will require someone to be the lead in each case, but I don;t think there is a law on the number of names on a title, just the amount of land for each household. In my county we have to have a minimum of 5 acres per house if we are not in a township that says differently. I am probably being over enthusiastic, but we did this and I think others can also.

Why would people need five acres?

Are you suggesting they farm it or work it in some way or is that just how it is sold?

reply to post by Hopechest
I picked the 40 cres because they are usually cheaper and five acres is more than enough for people to have some space to call their own. Most counties will not allow less than that without having someone doing a development plan.

reply to post by bwcawaterbear


Thanks, I wasn't sure how that worked out but thanks for explaining it.

Yes your idea sounds like it has some merit and might actually make getting some land more affordable to people. I checked to see if there were still any homesteading laws on the books but they apparently expired in 1986 so that option is out.

reply to post by Hopechest
We have dealt with the homeless for the last 17 years, and I wish there was more we could do. A friend of mine is working the homeless shelters in Portland and she said that the average age in the shelters is 9 years of age. My God.

I've also volunteered in some of the shelters around Portland and across the river in Vancouver and yes its horrible seeing the children and breaks your heart.

Many of the adults however do not receive as much sympathy from me. I've met a number that actually want that lifestyle, many (one of them a good friend) are hooked severely on drugs or alchohol and many are simply too lazy to improve themselves.

Every once in awhile though you see that certain family that has just had the world dump all the bad luck that exists on them and it will almost bring you to tears.

Building a self sufficient society is definitely possible. I know that there's one near me in Texas, but I can't remember what it is called right now.

Honestly, going for a large plot of land for $5,000 for your own plot is actually quite a good idea. The only tricky part is (assuming you have 5 grand) is making yourself self sufficient - water, food, etc.

Sure, you can farm the land for sure.
Water is possible if there's a local source, but come winter you better be sure it won't freeze over if you've set up a man-made river for bathrooms, kitchen etc.

Living situation is fine. You can survive in a tent until you build a small house.

Originally posted by Hopechest
Why would people need five acres?

Are you suggesting they farm it or work it in some way or is that just how it is sold?

I would have bascially 1/2 acre around each home for ample gardens and greenhouses, and privacy, and the rest would be workshops, for businesses, a commercial kitchen and greenhouses for aquaponics. You can grow 1 million pounds of organic heritage seed produce and 10 000 fish in a year on 3 acres, or more, theyve made bounty crops on 1/4 acres.

And orchards, berries, ground crop, hemp, organic wheat, chickens, etc.

That is by the way, my goal.

Also for the homeless, they cant afford this. This is more what anyone who is older and has an expensive city home should do for family and friends.

And as much acres as possible, maybe 10-20 families on it.

But for the homeless, and also for teens in the ministry, pass the hat, local non profits, and run the same thing. Work. Farm, Commercial Kitchen, Workshop, and lots and lots of part time, learning skills, grass roots business except for those really unable to normalize, too far gone, they just need to live in dignity.

If I ever get my businesses goals to that point, will do all that. Family ones, and ministry teens. Homeless if I can. Thats my dream goal.

OH and clean free energy. Friction Heaters, Parabolic Mirrors, Fresnel Lenses, Stirling engines lots and lots, little power houses off everyones small cob or home on wheels.

Lots of attempts then to get the harmonic pitch/resonance right on magnetic devices, for hobby time.

We need to be the grass roots government and solve problems the Corrupt Orc-like elite won't.

There are many places in the country where people are doing just that. The problem is that they don't want to tell everyone about it because they don't want any more settlers. One place like this is the grid outside of Taos New Mexico. There are a bunch of earth ships out there and some cheap acreage. But it's hard to get the locals to be friendly with outsiders now and getting your hands on the cheap property is difficult.

HOw many homeless people you konw how $5000?

In texas the problem we have had with land is we can get apiece of land pretty cheap the problem is there is no power/water and you have to spend $23-30k to get a well. Then you also need to have $$$ for solar panels and wind turbine if you plan to not run electric from the county if its even offered there.

In addition to the well, as the above member posted, you would also need a septic system.

We had a well put in a few years ago on a different property from where we live now, and it was almost 3 grand. But, they didn't have to drill incredibly far either. The price of the well varies by the water table in the area; the deeper they drill, the higher the cost.

Septic systems are even costlier.

Plus there may be a matter of various permits depending on how the area is zoned, and etc. and there is a fee for each. Our well permit was over 200 dollars.

reply to post by daryllyn


Well actually its way easeier to get by without septic then a well.. Septic is not a haveto, water is.. there are plenty of septic alternatives.

Also you would want unrestricted land that wont require you to get any permits or anything.

Rather then septic you can do composting toilet and then for shower you can use the greywater and water your plants. You can also have an outhouse for the poops and then still do the greywater to water plants or run a long line away from your house somewhere downhill that wont affect you.

Don't know where this hypothetical land can be purchased for 1,000 an acre. Any land that is suitable for agriculture goes for 3500 + per acre. More if it is cleared and more still if it is flat and has a low water table.

I recently purchased 100 acres of fenced pasture with a creek and two small ponds for 500,000.00.

I suppose a mountainside in Utah with no utility acsess might be 2.5k or so an acre.

reply to post by Golf66


You should check out ebay there is actually some really good land all over the place for SUPER cheap.. You can get some land in texas that is $2000 for 5-10 acres even some for $1000 that is like 5acres.. Also there is land in Tennessee, Missouri, ect.. Most in places you probably wouldn't really super want to live but some of them are really good places like in MO and TN that are wooded off the grid and have creek or water access its just not near anything which for me would be a positive

Originally posted by dc4lifeskater
reply to post by Golf66

 

You should check out ebay there is actually some really good land all over the place for SUPER cheap.. You can get some land in texas that is $2000 for 5-10 acres even some for $1000 that is like 5acres.. Also there is land in Tennessee, Missouri, ect.. Most in places you probably wouldn't really super want to live but some of them are really good places like in MO and TN that are wooded off the grid and have creek or water access it’s just not near anything which for me would be a positive

I live in NW MO - land in our county averages 3500 an acre. It’s a little less for forested land and a little more (like the 5K and acre I paid for my 100 acre piece) if it is fenced and has year round water.

I am sure you can get land cheap in TX and New Mexico even Wyoming isn't bad. The difference is that I can graze 100+ head on the cleared land I bought while land in TX and NM scrub one can graze on a ratio of 1:10 or higher without using supplements. Land in WY is cheap but do you know how far you have to dig to reach the aquifer? 400+ sometimes 800 feet. My well here in MO is 40 feet and it cost me 10K . Digging a 400 foot well would cost more than the land itself.

Forested land is nice I own a parcel in NC that I inherited from my grandpa. Its 40 acres on the side of a mountain basically one road in and that only with 4WD in three seasons. No utility access. It's only worth 1.5 an acre. Can't grow anything on it can't build on it - if you did it would cost 10's of thousands to get utilities up there. I suppose you could off grid it but it would still cost 10 the amount for any company to build a house up there than down in the valley or as they call it the holler. I had it logged once (selectively) and mad enought to pay the taxes for 10 years - I take a hunting lease on it as well. Other than hunting its not really a great asset.

Like I said - there are cheap places to buy I know this. I am not disagreeing with that. I am just stating you get what you pay for. Either you pay for the land or the water one of the two. Cheap land is not of much use to anyone or it wouldn’t be cheap.

reply to post by Hopechest


Portland is a special kind of "homeless" .. most (yes most) really do "want" to be homeless. And half the homeless begging for money are not homeless at all. Many "homeless," especially the young adults, have well-to-do parents, usually in California, that wire them money to prepaid cards. I recall helping a girl at a place I worked downtown when she broke into the building to get out of the rain.. apparently she got sick of sleeping on a sidewalk, broke down after we kicked her out and requested a phone. So, feeling sorry for her, we gave her a cell.. she calls her dad (turned out to be a lawyer in Sacramento) and books her a room across the street for a week. It was weird.. but came to be relatively "normal." Typical "street kid." The only real homeless people are the truly crazy ones. And, to the OP, I fail to see why a homeless person would need 5 acres. Normal functioning people don't need 5 acres, hell I don't have 5 acres. Most need a mental hospital, and for the new wave of former working class homeless, a 1/10th acre lot and a trailer would suffice over shelters or the streets.

reply to post by Ghostx


yeah, i think it was called WACO, Texas

turned out great for them too.