ATL and several other media outlets have picked up on a story about David, an anonymous 2L at Cardozo, who voluntarily became "homeless" for nine weeks last semester just to see if he could.  I have no problems with David's experiment, and I don't think it makes hims hallow or insensitive to the plights of others.  However, I do think it is misguided for the media to pick up on his solutions for making his "homelessness" manageable as great ideas for folks who are actually homeless.  These solutions, which are making headlines, are showering and hanging out at an inexpensive health club and sleeping at the Cardozo law library.

As a background matter, David wasn't homeless.  He just didn't stay or sleep at his apartment.  He's more of an urban camper than a homeless person.  Just like campers aren't truly "living off the land," he wasn't homeless.  Like campers, he has all the markers of a non-outdoor/non-homeless life:  a place to go during the day where you are welcomed and tolerated for long stretches of time (a law school) and paid entry into other commercial establishments that must contractually welcome you and tolerate you (health club).  The law school is not open to all homeless folks.  (While visiting my friend at Cardozo, I worked in the library for two days and had to have myriad passes, etc.)   Yes, there are public libraries, and many see themselves as havens for the homeless (many do not).  However, public libraries do not tolerate sleeping.  I have been in public libraries where folks weren't allowed to put their heads down on tables or bring in bags as a means of curbing homeless traffic.  Law students pay a lot for the privilege of having access to the law building.  (David is on a scholarship, but his access has a FMV of tens of thousands of dollars.)   Second, he had a health club membership, and this almost seems like a no-brainer for homeless folks.  Yes!  Why don't they pay $1 a day to have a warm building with showers, soap, shampoo, TV, water, lockers, etc.?  Well, I'm going to bet that most health clubs require photo IDs, addresses, things like that.  And you don't get to pay by day, but maybe month, maybe year.  This may be a great idea for the newly homeless, but probably not for most homeless folks.

And of course David could keep all of his old stuff at his apartment, which he returned to when it started to get chilly outside.  He had a locker at his law school, and places to eat food kept at appropriate temperatures.  He had lots of friends who presumably had shelter, who probably invited him over from time to time.  And of course he had money for food, clothing, medicine, emergencies, etc.  He mentions keeping his "laundry" in a locker, so I'm assuming he took it to the laundromat or cleaners.  He also didn't interact with other homeless folks, so he's not the Barbara Ehrenreich of homelessness.  He went on an urban camping trip, and now he's back.

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