Homeless in Kingston

Today's municipal government grapples with providing services to Kingston's homeless. Whether it be sleeping cabins or the Integrated Care Hub, it's a perplexing challenge. But not a new one. In fact, there have been unhoused individuals in Kingston for decades, even centuries. Tents, tarpaper shacks, tenements and even boarding houses served as temporary homes, often sadly unsanitary and dilapidated. On my layout, with new space in the Rideau Street/Montreal Street area opening up, I decided to represent these down-on-their-luck men in scale. I hasted to add this is neither a sensational nor a 'cute' approach to this vexing subject in scale. As with everything else in my modelled locale, I approach this project with one goal - realism.

As with the prototype, these shelters were produced with whatever was at hand: styrene, cardstock, detail parts, glue and paint. I kept them small and rough, often open to the elements. As with other scenes on the Hanley Spur, I'm a big fan of sitting figures. If one sees a figure crossing the street...does he ever get to the other side? Meanwhile, figures can 'sit' all day and not be seen to move for hours. I made four shelters as well as firewood and a burn barrel, a washtub, as well as incorporating a stray dog, 

Posed in the natural light and on the layout (two photos above), I positioned the shelters and figures among the ruins of the ex-industry I just emplaced:

Their position is far from final, as they can be picked up, split up, moved, and replaced in any location. I will likely move them occasionally, thus modelling the nomadic nature of the prototype. As I hinted at in the introduction, this issue is not always black-and-white. These are proud men who may not be proud of their present circumstances, and additional vegetation may hide them from prying eyes.

This figure, actually a pilot from a model airplane kit, represents the health challenges plaguing homeless individuals. Though manufactured without legs to fit in the 1:72 cockpit, he accurately reflects an individual suffering from peripheral vascular disease, perhaps secondary to diabetes (below). Though it looks as if he has found a soothing stream to sit by, this also represents health hazards - effluent from the nearby tannery.

I endeavoured to give the shelters a 1970's feel, so there are no blue tarps, camping tents, mountain bikes or other modern-day accessories. As a former colleague once put it, poverty is one thing to talk about, but quite another when it's staring you in the face. Though I wish the layout could represent an ideal world, I appreciate the challenges of modelling the real world -  specifically a gritty part of town that gets little other attention, whether it be in scale or at the Council horseshoe.