第2247期:US Cities Build Small Communities for the Homeless

Some U.S. cities are building housing, called “micro communities,” that is meant to combat increasing homelessness. The housing units in these communities are small and built quickly.
一些美国城市正在建设名为“微社区”的住房，旨在应对日益严重的无家可归现象。这些社区的住房单元很小并且建造迅速。

Unlike group shelters, micro communities give each homeless person his or her own living space. Officials say they believe the communities, when combined with other services, can put their residents on a path to permanent housing more effectively than other projects for the homeless.
与集体庇护所不同，微社区为每个无家可归者提供自己的生活空间。官员们表示，他们相信这些社区结合其他服务时，可以比其他无家可归项目更有效地将居民引导到永久住房的道路上。

The Melody is a micro community built on a former parking lot in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Officials built 40 small studio apartments from shipping containers. Each studio has many things needed for the home. These include a single bed, a heating and cooling system, a microwave oven, a TV, a desk, a sink and a bathroom. The area also has plants, green plastic ground covering, and a place to walk dogs.
梅洛迪（The Melody）是乔治亚州亚特兰大市一个由旧停车场改建的微社区。官员们用集装箱建造了40个小型单间公寓。每个单间都有许多家庭所需的设施，包括单人床、供暖和制冷系统、微波炉、电视、书桌、水槽和浴室。该区域还有植物、绿色塑料地面覆盖物和一个遛狗的地方。

Cynthia Diamond is a 61-year-old former cook who uses a wheelchair. She has been homeless for many years. Now she lives at The Melody. She told reporters that she is very thankful to live in the community and enjoys having her own living space. “I have my own door key…I’m going to stay here as long as the Lord allows me to stay here,” she said.
辛西娅·戴蒙德（Cynthia Diamond）是一名61岁的前厨师，使用轮椅。她多年来一直无家可归。现在她住在梅洛迪社区。她告诉记者，她非常感激能够住在这个社区，并且享受拥有自己的生活空间。“我有自己的门钥匙……只要上帝允许我留下，我就会一直住在这里，”她说。

The city of Denver, Colorado, has built three micro communities. It has also turned hotels into housing for the homeless. In Los Angeles, a 232-unit community has two buildings, each with three levels that are made from shipping containers.
科罗拉多州丹佛市已经建成了三个微社区。它还将酒店改造成无家可归者的住房。在洛杉矶，一个有232个单元的社区有两栋建筑，每栋建筑有三层，都是用集装箱建造的。

The latest information says over 1,500 people in Denver have joined its housing program. Over 80 percent of those who joined are still in the housing.
最新消息称，丹佛市已有超过1500人加入了其住房项目。加入该项目的人中有80%以上仍然住在这些住房中。

Both Atlanta’s and Denver’s programs act as steps to help people find jobs and permanent housing. Denver aims to move people from the micro communities into permanent housing within six months.
亚特兰大和丹佛的项目都是帮助人们找到工作和永久住房的步骤。丹佛的目标是在六个月内将人们从微社区搬入永久住房。

That includes Eric Martinez, aged 28, who has been homeless for much of his life. He said homelessness “…makes me feel less of a person. I had to get out of it.”
这包括28岁的埃里克·马丁内斯（Eric Martinez），他一生中的大部分时间都是无家可归的。他说无家可归“……让我觉得自己不算是一个人。我必须摆脱这种状态。”

The services in the micro communities are mostly centralized. They offer treatment for mental health, drug and alcohol abuse. They also provide advice, job training and other forms of help. Martinez said the community has been “very uplifting and supporting.”
微社区的服务大多是集中化的。他们提供心理健康、药物和酒精滥用的治疗。他们还提供建议、工作培训和其他形式的帮助。马丁内斯说，这个社区“非常振奋人心和支持。”

Peter Cumiskey works at The Melody in Atlanta. He said the micro community is able to serve every level of a person’s needs, “from security and shelter, all the way up to self-actualization and the sense of community.”
彼得·卡米斯基（Peter Cumiskey）在亚特兰大的梅洛迪社区工作。他说，微社区能够满足一个人从安全和庇护到自我实现和社区感的每个层次的需求。