An American who turned his yard into a campground for 15 homeless people

The home yard of Darren Mann, 31, a local activist in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Since the middle of last month, it has been providing shelter by decorating campgrounds for local homeless people. [CNN 방송 캡처]

A resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, conducted an experiment in which his yard was set aside as a campground for local homeless people. According to CNN on the 6th (local time), the main character of the deed is Darren Mann, a 31-year-old local activist.

In the lawn covered yard, equipment such as 10 tents, campfire firewood, and grills for cooking outdoors are installed. Mann opened a’village camp’ in the middle of last month and started working for the local homeless. Currently, there are 15 homeless people in the Salt City area.

In an interview with CNN, Mann told CNN, “I wanted to get rid of the stigma that people put on homeless people.” For those who have lost their homes, he said, “I wanted to show that the local community needs to solve problems together.”

Homeless people living in the front yard of Mann’s house are said to feel welcome and secure. Michael said, “The fact that I don’t have to suddenly change my place greatly reduced my stress,” said Michael.

Darren Mann, 31, a local activist in Salt Lake City, Utah, is interviewing CNN. [CNN 방송 캡처]

A resident named Brandy also said, “Thank you,” saying, “He and I were strangers who only saw faces a few times, but he was willing to help us.”

“People living in the village camp keep the camp clean and help with cleaning and maintenance work,” said Mann.

He also said that not all neighbors are in favor of Darren’s business, but many neighbors have been cooking or donating clothes for the homeless. However, they said they did not tolerate drugs or violent behavior in the camp for their neighbors.

Man says he wants to keep the camp as much as possible, but it’s unclear how long he can continue the camp. This is because many neighbors oppose running homeless camps in private residences.

The home yard of Darren Mann, 31, a local activist in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. There are facilities to cook food. [CNN 방송 캡처]

According to the local media Salt Lake City Tribune, the local health department has filed such complaints from residents several times. The Ministry of Health can order Mann to evict campers, and if Mann does not follow this, he may face civil and criminal penalties.

“I just want to give the homeless some stability,” Mann argued, and argued that the city government should be more active in helping the homeless recover. He says he is proposing to senior city officials how he does, such as linking the homeless business to urban agricultural programs.

Reporter Jeong Eun-hye [email protected]