“I think we have $200 and something,” Ingalls said. “It’s not much, and it’s never been very much.”
Some people living at Camp Haven, a homeless sanctuary on private property, in Cedar Creek, Texas, sleep in tents, steps away from porta potties and an indoor kitchen structure, seen on April 1, 2022. (Emma Ockerman/VICE News)
Much of the drama has materialized on Nextdoor, a hyperlocal social networking app. Some posts about Camp Haven there became so vitriolic that they were taken down, Ingalls said. A neighbor once threatened to contact Republican Sen. Ted Cruz to shut down Ingalls’ operation, while another proclaimed the surrounding neighborhood would be better off if Ingalls were to die. Primarily, people feared that Camp Haven would bring drug use, theft, and a host of big-city problems to their quiet country town.“If we fail, then nothing else is going to happen in this part of America for a long, long time. But if we succeed, the benefit could be monumental.”
Criminalizing homelessness
Alongside that growing crisis, lawmakers and homeowners are cracking down on the existence of poor people in public spaces. While Austin relaxed restrictions on homeless encampments in 2019, Gov. Greg Abbott seized on the issue as another example of liberalism run amok and pushed back hard.After political pressure from Abbott, Austin’s residents voted last May to reinstate criminal penalties against homeless people who camp in public. Weeks later, Texas lawmakers voted to ban unapproved homeless encampments everywhere else, subjecting offenders to a potential fine of $500.“We’re already living a life of hell, and now you want to make it illegal to live our life of hell?”
Josiah Ingalls stands in front of a mural that reads “Homes, not handcuffs. Stop the madness,” at Camp Haven, a homeless sanctuary on their private property in Cedar Creek, Texas, on April 1, 2022. (Emma Ockerman/VICE News)
‘The only safe place for me to be’
A sign for Camp Haven Homeless Sanctuary sits at the front of Josiah Ingalls’ property alongside a flag for the International Criminal Court on April 1, 2022, in Cedar Creek ,Texas. (Emma Ockerman/VICE News)
Brittany Ellis, 57, looks at the garden in Camp Haven, a homeless sanctuary on private property in Cedar Creek, Texas, on April 1, 2022. (Emma Ockerman/VICE News)
“Six years ago, you could buy land and a house for $150,000,” he added.
Jimmie Martin, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, poses for a picture on April 1, 2022, at Camp Haven, a homeless sanctuary on private proerty in Cedar Creek, Texas. He lives in a shed there with his wife, son, and dogs, after being evicted from his home in February. (Emma Ockerman/VICE News)
A family affair
Donated garden sheds seen on April 1, 2022, serve as sleeping quarters for some living at Camp Haven, a homeless sanctuary on private proerty in Cedar Creek, Texas. (Emma Ockerman/VICE News)
Ellis and Ingalls still tear up when talking about it, particularly because Ingalls somewhat blames himself, even if no one else at the camp does. “I feel partially guilty because if I wouldn’t have been so harsh with Daniel and Country that morning, maybe they wouldn’t have gone out drinking,” Ingalls admitted while sitting outside Howell’s shed with a couple other residents. “Maybe it’s an unrealistic thing, but that’s how I feel.” Everyone there stressed that it wasn’t his fault. But Ingalls pushed back.“Y’all are here because I opened up the land, which means I am responsible, even though you’re adults,” Ingalls emphasized. That responsibility for everyone’s welfare is part of what worried the neighbors, though Ingalls has tried to win them over. In September, Ingalls was finally able to host the first open house at Camp Haven and invited outsiders to come to visit. One neighbor who came to ask a bunch of questions, Tabby Hoffstatter, soon became a dedicated volunteer. She now serves on Camp Haven’s board. (She’s beloved by many of the camp’s residents and called “Tabby Cat.” A sign leading into the camp reads “WE LOVE YOU TABBY.”)“They were afraid of drugs, and violence, and people breaking into homes, and I just knew that was wrong,” Hoffstatter said of her neighbors. “The moment I walked here, came in, I believed in what Josiah was doing.”She described herself as a friend to people at the camp and helps by doing paperwork, managing policies, and creating forms. A couple other neighbors support the camp too, she said.Ingalls hopes that support will grow—and he wants people to replicate Camp Haven’s model, even just by allowing one or two tents in their backyard. One group already came out to take a look at Camp Haven, since they wanted to buy acreage for a largely LGBTQ community, according to Ellis.And Ingalls believes he can win in some areas. The most recent Nextdoor post about Camp Haven has not yet been deleted over abusive comments, for example, which he took as an improvement.“We’ve made mistakes, and we’ve fucked up. But we’re trying to accomplish something that’s really never been done before.”
“This facility was never the plan. We’ve made mistakes, and we’ve fucked up,” Ingalls said. “But we’re trying to accomplish something that’s really never been done before.” Editor’s note: The name of the man at the camp who died has been removed.Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.