Two Trailer Park Crips Roll Round The Outside

This concept came to be when one day a past care worker planted the seed that I move in with her in a live-in care situation so that I could gain independence. This never came to be as my parents were fully supportive but are realists and weighed out the pros and cons.  It was a hard pill to swallow realizing that I’ll probably be living with my parents for the unforeseeable future.

That night, my care worker Bre showed up for her shift. I was down in the dumps, so we chatted and conspired about how we could do this to help people like me live in a fun, community-living arrangement.

The ideas started flowing and before long we developed a whole living platform for people regardless of their disability. Our vision was more like a 55+ trailer park except the criteria for our park is you need a care worker, BYOC (bring your own care), and a wheelchair doesn’t hurt either.

One hurdle we thought of was that if for whatever reason my care worker can’t work, then I’m screwed like the propeller guy from the Titanic (get it?).

So one of our main directions of thought for the park, also known as Crip Town, is a designated modular home for staff for on-call care. This care worker would be fully licensed and qualified (but the patrons of our park can hire their own workers with or without qualifications). The reason for this amenity is not all potential homeowners need around-the-clock care, therefore one is always on-site in case of an emergency.

In the original idea of me living with my care worker, a hiccup we encountered was the accessibility factor in her home. They did not have a roll-in shower,  or any other accessible equipment like lowered or roll-under countertops, not to mention the simple wheelchair ramp to even get inside, which is a nuisance as I hate stairs…

Bre had the light bulb go up over her head and knew of a modular home company that her close friend owned. So she did some investigating into what it would require to just order base models as they can all be amended to fit each individual's needs. I guess Bre’s more than just a pretty face. 

So my wheels started turning, no pun intended (pun intended) on what my dream home would look like. I could pick out my layout, how many bedrooms, countertops, and fixtures. I had the MTV show Pimp My Pad, shout out to all the 90’s kids, playing in my head. “Shall I have hardwood or carpet?” “ A jetted jacuzzi tub with grab bars or a slate tile roll-in shower?” The world is my oyster and the exciting part of it all was I never thought in a million years I could or would be able to afford to live independently.

We continued to fantasize about the park itself, with a sweet-ass fire pit in the center for common gatherings (or evidence burning one might need to dispose of, no judgment at this park). As we are both in Lala land with our Disneyland for Crips idea, we also put in an accessible pool and clubhouse for private events; fundraisers, Halloween parties, community garage sales, Valentine’s dances, and the like. All this partying would have to balance out with exercise, so we also have a fitness center with accessible equipment.

Now let me paint the picture of what this park would look like because we live in the Okanagan and have stunning weather, the park is surrounded by gorgeous landscaping. There are paved pathways, similar to the ones at Agur Lake (A fully accessible campground in Summerland, BC), all around to make visiting your neighbors more feasible. Because I come with a service dog, and many people do, we want to remember our fur friends and give them space too. So there’s a dog park where they can gather to go bitch about their humans as I know we are not the easiest to deal with all the time. Speedbumps? Not here, they are terrible for accessible vehicles.

So you're all thinking this guy is out to lunch on the cost of all this. And I know it ain't gonna be cheap, but I think it’s possible. There would be monthly strata that will inquire to cover the cost of snow removal (because let’s face it, I know my care workers aren’t going to go out and shovel the driveways and pathways). We know dogs love to eat grass but not enough to keep the lawn looking really nice, so an odd job bob would be required, again paid by strata.

So I don’t feel like the only broken cowboy, a park like this would boost morale, and encourage socializing for people like me who struggle with social anxiety. A place where we all get each other, the good, the bad, the ugly.  Although this is just an idea, and I’m going to pull out my handicap card, I hope that some rich investors read this and it pulls on their heartstrings. C’mon people, all I need is land, and I’m not opposed to waterfront either, wink, wink.