Homeless Advocates Lobby for Safe Ground

“They walk on the sidewalk next to us, not behind us or under us. They are our community.” — Lynelle Loeb Solomon 

They meet every two weeks on a leafy street dappled in sunlight, at the offices of the Modesto Peace/Life Center. Some of them are retired, although you would never guess that by looking at their current resumes. Others are younger, still in the midst of busy, demanding careers. But every member of the Modesto Citizens Action Group (or MoCag) understands time is of the essence – that it’s not an exaggeration to say that a humanitarian crisis is happening now in Modesto’s parks and alleyways, by our rivers, and along the long, hard sidewalks of many of our streets and strip centers.

At least two MoCag members were born in Modesto, while one was born in Iowa, and another in upstate New York. One hails from Australia.

Lynelle Loeb Solomon, a real estate agent, is a granddaughter of the founder of one of Modesto’s first department stores. Frank Ploof served aboard the U.S.S. Ranger during the Vietnam War and would go on to a long career at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before retiring in 2008, and has since selflessly devoted much of his time and resources to assisting those experiencing homelessness in our community.

Richard Anderson taught microbiology and other courses at MJC and elsewhere for decades before he began videotaping the plight of the homeless in our neighborhoods at the candlelight vigil for the 11 who had died in 2012. He also filmed and edited the documentary, Homeless in Modesto.

James Costello was a pediatric physician’s assistant prior to retiring and has shepherded Stanislaus Connections for two decades. He was also a driving force in the founding of KCBP Community Radio. As more people heard about the meetings, or read about the ongoing cruelty of the displacement of homeless encampments by law enforcement, the group grew apace.

Another member, Steve Finch is the CEO of SHARE (Stanislaus Homeless Advocacy and Resource Enterprise), which he cofounded with Mr. Ploof. SHARE is a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources such as temporary housing and transportation for the homeless in Modesto and nearby.

Attorney Aaron Anguiano is the President of the Latino Community Roundtable. Other members include John Frailing, Derek Castle, Modesto Peace/Life Board President Jocelyn Cooper, and John Lucas. Together, this a formidable, passionate group of people – but more than that – they are determined and focused on reaching their goals because they know failure is not an option – not when lives are at stake.  Daily, they are witness to the tragedy that is the reality for so many living on Modesto’s streets.

“People seem to think that homeless people have it made out on the street, that everything is given to them,” remarked Ms. Solomon recently. Ms. Solomon knows of what she speaks, having taken it upon herself to personally cook for, feed, provide across-the-counter meds, and otherwise watch over any number of our neighbors – and she thinks them as our neighbors – for the past several years.

“Let me tell you,” she continued, “their life, from morning till night, is about survival – and through the night as well.  They work so hard from the moment they wake up, wondering where they’re going to get their next meal, or if they’re going to have a next meal, where they’re going to take a shower, where they’re going to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, where they’re going to put their head down at night, is it going to get too cold during the night. It is a daily fight for survival for these people. It is not peaches and cream.  People seem to think they chose this lifestyle – I don’t know anybody who wanted to be homeless.  These people are mentally tortured by the reality of their daily lives.”

MoCAG was formed a little over three months ago out of a growing frustration by its members at the failure of local authorities to adequately respond to the current crisis in homelessness. The group views itself as a strong advocate for the homeless because so many of its members engage with and speak directly to people experiencing homelessness. Even though MoCAG is still in its infancy, it has already developed an action plan and is currently keying in on two initiatives for the short term:

1. Lobbying for the establishment of immediate housing and shelter communities providing the most basic human needs (Tier-1 housing and shelter).
2. Completing “Homeless in Modesto 2” – a documentary updating the hour-long “Homeless in Modesto” documentary Richard Anderson, John Lucas, and Leng Power produced in 2018.

Regarding the need for the establishment of Tier-1 housing in Modesto, Mr. Costello explained that, “If people are sleeping in parks or in doorways or are just living out on the streets, they are subject to robbery, assault, hunger, among other things – in short, their existence is very insecure.  The idea is to create a small village of shelters to get people off of the street, where at least they could have a dwelling, where they could put their backpack, their documents, or their personal possessions. And where they could also have their pets and relax a little bit – to know that they have a place to stay, where they can actually rest, where they can sleep during the night without fear of being attacked.”

Richard Anderson, who came up with the idea of what would become MoCAG, had praise for what “the City and the County have already done – the opening of the low-barrier shelter, the access center, Kansas House, and more. Those are all good things. Who is left is who we focus on. Who are left are the people who are still not housed by the programs that the County has been able to form. That’s at least 441 people, according to the 2023 Point In Time count. People who do not want to be in a congregate shelter like the county’s low barrier shelter often fear losing their pets or their partners or their possessions.”

Although MoCag acknowledges that progress has been made on some fronts since the historic Martin v Boise decision was issued by the 9^th Circuit Court in 2018, the group knows that it must actively engage local officials to ensure the speedy development of Tier-1 housing communities in Modesto and avoid a further deepening of the crisis that so many of our neighbors are experiencing.

“I hope we can get the message across that these are human beings out there and they deserve compassion,” Ms. Solomon said.  “They deserve a smile, and deserve to be looked in the eye and told hello.  They walk on the sidewalk next to us, not behind us or under us. They are our community.”

In recent weeks, MoCag members have met with each of the Modesto City Council members, Mayor Sue Zwahlen, City Manager Joe Lopez and Community Development Manager Jessica Hill. Having also met with Supervisors Terry Withrow and Channce Condit, the group will now be meeting with the other county supervisors, to educate them about the dire need and viability of Tier-1 housing and shelter units.

“Our goal is get that type of little village going,” Mr. Costello explained. “To advocate for it.  But to get it to work you have to have case management.  You have to have services – you can’t just put up a little village and put it on auto-pilot.  People will need intensive help. This is just a first step. Parking is part of this first step, because some people live out of their cars and need a safe space to park. The City of Modesto has passed a safe parking ordinance but the approval process across many organizations has taken way too many months but is in its final approval stage. Apparently, though, there is some safe parking available behind the Salvation Army’s Berberian Shelter for current shelter clients. So, MoCag is a work in progress. But there is a momentum now to do something, and MoCag is prepared to assist in any way we can.”

“When we had COVID, it was amazing how fast the government got things rolling. Why can’t we do that with our homeless?” Ms. Solomon asked pointedly. “They were able to lock us down, and set up testing stations, all very quickly. Why can’t they move that fast for the homeless?”

When Mr. Ploof was asked why he had dedicated so much of his time to helping those living on the streets, and why he felt it was imperative for the community to pay heed and act upon the devastation daily unfolding on Modesto’s streets, he replied:

“I hate to use a worn out phrase – but it’s doing the right thing,” Mr. Ploof stated.  “The right thing in the context of humanity is to make sure that the least of us are treated well. Being civil is actually hard work. I can see where there’s a tendency to be authoritative – you don’t have to worry about negotiating anything with anybody. But you have to move away from that if want to live in a civil society, because it’s about negotiation. None of us can have everything.  To be human in a civilized sense means that everyone deserves respect and your voice counts.

As a friend of mine stated the other day, this country is too rich to have anyone experiencing homelessness. Modesto and Stanislaus County pride themselves on their sense of community. If we are wise, we’ll follow Mr. Ploof’s counsel and do the right thing.  But if we turn our backs on those among us when they are most in need of our help, we diminish only ourselves.