• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Valley Citizen

Nature, Environment, History & Politics

The Valley Citizen

  • Arts
  • Education
  • Environment
  • History
  • Nature
  • Politics
  • Wit
  • About
  • RSS Icon

Falling Through the Cracks at 624 9th Street

August 17, 2017 By admin 1 Comment

Israel Gonzales

When Israel Gonzales first heard there would be help moving to a new location, he was hopeful. “I don’t want to live in the park,” he says, “it’s not safe. There are too many bad people.”

But two weeks after news of the condemned building at 624 9th Street in Modesto shocked city officials enough to allocate relocation money for tenants of the vermin-infested structure, Israel Gonzales still has nowhere to go.

“I need help,” he said, pushing up his sleeves to show angry red marks on his arms. “La cucarachas come and they bite me, and there are other things too.”

Wednesday, August 16, Gonzales was seated on a folding chair at one end of the narrow space between the 9th Street apartments and an adjacent building. At the other end, two Modesto Police Officers were searching a man and his cart. In between, wheelchairs, bike parts, and assorted jetsam from departing tenants littered the passageway.

Seventy years old, Israel says he receives $895 a month in SSI benefits. When asked what kind of work he did for most of his life, he says, “You name it. I worked in the fields, in the cannery, I drove the bus, you name it.”

Gonzales says he’s been at the Ninth Street location for about seven and a half months. He says his own apartment hasn’t been padlocked yet, but he sometimes gets locked out of the building itself and has to pound on the door loudly to be let in.

Two weeks ago, Gonzales, who takes medication for arthritis and heart problems, got around using a sturdy cane. Today, when asked about it, he says, “They stole my cane. I have more trouble now because they stole my cane.”

Gonzales says he heard that some people had gotten money and assistance to move, but no one has contacted him. “I don’t want to be homeless,” he says. “I’m too old now and it is too hard to get around.”

Gonzales says he has all his rent receipts and proudly offers identification proving he’s a U.S. citizen. He pays $585 a month for a studio in a building experts in residential property have said is the worst they’ve ever seen.

Though he’s obviously proud of his work history, and wants to be independent, Gonzales says his health problems get in the way. “I have to pay for my own medicine, “he says. “I don’t like to take too much medicine, but sometimes I have to take it.”

Gonzales adds that he’s getting more forgetful lately, and hopes he can find a place to live where there are people who can help him from time to time. “I know I need help now,” he says, “but I don’t know where to go.”

Like many people who end up homeless, Gonzales is faced with a low income, diminishing resources, and a tattered social safety net—not exactly the outcomes one would expect after a lifetime of hard work. “I would just like a safe place,” he says. “Why did they take my cane?”

Filed Under: Featured, History Tagged With: Homelessness and Poverty in Stanislaus County, Homelessness in Modesto, Homelessness in Stanislaus County

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Like it or not, Local Leaders Own Trump – The Valley Citizen says:
    August 29, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    […] costs. Frequently, people on disability receive a little more or less than $900 dollars a month. Israel Gonzalez, now awaiting housing after the condemnation order for 624 Ninth Street, receives $895 dollars a […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Note: Some comments may be held for moderation.

Primary Sidebar

Off The Wire

Colombian parrot conservationist murdered - BirdWatching
Colombian parrot conservationist murdered – BirdWatching
www.birdwatchingdaily.com
Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims as president. Nearly half came in his final year.
Trump made 30,573 false or misleading claims as president. Nearly half came in his final year.
The Washington Post Fact Checker’s database of Trump claims, originally launched as a project to track his first 100 days, offers a window into his obsessions.
www.washingtonpost.com
The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News
The Grim Conclusions of the Largest-Ever Study of Fake News
Falsehoods almost always beat out the truth on Twitter, penetrating further, faster, and deeper into the social network than accurate information.
www.theatlantic.com
Could a homegrown coronavirus strain be partly to blame for California's surge?
Could a homegrown coronavirus strain be partly to blame for California’s surge?
California scientists have discovered a new coronavirus strain that appears to be propagating faster than any other variant in the Golden State.
www.latimes.com
The Worst President in History
The Worst President in History
Three particular failures secure Trump’s status as the worst chief executive ever to hold the office.
www.theatlantic.com
Trump forces seek primary revenge on GOP impeachment backers
Trump forces seek primary revenge on GOP impeachment backers
Candidates, donors and local party officials are already organizing against the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump.
www.politico.com
McCarthy Falsely Denies Voting To Overturn Election Results
McCarthy Falsely Denies Voting To Overturn Election Results
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Thursday denied that he, in fact, voted to overturn the election results as…
talkingpointsmemo.com
Audubon Files Lawsuit to Protect Migratory Bird Treaty Act
Audubon Files Lawsuit to Protect Migratory Bird Treaty Act
A coalition of conservation groups is going to court to overturn Trump Administration’s weakening of the landmark bird protection law.
www.audubon.org
Californians scramble for shots amid slow vaccine rollout | CalMatters
Californians scramble for shots amid slow vaccine rollout | CalMatters
Gov. Newsom said the feds failed to deliver promised vaccine supplies, but he expects Californians with their first shots to be able to secure their second.
calmatters.org
David Brooks column: Trump ignites a war within the church
David Brooks column: Trump ignites a war within the church
“Over the last 72 hours, I have received multiple death threats and thousands upon thousands of emails from Christians saying the nastiest and most vulgar things I have ever heard toward my family and ministry. I have been labeled a coward, sellout, a traitor to the Holy Spirit, and cussed out at least 500 times.”
www.courant.com
Here are the companies suspending political contributions following the Capitol riots
Here are the companies suspending political contributions following the Capitol riots
thehill.com
How the Capitol Riot Thrust Big American Companies Deeper Into Politics
How the Capitol Riot Thrust Big American Companies Deeper Into Politics
“Words alone are not enough.” Corporate moves to halt political funding and decry the forces behind the Jan. 6 riot have accelerated a broader movement in business to address social and political issues.
www.wsj.com
I've hesitated to call Donald Trump a fascist. Until now | Opinion
I’ve hesitated to call Donald Trump a fascist. Until now | Opinion
After last week the label seems not just acceptable, but necessary.
www.newsweek.com

Find us on Facebook

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Footer

The Valley Citizen
PO Box 156
Downtown Bear Postal
1509 K Street
Modesto, CA 95354

Email us at:
thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Subscribe for Free

* indicates required

Search

• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 The Valley Citizen

Dedicated to the memory of John Michael Flint. Contact us at thevalleycitizen@sbcglobal.net

Editor and publisher: Eric Caine

Website customization and maintenance by Susan Henley Design