We’re no longer stunned or dismayed. We’ve become so habituated to California’s vast sprawl of homelessness that encampments along the freeways, bodies on the sidewalks. and human debris everywhere arouse no more concern than a speed bump or fire hydrant. The objectification of human beings in distress has become a norm for almost all of us. Homeless people have become inanimate parts of the daily landscape. Ronald Reagan began what […]
California homelessness
Homeless: Cave Dwellers in Modesto
Based on widespread news reports, the entire nation seems enthralled by the recent news of homeless people living in caves along the Tuolumne River near Modesto. In fact, insiders have known about the caves for years. One nearby resident said of the homeless people living in caves near his own home that, “he sees them as neighbors who are ‘going home at the end of the day.’” The statement is […]
SHARE: Making a Difference for People in Need
Bleak, dark, and piercing cold, it was a night for the well-housed and fed to draw round the bright fire, and thank God they were at home; and for the homeless starving wretch to lay him down and die. Many hunger-worn outcasts close their eyes in our bare streets at such times, who, let their crimes have been what they may, can hardly open them in a more bitter world. […]
Homeless Workshop Will Spotlight Sweeps and Safe Ground
As homeless numbers continue to rise throughout the state, most of California’s leaders have followed Governor Gavin Newsom’s lead towards criminalizing the poorest among us. The default tactic of sweeps — chasing homeless people from one place to another — remains the most favored method of dealing with people on the streets, in the parks and alleys, and along waterways and freeway margins even while homeless numbers throughout the state […]
“We need to do more,” said Supervisor Grewal to Homeless Advocates
Wednesday, June 28, Stanislaus County Supervisor Mani Grewal said he is supportive of safe sleeping sites for homeless people during a meeting with the Modesto Citizens Action Group (MoCag), a rapidly growing coalition of local citizens promoting Tier One housing and shelter options for people with nowhere to go. The meeting took place at Stanislaus County Supervisors’ offices at 1010 10th Street in Modesto. “Having a safe place to sleep […]
“You have an ally,” says Condit to Homeless Advocates
On June 21, Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit assured members of the Modesto Citizens Action Group (MoCag) that he was fully supportive of proposals for safe sleeping sites for the most vulnerable members of Modesto’s and Stanislaus County’s homeless population. MoCag is a citizens’ action group dedicated to finding immediate shelter and safe ground for homeless people in Modesto and Stanislaus County. “You have an ally,” said Condit. MoGag members […]
Still no Homeless Management Plan for City of Modesto
As homeless numbers continue to grow throughout California, the disconnect between people on the ground and state and local leaders also continues to grow. That widening gap between those who work almost daily with homeless people and those who set policy was starkly evident during a meeting of the Modesto City Council on May 9. With a progress report on the city’s efforts to abate homelessness on the agenda, the […]
Homeless: The False Promise of “Affordable” Housing
California needs affordable housing now, but no one should be led into thinking affordable housing will bring a solution to the state’s widespread homelessness. We need affordable housing because even working people with good jobs have been priced out of California’s housing market. A great many homeless people, on the other hand, can’t work due to disability, mental or physical illness, or because they’re elderly and their retirement incomes are […]
Homeless: Where there’s Law without Order
One simple fact — homeless people have nowhere to go — continues to befuddle public officials everywhere and has led to the wasteful expenditure of billions of dollars. Thus it is that while homeless camps may appear to disappear after government-ordered sweeps, the presence of small groups and individual homeless people continues to increase. Sweeps don’t make them go away; they just force them to another location. One day here, […]
Homeless: It’s (not) the Drugs
It’s almost impossible to discuss homelessness without a chorus of loud and insistent voices shouting, “It’s the drugs!” While drug use is indeed common among homeless people, reliable data confirm it’s rarely the cause of homelessness. If drug use were the cause of homelessness, you would expect to see a correlation among states with high numbers of drug usage and high numbers of homelessness. There is no such correlation. Hawaii […]