Sadie Koch was stunned when she learned a few weeks ago that her sister, Mary Baca, is homeless. Though she hadn’t seen her in well over three years, Sadie, who lives in Escalon, thought Mary was still living in Modesto with her friend and partner Linda.* The sisters had never been particularly close, but reunited when Mary returned to the Valley from Los Angeles, where she worked for a supermarket […]
Modesto homeless
Busting the Homeless: Wasted Dollars?
Call him Martin. He’s a homeless man and meth user. In the last year, he’s been in jail four times and in the hospital twice. His jail time has ranged from a few days to several weeks. His last hospital stay was almost six weeks. Then there’s the Oakdale man who’s periodically arrested for misdemeanors related to homelessness. He’s often driven to the county jail in Modesto, held a few […]
Homeless: The Cruel Futility of Sweeps
Most homeless people spend almost all their time in public places. The chief reason is simple: There’s nowhere else to go. Yes, there are shelters at night, but they’re often full in bad weather. Pets and couples aren’t allowed (couples are split up). You take in and out only what you can carry. There’s no privacy. There’s enforced religion. The shelters close during the day. Homeless people in public places […]
Homeless Facing Winter Crisis
Most of us have welcomed our rainy December and recent temperatures below freezing. The rain means a chance to begin replenishing lakes and reservoirs and the cold weather means snow in the mountains, a harbinger of much-needed spring runoff. But for the homeless, the wet and cold are nothing less than life-threatening. Last week’s heavy downpour caused the creek to rise in Beard Brook Park, soaking many homeless people’s belongings […]
Faces of the Homeless: Matt
Several weeks ago, when Matt Payne showed up at Beard Brook Park with a black eye and a face full of cuts and bruises, word got around that he’d been beaten by the police. Even though few knew why, everyone knew he’d been in jail and only recently gotten out. Matt had been known to use methamphetamine, and most people probably assumed he’d been busted for something associated with drugs. […]
Homelessness—the Numbers Game
Take a country—any country—and destroy its manufacturing base by sending jobs overseas. Make sure no alternative job base develops. In the same country, see that wages, including the minimum wage, remain static for almost forty years; further reduce jobs through automation, computerized information systems, outsourcing, and downsizing. Simultaneous to job and wage reduction, in that same nation raise housing costs. Raise the costs of education exponentially. Make sure energy costs, […]
Homeless: Who is Mary Baca?
After over a month on the streets, Mary Baca still has her nice watch and amethyst ring. That’s probably because she was lucky enough to wander into a park where Phil Ham and his long-time homeless friends often spend their days. At sixty-two years old, Ham likes to joke that Mary, fifty-four, is too old for him. “I don’t go out with women over thirty,” he says. Nonetheless, when Mary […]
Dave Lopez: Not the Leader We Need
In his first term as a Modesto City Councilman, we thought Dave Lopez brought a welcome presence to local politics. His “everyman” qualities, gregarious nature, and love of Modesto made him an appealing representative of Modesto citizens. Over the years, Lopez began to look more and more like an opportunistic politician than the people’s representative. A nominal Democrat, Lopez endorsed Jeff Denham instead of Jose Hernandez in 2012—clearly a move […]
Meeting About the Homeless
No one really expected the two recent town meetings about homelessness in Stanislaus County would produce immediate solutions. Newspaper accounts have stressed the anger and frustration of local residents as they see their streets and parks overrun with people with nowhere else to go. Many are ready to write off the homeless as low-life addicts, thieves, and vandals. But the real story may be among those who’ve managed to listen […]
Faces of the Homeless: Carl, Part IV
With its high poverty and unemployment rates, the San Joaquin Valley has a larger homeless population than the nation as a whole. Even so, most homeless people aren’t outside longer than a few months. The exceptions can include those who routinely use shelters, work at least part time, and have small incomes. The canners are atypical. In her study of homeless recyclers in San Francisco, Teresa Gowan found them independent, […]