GROVER BEACH: Police Clear Out the Homeless, but You Can Help!

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Update 2/1/2016:
Today I spoke with Police Chief Peters of the Grover Beach Police Department. He had previously sent me an email about the situation with the homeless camp at the Grover Beach Train Station site. Chief Peters and I spoke for about 20 minutes. Chief Peters is keenly aware of the fact that the homeless are not just going to "go away", and that it is futile to needlessly cite them for "living in the bushes". However, there is a public nuisance aspect of this that is not going away either.

One thing Police Chief Peters told me really struck home: the lack of cohesiveness he observed between all the parties involved with homelessness and affordable housing issues (note: I am paraphrasing what he said). And I agree. That’s one of the reasons I largely eschew involvement in any group, and do my own homeless outreach - it’s the only way I know, with my limited time and money, that I can be sure I am “doing some good”. 

Also, I have changed my point of view to support all organizations, groups, movements and projects that even “attempt” to move the ball forward on homelessness and affordable housing issues, whether I agree with them (or like them) or not. That means sometimes holding my nose and support people and causes that I have a hard time accepting. An example would be my support of the new Homeless Services Center in SLO, an approach that I do not really like, but I support anyways. I support the “full court press” on homeless issues, so that also includes tangential issues, such as supporting the new private Templeton Mental Health facility. With limited resources, we need to work together to do the most good. 

I left the Chief with this final thought: when a homeless camp is dispersed, we need an answer to the homeless person's question: Where can I legally go to exist?

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Update 1/28/2016:
On Tuesday, January 26, the city of Grover Beach kicked all the homeless people with nowhere else to go out of the homeless encampment near the train station. Read about it in the Tribune article on 1/26/2016 by clicking here.

Above: Grover Beach homeless on the run with their belongings. Photo stolen from the Tribune web site. My apologies for that, but people should see this unfortunate situation.

The non-profit group SLO Housing Connection is coordinating the effort to re-house Grover Beach's homeless at local campgrounds on a short term basis. These are people who were kicked out by the City of Grover Beach on 1/26/2016 from their homeless encampment near the railroad station. Notice that no discernible aid is being given by the ones who are kicking them out - the city of Grover Beach (perhaps I am wrong and somebody will correct me - please!).

Consider donating: If you know where your next meal is coming from and you will be sleeping in a warm, clean, safe bed tonight, then please consider donating to help those who don't.

Checks should be made  out to:

SLO Housing Connection
3940-7 Broad St., 
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: (805) 440-6760
[write CAMPGROUND in the memo section of the check]

All donations are tax deductible and all who donate will receive regular updates regarding the people and any changes in the situation.  We have some food being delivered Friday 1/29/2016 as most of the homeless lost what little they had during the eviction.
Summary of the above article:
- homeless were given vouchers for limited stays at a state campground
- Grover Beach cleared out a well-known homeless encampment on Highway 1 on Tuesday 1/26/2016
- some of their campground fees have been paid by local nonprofit agencies.
- The 20-30 person encampment is being cleared out in advance of a $2 million train station remodel
- Police helped the individuals pack up their belongings
- No arrests were made nor any citations given during the enforcement, Police Chief John Peters 
- the Police Chief said he did not know where the residents went once they left the camp
- Janna Nichols, of the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, said some of the residents have moved to paid camping spots at the North Beach Campground in Pismo Beach where they will be able to stay temporarily.
- Torres-Hill said SLO Housing Connection paid about $800 for five of the campsites for a week, and nonprofit SLO County Womenade is paying $175 for a campsite for Upton-Young and her family. 
- Torres-Hill is now looking for any other nonprofits that are willing to pay for campsites for some of those displaced this week, and has sent a message to the county Homeless Services Oversight Council supportive services subcommittee asking for further assistance, she said.
- Grover Beach will continue to clean up the train station property, in preparation for it to be fenced in. Once fences are in place, the area will be monitored by police, using video surveillance and officer visits during site preparation and construction of the train station expansion, according to a city news release

Tim's comments: I assume that the purpose of the fence, video surveillance cameras, and police monitoring of the cleaned up area is to ensure that the homeless don't return. One wonders how much money, in addition to the $2,000,000 in train station renovations, is being spent on keeping the homeless out. Perhaps it could better be spent on paying for their nearby camping spots? No use in asking the city of Grover Beach how much this "return prevention" program is costing, as they will just say "they don't know".

In my opinion, Chief Peters shows a callous lack of concern when he tells the reporter that "he doesn't know where the homeless will go". When you are kicking someone out of their only home, it is certainly the humanitarian thing to do to at least ask them where they are going, or if they even have a place to go. Come on Grover Beach - how about a little better PR at least?

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Update 1/19/2016:
Once again, a SLO county municipal government is ticketing and harassing the homeless, all the while, giving them no options for where they can go, except: "AWAY. JUST --- GO --- AWAY".

Is the Grover Beach government listening to ALL of it's citizens? Not that I can tell. These Grover Beach homeless state that "they aren't doing anything to help us". These same homeless also ask "Where are we going to go?" and are confused that "nobody will tell us where we are supposed to go".

You can read more about this unacceptable practice in the Tribune article Grover Beach to Clear Out Homeless Camp. 

Grover Beach made plans to remove humans from their only shelter option but made NO PLANS for where they could go. Grover Beach Police Chief John Peters said as much: "There a huge health risk down there. It's not a safe place for anyone to be living, especially near the train tracks". Does Chief Peters get quoted as saying that "we have made a safe space for the homeless people to go, so that we can ensure their safety?" Of course not! It's much easier just to kick people out than to relocated them to a safe place, as any decent human being would do. 

The city of Grover Beach has put "No Trespassing" signs in place while the Police Department issued dozens of trespassing citations to homeless people with nowhere else to go (we call it “Criminalization of the Homeless”). Did they also pass out a flier telling them where they could move there gear and pets to a safe and legal place? Of course not! Why? Because there is no safe and legal place for all of them to go. Only the lucky few can get into a shelter bed during this wet winter - the rest scramble while lugging all their belongings to a new illegal camp to survive another wet night.

The article politely states that the local powers are helping them to relocate "elsewhere", but silently declines to state the obvious: there is no "elsewhere". If there was, they would say so.

Grover Beach's "second wave" of moving the homeless "away" was scheduled for early January 2016, but postponed due to rain! Kind of ironic that Grover Beach failed to notice that even though their own government workers are apparently too delicate to carry out "enforcement" while it is raining (even with full city-issued rain gear), the homeless are somehow tough enough to live out in that same rain - all day - every day. 

If the weather is so severe that our government worker humans are unable to do their jobs in the rain, perhaps the weather is so severe that our homeless humans are unfit to live in that same rain at that same location?

What is with the cold and cruel attitude of our government officials? Would we really do this with any other community problem (kick the can down the road)? Would we do this to stray dogs? Or would we build an expensive new dog shelter?

There are affordable, unsubsidized solutions out there, as I have posted over and over again at my web site: supervised tent camps, campgrounds, RV parks, tiny home villages, cooperative housing projects, homeshare, fee-free granny units, affordable green micro-housing, airport / truck stop style housing, bike-only hostels, communal living developments, etc. The government could declare an emergency, and take emergency action to shelter all these homeless and start implementing some of these permanent solutions (also called “Housing First”).

I have been told by many to stop writing these type of articles, as it only hurts the cause of the homeless. “Work the system” they say. Well, I’m not a politician and I don’t have the skills to “work the system”. I admit that I don’t spend my time with homeless and affordable housing issues because I want to, but because I feel that as a fellow human, I have to. There are so few of us to argue for HOUSING SOLUTIONS for the homeless - not just talk about it. If you knew the homeless the way I do, you might do so also. As always, I’m happy to talk about this issue with anyone - but I get few takers. Everyone would rather talk about the NFL playoffs!

As always, I expect no response from this because, frankly, there is no defense for not providing a “legal place to go", as far as I can tell, except that cruel indifference to fellow human beings is somehow their only option.

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1/19/2016; I got an immediate response from Grover Beach city councilperson Mariam Shah. We exchanged ideas back and forth and agreed to stay in touch (I'll spare you the details...). She gave me permission to reproduce her detailed response here:

From: Mariam Shah <mshah@grover.org>
Subject: RE: GROVER BEACH: Kicked Out with Nowhere to Go...
Date: January 19, 2016 at 11:46:37 AM PST
To: Tim Waag <timwaag@gmail.com>

Hello Tim, 

Thank you for your email.  I can tell you really care about this issue and so do I.  I am equally frustrated that these citizens have no real place to go.  They live in my neighborhood and I have spoken with many.  I get it.  Many are mentally ill, and it especially tears me up that this is the treatment for the weakest members of our community.  Please don't take anything in this email as an excuse, as there is no excuse for the way the people of this county treat the homeless.  

That being said, I was elected to represent the citizens of this city and this is what they want.  Citizens are showing up to our council meetings in droves complaining of the unsightly, unsanitary and the dangerous conditions being caused by these homeless encampments, and they are also correct.  While some innocently call these areas home, MANY use them to use and sell drugs.  We have a very large heroin problem in this city centered in these camps.  Many simply stop in to buy and use drugs.  Heroin makes people aggressive, and there have been countless altercations in the camps as well as an attempted murder a week ago at the train station camp.  We have another camp on Margarita Ave. that is owned partially by Pismo and partially by State Parks.  In that camp, there are drugs and tents for prostitution.  I have seen pictures and the citizens that venture in describe it as a Mad Max type village.  Allowing these camps to fester in Grover Beach is just no type of solution.  

Please allow me to shed light on some of the things the article did not fully explain.   Grover Beach is the only city within the FIVE cities that actually provides any services to the homeless, at all, on a daily basis.  Lunch is served here each day by the people's kitchen along with a church service and connections to service providers for those that want them.  Of course, there are simply not enough services to offer.  The Five Cities Homeless Coalition is based in AG, in an office deliberately hidden (the words of the director) as they do not want to jeopardize their safety or their lease by allowing homeless people walk up access to the 5CHC.  That about explains the attitude in this county.  We all want to help and donate $, but no one wants the homeless anywhere near them.

The solutions you pose are innovative.  Have you ever found anyone willing to host one of those solutions on their property or anywhere near their home?  If you have, I would like to know, as I would have a direction and I would personally work on it.  We had over a million dollars to build a shelter in South County, but after looking at 250 sites, there was simply no where "the people" would actually allow it to exist.  Now that money is being spent on those who have lost apartments for "rapid rehousing."  A valid cause, but will not help those in encampments.

I hate that the police are villified in all of this as they are the first line, and virtually the only line, of people dealing with the homeless on a daily basis.  I have been told by another Chief in another of the five cities that they simply practice "aggressive hospitality" pushing the homeless out before they can even set belongings down.  Our officers have worked tirelessly in these encampments (which are extremely dangerous).  We have had multiple burglaries and they go into the encampments to recover goods, etc.  I have simply gone to observe the encampments and I would not go in, even in day light.  The reason we cannot clear the encampments in the rain is that the prison honor farm is the only organization willing to take on the task of cleaning up the PILES of refuse in the encampments and prisoners cannot be forced to work in the rain. (Private companies took one look and refused to come in at any price.)

I want you to know that all of the council members in Grover Beach have worked on this issue in both a public and personal capacity.  Our council and our community are probably the most sympathetic to the homeless and that is why (I think) we have become the final stop for most of South County's homeless.  That is simply not fair and not safe for our citizens.  Personally, I sit on the countywide Homeless Services Oversight Committee and am personally working on hosting a Mobile Assistance event here in Grover Beach this spring.  Much like a veterans standown, the homeless will be able to access all services available on one day.  I have met and spoken with Dee Torres on this issue (as has our Police Chief and other council members).  I informed her of this date long ago and she simply has no where to send these poor people. We have asked her for a reasonable plan that we can sign on to as a city.  We are all open to it.  She hasn't been able to get back to us.  The 5CHC almost didn't host a warming shelter in South County at all this winter as it wasn't used last year (because there was no rain!).  I pushed for the warming shelter and I make dinner for the warming shelter every Sunday that it is open.  Last Sunday night I cooked for 25.  I worked with a local group, ARK, for over a year to secure a 1200 ft. space where the homeless could simply drink coffee during the day.  They city was on board and the landlord was on board.  Once other tenants in the industrial complex heard about it, they threatened lawsuits and the project died.  

Please know I feel your frustration and I welcome your ideas and action.  I want you to know there are indeed politicians that care greatly about this problem.  All of us on the council have thought we found "solutions" for this situation over the years.  However, the nimbyism is this county is huge.  Until that can be corrected, I must act on behalf of my constituents.

Please let me know if you would ever like to join in on any of our efforts in south county or if you would like to meet to speak further.  

Again, thank you for taking the time to care.  

Mariam Shah 

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE: 

Yes, We Are Criminalizing the Homeless 12/21/2015
Where Can the Homeless Go Without Getting Ticketed?
The article ran in Cal Coast News on 12/24/2015, which you can read here: 
http://calcoastnews.com/2015/12/yes-we-are-criminalizing-homelessness/
Apparently, this subject has resonated with the local media, because The Tribune newspaper also ran my article "Yes, we are criminalizing being homeless" on Sunday 12/27/2015, which you can read here: 
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article51752295.html
Many people made rather harsh comments in response to these articles, thus illustrating my common experience that many people bitterly hate homeless people. Sad but true.

The comments in response to the above article included: the homeless are bums, they are lazy, they should be put in prison, they don't want to work (total lie), etc. - the hateful comments are practically endless. 

When I tell people about how the homeless are despised and hated by so many people here, they can't believe it's true, but it is. They don't even see them as being human. That's why politicians won't act - helping the "bums" is unpopular (and they don't vote, either!). Click on this link to more clearly understand the difference between the terms "homeless" and "transient". Transient is a pejorative term when applied to homeless people just trying to get back on their feet - that's why SLO PD uses it. When the SLO PD uses the term transient, they are denigrating 100's of CHILDREN, veterans, disabled, and mentally ill in our county. Sad indeed.

Beginning of Article: Cities are judged by how they treat the less fortunate. On that basis, the “happiest place on earth” is doing poorly. SLO County has about 150 shelter beds for the 2,000-plus homeless. We must have an answer to the question posed by the homeless: “Where can I sleep without being ticketed?" Until our government has an answer to that question, they should instruct law enforcement not to ticket the homeless for trying to sleep. 

Across our nation, laws that make it a crime to not have a place to live are spreading. In the city of San Luis Obispo, they are already here.  We treat stray dogs better than we treat our homeless. I have had homeless people tell me they would love to live in one of the dog kennels at the local humane society, where they would have a safe, secure, dry, clean place to live. 

Above: Welcome to San Luis Obispo! The sign that greets visitors to our community gives a subtle warning to the homeless that they can't sleep in their cars or RVs on the streets of SLO. Otherwise, they will get a ticket. This photo was taken on Los Osos Valley Road in SLO, just 2 blocks from my house.
Clearly, there are not enough shelter beds. Even if there were, our shelters don’t admit those who drink, curse, have a drug addiction or mental illness, or even a pet dog. Many of our homeless are children, veterans or the elderly. In this relatively affluent community, we should be able to find a way to shelter and feed everyone. 

There are affordable, unsubsidized solutions out there, as I have posted over and over again at this web site: supervised tent camps, campgrounds, RV parks, tiny home villages, cooperative housing projects, homeshare, fee-free granny units, affordable green micro-housing, airport / truck stop style housing, bike-only hostels, communal living developments, etc.

Because there simply isn't enough money to subsidize affordable housing for all who meet the criteria (homeless or low income). Unfortunately, the government officials I have met with have ruled out all "common sense" solutions to housing the unhoused and creating affordable housing.

Additional information can be found here:
• Increasing criminalization of homelessness around the nation
• National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty: A lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness

SLO Police Department: CAT Team - Cops Against Transients
Update 2/12/2016: Inside sources have told me that our beloved San Luis Obispo Police Department "Community Action Team" (or CAT for short), which was created in large part to work with our local homeless citizens, has an internal term they like to use for the CAT team: Cops Against Transients. Assuming that is true, that would explain a lot.

SLO PD Community Action Team: The city of San Luis Obispo is very touchy about the homelessness issue. There are many city police and parks department employees who are kind and sensitive in how they treat the homeless, including the Community Action Team ("CAT") officers.  Note that in the previous link that describes the CAT officers doesn't specifically mention the homeless (or transients, as our local law enforcement inaccurately calls them). Also, it has out of date information on the current CAT Team members.

Let's distinguish between "transient" and "homeless person". First, you can read a detailed discussion of the differences between these 2 terms by clicking here. Transients choose a lifestyle with no permanent address, and move from place to place - they could more accurately be called "travelers". The homeless have become homeless through some unfortunate state of affairs, and seek to become re-housed. Often, the chronically homeless have give up hope, and no longer have this goal, thus creating the myth that they want to be homeless. 

In our community, the homeless population far outnumbers the "transient" population. Also, the term "transient" is used by the city government to denigrate (and mislabel) homeless people. Transient is the pejorative term, whereas homeless is the empathetic (and accurate) term. Obviously, you can tell where local law enforcement stands on this issue. You can read more on this distinction by reading this Huffington Post article.

I have been accused by the SLO Police Department of "having an agenda" and "being political" (as if that were a crime!). Nothing could be further from the truth. My only "agenda" is to get people out of homelessness and into housing, the same goal that the city and county of SLO have both signed on to solving. 

You can read about their 10 year plan to end homelessness by clicking here. Also, I try very hard to remain apolitical, and only to focus on effective solutions to homelessness, creating affordable housing, ending student loan debt, and other issues. 

*****12/28/2015: Comments that I wrote in Cal Coast News regarding my article.
I made a devastatingly large number of comments in response to the mostly mean comments written about my article "Yes, We Are Criminalizing the Homeless". No, I didn't just sit around all weekend taking pot shots at the homeless-haters - I was doing a 3 day shift taking care of my older relatives (who just happen to have internet access), so I had some time between taking them to the bathroom and "depends" changes to make a bunch of comments. Here they are. You'll have to use your imagination to figure out what anti-homeless comments I was respond to. Note that I wrote exactly 4,136 words in response to mostly cruel comments about the homeless. I will NEVER get sucked into doing this again, but I have to admit, it was kind of fun!

It is true that sleep deprivation has an extremely negative effect on people. You can read more about it here: 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/sleep-deprivation_n_4557142.html

Unlike the stereotype of a typical homeless person demonstrated by most comments regarding my article, a significant percentage (no, not all!) of homeless people are ashamed and embarrassed at being homeless and try their best to HIDE IT from their friends and family – they certainly are not out aggressively panhandling or holding a sign on a street corner. These people that have nowhere else to go either go to the shelter (which is often full) or the streets. When they try to sleep in a in creek bed, they awaken at every twig snapping, afraid that they will be rousted by law enforcement or attacked, robbed or raped – they tell me they cannot get a halfway decent night’s sleep.

‘City must pay $134K for targeting the homeless’

Ninety-nine criminal citations were dismissed thanks to the intervention of the San Luis Obispo Homeless Alliance. Dozens of people in the California city had been accused of the crime of sleeping in their cars, but a judge found the city’s law against vehicular sleeping to be unconstitutional, and awarded a payout of $134,000, which all went to the lawyers.

Resident, there’s too much here for me to coherently respond to, so I’ll make just a few brief points. SLO County surveys have shown that the majority of our homeless have ties to our community, meaning that they either grew up here, lived or worked here for some time, or have relatives that live here. The homeless are already here. Busing them to another community does not solve the problem, it just pushes it onto someone else – not really my style. 

Question for Resident: How does making them leave make the world a better place? Answer: it doesn’t.

:Resident", one more comment…you begin by saying that my article is “off the mark”. However, the point of the article is that we are indeed, criminalizing homelessness by making it illegal to even nap in your car on a public street. For whatever reason, some people have nowhere else to go, and people have to sleep or they will eventually die. The unpaid citations build up, turning people who have nowhere to live into criminals.

Note also that city and county laws make it illegal to sleep in a car or RV on PRIVATE PROPERTY as well. Nothing in your comment disputes what I attempted to prove in my article.

Since the Great Recession, we have seen way more families that are new to homelessness, due to loss of jobs that secure enough income to pay rent in expensive SLO county. Also, we see way more working homeless, because even full time minimum wage isn’t enough to pay for housing in our county (no, I’m not pushing for an increase in the minimum wage – that's a different issue).

Note also that I have many issues with the new shelter being built, which I discuss here: http://timwaagblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/slo-new-homeless-services-center.html

“Resident”, I am responding to your comment: "Read this article from a homeless advocate who asks them where they are from.. Nobody from SLO: https://weusedtobeneighbors.wordpress.com/ "

I went to this link and read the article, expecting to find some diatribe against the “filthy bums”, but instead the link above from “Resident” starts this way:

“After doing this project, it brought to light just how insignificant and small my own problems are compared to all these wonderful people that I’ve met during my interviews. Every single one of these homeless individuals that I met these past few months have touched my heart and made me even more understanding to the multi-faceted problems that homeless people face every single day.”

This article is incredibly articulate in describing the plight of the homeless, as this one excerpt does so well:

In response to questions that I’ve been approached with over the past quarter:
“Why don’t they just stop being homeless?”
“Don’t encourage them, they’ll never learn to get a real job.”
“If you’re poor, why don’t you just stop being poor? I don’t understand why they choose to be like that.”

The simple answer is, homelessness is the result of a cascade of problems that are inflicted on a single individual, with little to no outside help or support. It is a vicious cycle that is monumentally difficult to claw your way out of, and is rarely a lifestyle that the individual willingly chooses.

I highly recommend that you read the rest of the link provided by “Resident” to this fascinating article written by a person who went out and interviewed homeless people in SLO. https://weusedtobeneighbors.wordpress.com/ 

SLO County is not the only place with good weather where the homeless congregate. Check out the weather and the homeless population in our adjacent counties: Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. They all have great weather, and assumedly, homeless problems (though I am not familiar with their exact homeless situation).

Again, one way tickets don’t solve any problems, and don’t even keep them from coming back. "Kaiser Bill" may cheer the “one way ticket” solution, but those who live in their “landing zone” won’t be thanking you. Whatever happened to “doing the other person right” (as my grandparents used to say)?

Yes, there are indeed transients, but they are a distinct minority, in my experience, though I don’t have exact numbers. My article addresses the homeless as a different group than the transients that you refer to. You can read more about transients vs. the homeless here: http://timwaagblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/nation-homeless-vs-transient-what.html

People are familiar with the term “rescue dog”, meaning a person has rescued a dog from the pound who might later have been put to “permanent rest”. Some have suggested that we start we “rescue person” program. Not a bad idea, IMO.

Though it’s true that there are 12 houses of worship in SLO that house the homeless during each of the 12 months of the year, I believe, my friend, that you have picked the wrong group to criticize. If you were rational, you could start by criticizing the many houses of worship in SLO that don’t house any homeless ever – ZERO (There are far more than 12 houses of worship in the city, I believe). Next, start criticizing all the other cities and communities in SLO county where there are no programs for houses of worship to house the homeless! Why start by criticizing the group that is doing more any other private group to house the unhoused? Perhaps, you’re being a bit unreasonable?

Mr. Slander, churchfinder.com http://www.churchfinder.com/churches/ca/san-luis-obispo lists 33 churches in SLO, and I believe there are 2 or 3 Jewish temples, plus a Buddhist temple and a few other houses of worship. 11 Churches, plus 1 temple, host the homeless in their church. Why do you choose to criticize the 12 house of worship that DO house the homeless, and leave those who do NOT untouched?

Mr. Slander, may I ask what “house of worship” you are affiliated with, and please provide me with a web link so I can read about how your church takes care of the homeless 24/7 (as you say). I’m waiting…

Oh wait, I’m GUESSING that you don’t lift a finger help the homeless or anyone else? Please prove me wrong. Thanks.

PS – BTW, I see why you call yourself Mr. Slander…

AchillesHeal – Unfortunately, with the city of SLO’s Rental Housing Inspection Program, I doubt that the city would let 2,300 people live at my house. Nice idea, though – thanks!

Actually, charity does already take care of many of our homeless, though we prefer not to call them "bums". Unlike our city and county government, the many private citizens that donate time to house the homeless do so quietly, without looking for attention, headlines or accolades, which may be why you’ve never heard about them. Among those people, many of us believe that it could be us being homeless instead of the ("there but for the grace of G*d go I").

Those who think they could never become homeless are kidding themselves. Almost half of all households in the US live paycheck to paycheck – if you lose your job and don’t have friends or relatives to fall back on – TahDah – you are now homeless. Never mind the scenario where you might get in a workplace accident and become permanently disabled (disability tops out at about $800 month – try living on that in SLO!) and lose your ability to support yourself.

No, I do not believe the cause is noble, but I do believe it is the right thing to do, and so do the other people who volunteer to help the homeless. A close relative of mine is disabled, and with the help of many people and services in our community over many years, this relative was able to graduate from college and get a full-time job, where my relative is now a productive member of society (even though my relative is still disabled). It was not easy, and it was a lot of work, but in the end, human capital is worth trying to save.

Wow. You think the city would allow 2,300 people to live at my house? Somehow, I doubt it.

Actually, though I am no expert on the subject, I believe the city has a regulation / ordinance regarding how many people can live in a residence. I’m pretty sure there is a maximum occupancy law for residential structures. Again, “obispan”, our nanny state would not allow it. But thanks for the suggestion anyways! Any other ideas?

Nobody said that solving problems was easy, my friend. However, there are affordable non-subsidized housing solutions that are already being implemented across the country. These are not subsidized by the government – not 1 penny. There are many of these solutions out there – just one solution would be tiny home villages – you can read about 11 of these villages at this link: http://www.shareable.net/blog/11-tiny-house-villages-redefining-home or google “tiny home villages”.

Unfortunately, Gordo, 12% of the homeless in our country are CHILDREN. A large percentage of our homeless are also disabled, elderly (over 60 years old) or war veterans. A significant percentage of our homeless work full or part time, but don’t make enough to pay for our very expensive housing. You want the police to ticket and arrest who? Children? Full-time workers at minimum wage? Veterans? Really?

As a matter of fact, I do live in SLO, and we have had a mentally ill homeless person living in our neighborhood for almost 2 years now. This person is a nuisance, but the many people on our street have worked with law enforcement to make the situation manageable – not an ideal situation, of course, but most of our neighbors have shown extreme compassion to this person because they are a human being, with parents who raised them and love them. Mental illness and what to do about it is a whole other topic.

Gordo, Unfortunately, with the city of SLO’s new Rental Enforcement Department, I doubt that the city would let 2,300 people live at my house. Nice idea, though – thanks!

Seriously, I doubt you are really suggesting the solution to homelessness is to have them all live and eat at my house. The government (not me) would not allow it. Read about how the People’s Kitchen gets shut down for handing out food to the hungry (not necessarily the homeless). Read about it here: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article39457557.html

In conclusion, I like your idea to have all our homeless camp at my place, but the nanny state that we are living in would not allow it – any other clever ideas?

It costs far more to put a homeless person in prison than it does to help them get back on their feet. I wouldn’t think this would be a good use of taxpayer money. Unfortunately, with 2,200 homeless people in SLO County alone, throwing them in jail would be expensive indeed. Plus, I don’t think you can throw CHILDREN in jail for being homeless (I’m not a lawyer, so I could be wrong on that one).

Yes, 805local, the problem is complex and difficult – I’m not denying that. You have discovered the truth in your statement: the cycle you describe taxes our courts and public services to the extreme, and that translates into big bucks. Across the country, people have turned to what is called the “housing first” model for homelessness (google it). In many cities, the “housing first” model saves money by reducing police service calls and Emergency Room visits. You can read about it here: http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/what-is-housing-first

“Central Coast RN”, thanks for the intelligent discourse on the homeless problem. The VAST MAJORITY of those who appear to choose to be homeless, don’t actually WANT to be homeless. I know many of these people and have spent significant amounts of time with them. There are exceptions, but these folks will eventually admit that they would prefer to have a roof over their head and warm dry bedding and a safe place to lock up their belongings, but have a difficult time coping with the many demands of modern life.

Just one example: I hired 2 homeless people to paint a building. One of them had been homeless for about 25 years, but still had 2 kids during that time. He is a professional commercial painter. He admitted that he just couldn’t hold a job where people “told him what to do.” In that situation, he would conflict with his supervisors when he disagreed with them, and thus, he “chose” the vagabond lifestyle. He would prefer to be housed, but that lifestyle resulted in fighting and conflict, so he avoided a traditional lifestyle for that reason. With counseling and a proper working situation, who knows? He certainly did a great job painting! Plus, he WANTED to work, yet uninformed observers would say that he “chooses” the homeless lifestyle – not true.

The greater problem with people (mostly men) getting out of prison with felony arrest records is that no employers will hire them. Thus, many do not “choose” this lifestyle, but are unable to obtain “traditional” employment, and are stuck with being homeless. This is why I am also a proponent of the “ban the box” movement. Read more about “ban the box” here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_the_Box
And no, the homeless cannot get a job picking up trash, because, with their felony records and citations, nobody would hire them – public or private employers.

IMO, trash is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. Surely, you are not suggesting that if the homeless mother with a few children who are living in the creek bed would pick up her trash, then all would be well? The homeless AVOID DETECTION and thus do not want to be seen hauling trash bags for miles to a dumpster. I have tried to offer up a trash collection service at the various homeless camps around town, and there has been resistance, because any and all additional visitation creates unwanted attention to their illegal living situation, and perhaps, citations and confiscation of their “stuff”.

Again, I do not understand the logic of ticketing people with no money and “down on their luck”. They end up in jail for just trying to live, with citations that they will never be able to pay, and a record that will keep them from ever finding employment. Plus, if they have a vehicle and insurance, they lose both and become even more of a burden on the public. No, ticketing is NOT necessary.

“Central Coast RN”, again, thanks for the intelligent discourse on the homeless problem. You may not see too many moms with their kids not in shelters, but I do. Come with me and I’ll show you.

300 children are homeless in SLO County. 150 shelter beds in SLO County, including ADULTS (not just children). Do the math. Numerically, it is not possible that all KIDS are getting sheltered – so where are they? In the creek beds and under the overpasses. The homeless try NOT TO BE SEEN (it’s not that hard here, because there are lots of places to hide).

Yes, we do agree in quite a few areas. My main issue regarding homelessness is with folks that somehow believe they deserve to be homeless and should be ticketed, arrested, and put in jail to rot, or be forced through city laws to leave and become someone else’s problem. The homeless are here, their numbers have been growing over the years and they are not leaving.

It is up to us, the good people of SLO, to lend a helping hand. The rich won’t do it, because they are too busy trying to make more money. The poor won’t do it, because they are barely surviving. That leaves us – me and you. We have to decide if we are all brothers and sisters, and if we are “our brothers keeper”. I think we are.

Regarding trash, “Central Coast RN”‘s example makes my point. The government employee told you that it was a waste, because the homeless people would just fill it up. Wait, isn’t that the point – to fill up the trash cans for disposal, rather than littering? The government is culpable in the real life scenario that you described. That scenario is what is happening in homeless areas around our county.

What law says we can’t put trash cans and trash collection service at the homeless camps? Gee, then maybe they couldn’t criticize the homeless for littering – one of the main complaints.

Question: Should they desire to do so, where could the homeless dump their trash? Answer: Nowhere. Throwing it in dumpsters they do not own is against the law. How many miles would they have to walk to illegally dump their trash in someone else’s trash can? There are no legal places to dump trash in SLO, to the best of my knowledge. Please prove me wrong.

Where would Cal Poly students dump their trash if they DID NOT have curbside trash pickup? You think they would carry it for miles and dump it illegally in some businesses’ dumpster? Boy, would those businesses howl and complain (and rightfully so).

Cal Poly students routinely dump unwanted furniture in Prefumo Canyon (just outside SLO but in SLO County) near where I live. How about criticizing them? Ask the county how often they have to pick up discarded couches and diswashers from Prefumno Canyon. I can’t tell you how many times we have called the county to notify them of illegally dumped furniture, garbage and building materials in Prefumo Canyon – I doubt the dumping was done by the homeless. (I ride my bike up Prefumo Canyon many times each year, and see all the dumping).

Wow. “Central Coast RN” still thinks that you can ticket the homeless until they become housed? Describe a scenario where ticketing them puts them in a better place to get jobs and housing.

You don’t understand: The purpose of ticketing them is to get them to LEAVE and go become someone else’s problem. You do get one thing right – the purpose of my article in the first place: When the homeless asks Mr. Police Officer “where can I legally go to exist”, we have to have a better answer than “go away” (the current answer). [Remember: 150 beds for 2,200 people – 2,050 still left out in the rain. Plus, we will not shelter addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill, most disabled (no wheelchairs), those with PTSD for you veterans, those who cursing or yell, etc. RV parking program requires Case Management where they confiscate most of your money. You can’t live in an RV on private property or a church parking lot. Etc.]

“Central Coast RN” gets another thing right. Among our government officials, there is absolutely NO SENSE OF URGENCY, WHATSOEVER. It’s like the saying, “Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned”. Rome is burning. The homeless I speak to laugh almost uncontrollably about our ridiculous “10 year plan to end homelessness” – they need a place to sleep TONIGHT. They tell me: “In 10 years, they’ll probably be dead” (perhaps that was the law makers plan all along?).

It is fascinating how many comments criticize the homeless for being mentally ill, when in my experience, this type of illness is not self-inflicted and could occur in any of us. It’s a type of “blame the victim” point of view. How do people justify this position? Some of the most severe forms of mental illness have their onset in males in the late teens through mid 20s. Examples include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. These people need our help, not our scorn and disdain, IMO. NOTE: I am not a mental health professional, and t
hese are the facts as I understand them, but I could be wrong in some of the EXACT details, but what I stated is approximately correct. I would be happy to do more research for you in this area.

I find it fascinating that these same people are also the ones who are opposing the PRIVATE NON-GOVERNMENT owned mental health facility in Templeton that, in theory, would help the local mentally ill population. You can read more about the opposition to local treatment of the mentally ill here: 
http://timwaagblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/local-templeton-residents-oppose-needed.html

I guess some people are just opposed to everything?

What? Nobody wants to claim that the mentally ill homeless deserve it? That they brought it on themselves? Come on. I’m disappointed. Surely, somebody wants to make this accusation?

Okay, if not the mentally ill, then how about the 12% of our homeless population that are CHILDREN? Surely, they deserve to be homeless, don’t they? Hey, we’re only talking 300 kids. Or maybe, as some here suggested, these children should be sent to PRISON…now that’s an affordable solution.

Come on guys, let’s hear from you on this one.

“SloLusion”, I didn’t create this world – I just try to live in it. My parents taught me to always try and “do the right thing by my fellow man” and that’s what I do. Period. As I always tell my children: “Life is not perfect and it never will be – just do the best you can, and you’ll be okay”. Yep, I’m that simple-minded. It’s served me well so far. Peace.

MIDDLE AGED MEN IN DINGY CLOTHES WILL BE LAST IN LINE.

slolusion, you are certainly right in that regard. The vast majority of people I help in my own personal homeless services efforts are single men between 40 and 65 years old. Those who NOBODY will help.

Thanks to everyone who responded in a civil and responsible manner this article on how SLO has (de facto) turned being homeless into a crime. My hope is that SLO will realize that the solution to our homeless problem is not giving the homeless more tickets that they cannot afford to pay, thus contributing to their downward spiral, and not being a constructive solution to the problem, IMO.

“Resident”, You are confusing 2 different laws. The one you are referring to is the law that says you cannot park ANY VEHICLE (not just RVs) in one place for more than 72 hours. This could (and should) apply to everyone. I am NOT disputing this law at all.

The law I am referring to is the one that makes it illegal to sleep in ANY VEHICLE, both on a city street and ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY!

When I was in college at UCLA many years ago, I worked at a political campaign computer facility in downtown LA. My shift was from 6am to midnight on both Saturday and Sunday. Because I lived near UCLA, I slept in my car for the 6 hours I was off between shifts (a 1974 Honda Civic, no less!). This would be illegal in SLO and I would get ticketed, were I to do that here…because I would be SLEEPING IN MY CAR. In later years, I worked on software development projects where I parked my RV overnight in the company parking lot, so that I could work, go out to the parking lot and sleep, then go back to work. This, too, is against the law in SLO, and if caught, I would get ticketed for this also.

Again, I do not do this to feel better – I do it because the homeless are still human beings, and it is the right thing to do. I volunteer for many other causes as well – not because it makes me feel better, but because they are causes that I believe in that MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

If you think it is easier to be homeless and live in the creekbed, than it is to have a job and live in a nice warm bed with a roof overhead, you are mistaken, my friend. If you knew anybody who lived this way, you would not make such statements.

Frankly “Resident”, I already do take in homeless people. No, I do not give them money, and no, it does not make me feel better. What does make me feel better is the case of a homeless mother with 3 kids who has been in the shelter system for 2 or 3 years, and just this week, finally got into housing. THAT makes me feel better – results.

Mr. Slander, thanks for helping the homeless with food, clothing, and gift certificates. They need all the help they can get. Good day, my friend.

I just trying to suggest that before you criticize the groups that are helping, perhaps you could criticize the groups that were NOT. Were that the case, I would join you in your criticism. For me, it has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with Christianity. Clearly, for you, it does.

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