SLO: Why Wait Until the Homeless Show Covid-19 Symptoms before Housing Them?

Note: All of our volunteers, including myself, are following the strictest Covid-19 exposure guidelines, despite reports to the contrary.

Our safety net is facing its biggest test in decades as a flood of people have flocked to homeless shelters, slammed suicide hotlines and packed food pantries. The economic shutdown is hitting the poor and working class with the most force, especially in cities like SLO with high homeless populations.

Before the virus was first detected, homeless shelters were already filled to capacity. In a typical week, numerous volunteers help run the shelters. But because of the coronavirus, few volunteers are coming. The demand on the paid staff is greater than ever, with surfaces needing to be disinfected regularly and people needing to be screened for symptoms. Beds now have to be spaced at least 6 feet apart to protect against the spreading of the virus.

Most of the chronically homeless (who do not stay in shelters) are in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, and their physical health is often more in line with people 25 years older. To make matters worse, showers trailers and restaurant / gas station restrooms have closed. As far as I can tell, the announced hand washing / sanitation stations have largely not appeared. In all my wanderings in the last week, I only saw 1 hand sanitation station, and that was outside the restroom at Mission Plaza. How does that help? The restroom was already open. With personall hygiene among the homeless so important right now, there is very little available.

Recently, homeless have been asking for masks and gloves, and we have none to give them. Eventually, when the Covid-19 spreads throughout our homeless camps, the homeless will swamp our medical systems, and will die at rates 2 or 3 times the average for their age. Then we’ll wish we had put them in hotels / trailers BEFORE they showed symptoms.

Final thoughts: There is a survey used by the "70 Now" (Housing First) program called the "Vulnerability Index: Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool" (VI-SPDAT), which is used to "rate" the homeless on their medical vulnerability, and thus their admission to the program. Basically, VI-SPDAT determines a rating for the relative likelihood that a particular homeless is most likely to die prematurely due to living on the streets. This survey could be used to determine who are also most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus / Covid-19, and house them before they get this virus and require hospitalization. Think about it.

CALIFORNIA SUCKS! Why? We do NOT Recycle the Ubiquitous Styrofoam Packaging

RECYCLE STYROFOAM? NOT SO FAST! Holiday season is often filled with gifts in cardboard boxes, packed with styrofoam to protect the contents. Time to look into what to do with styrofoam packaging. Result? So frustrating. Indeed, 25% of our land fill is styrofoam - is that really possible? Is that acceptable to you? It's not to me! It appears that it is almost impossible to recycle the stuff (see article). Your best best is to "store it and re-use it when you ship stuff" - huh? That is a ridiculous suggestion, IMHO (as in - where am I going to store it all?). https://www.hunker.com/12002950/how-to-recycle-styrofoam-in-california

Rich Old White People! Can't We Just Hate Them All?

Update 3/2/2021: Now that the "Standard Bearer" for the left is none other than "old white man" Joe Biden, isn't it funny how you no longer hear the libs complaining about it. As always, ridiculous and hypocritical. My personal approach is simple: support the best candidate, independent of race, gender or age. I only care about ability. "The only way to end racism is to end racism". I am too simple-minded to see it any other way - sorry.

 

Original Article: Hysterical how liberals have continuously bashed the "old white men" who crafted our amazing Constitution, particularly that stupid electoral college thing. The American Revolution started in 1776, and the Constitutional Convention took place in the summer of 1787. There were 39 signers of the constitution, with an average age of 44. The youngest was 26, and the oldest was senior statesman Ben Franklin, at age 81.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/signers-factsheet
Contrast that with the "old white men" and one "old white woman" running for President on the Democrat side. Where's the criticism about "old white people" now? Not a word...not a word. How ironic. Age at inauguration for 2020 Presidential Race (January 20, 2021): - Bernie Sanders 79 - Michael Bloomberg 78 years, 11.2 months - Joe Biden 78 - Trump 74 - Elizabeth Warren 71 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-sanders-and-warren-pressed-in-debate-on-age-health On his first inauguration day January 2017, Trump was 70 years old - younger than all the leading democrats will be when they are inaugurated when they win! Former President Jimmy Carter recently called for an “age limit” to the presidency. And 80, Carter said, is too old. Democrats insist that asking their "old white candidates" about their health has now become "out-of-bounds". It used to be that only asking about minor children of presidential candidates was out of bounds - my, how times have changed! Not for the better, IMO.

11/9/2019 Mission Life - Slides

SLO "Blue Bag" Trash Pickup Pilot Program

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"Blue Bag Partnership" Link to Final Report
https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Public-Works/Forms-Documents/Press-Releases/Blue-Bag-Partnership-Pilot-Final-Report.aspx

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"Blue Bag Partnership" Tim's "Mark-Ups" of the Final Report

Ann. I don’t expect any of this to be incorporated into the document, and all of it is at your discretion (of course) and those of the “partners”. However, I believe my comments to be accurate, and I believe you and I have discussed all these points before. I do want to put this information out there for your consumption (at least). Thanks!

Comment

Proposed Text Edit

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County of San Luis Obispo P a g e | 1

BLUE BAG PARTNERSHIP

PILOT EFFORT

N O V E M B E R  2 0 ,  2 0 1 9

C O U N T Y  O F  S A N L U I S O B I S P O

Results from the 2019 Inter-Agency “Blue Bag Partnership Pilot” Effort to Both Improved Stormwater Run-Off Quality and Increased Sanitation at the Homeless Camps

Mission Well & Water Works Discovery at La Purisima Concepcion in Lompoc?

Author's Note: Future article for Las Noticias, the newsletter of the Docents of Mission La Purisima State Historic Park - Prelado de los Tesoros de la Purisima - loosely translated, means "Keepers of the Treasures of La Purisima."

Written in what I call my "Casual Conversational Style"! 

Word Count: 1,474. Enjoy...

All Photos: Click to Enlarge.

PHOTO ABOVE: Tim (left) with the esteemed Dr. Glenn Farris, Senior California State Archaeologist (Retired) https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23309

Cultural Resources Division. Read his warehouse paper many (too many?) times, and wrote my lowly article for Las Noticias (elsewhere on this site) based on his 28 page summary of his California State Park team's 1965 excavation. First time I have met him. 

Funny that Dr. Farris and I look a lot alike - I think (except I don't have any hair up top - but perfect for my role at La Purisima where I portray  a Franciscan!). Interestingly, my older brother came up with the correct term for this: tonsure (I hate that he is so much smarter than me, darn you - Will Waag!). Definition Tonsure: the Roman Catholic or Eastern rite of admission to the clerical state by the clipping or shaving of a portion of the head. 

La Purisima’s Mysterious Warehouse (almacen) - UPDATE: By Tim Waag

UPDATE AFTER 10/19/2019 MISSION WAREHOUSE PRESENTATION GIVEN BY DR. FARRIS AT LA PURISIMA STATE HISTORIC PARK: 

The complete article (including these updates) can be found at:
https://timwaagblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/la-purisimas-mysterious-warehouse.html

You can find Dr. Farris' 28-page paper in PDF format here:
http://pcas.org/Vol33N4/334farrs.pdf

Dr. Farris gave a 1 hour presentation based on his 1965 - 1966 excavation of the Warehouse at La Purisima State Historic Park. I was able to ask many questions and get facts confirmed and questions answered. Here is my "shopping list" of information acquired or confirmed from that date. In addition, Dr. Farris sent me an email afterwards with 2 additional corrections, which are below. Many thanks to Dr. Farris for his tolerance of my many questions to him.
- (DR. FARRIS directed correction). Esteemed archaeologist Professor James Deetz of UCSB Archaeology / Anthropology was responsible for the 1960's excavation of the Warehouse, and Dr. Farris was involved in the 1965 - 1966 work.
- (DR. FARRIS directed correction). The warehouse structure was approximately 200 feet long and 58 feet wide - in contrast wit the larger La Purisimax Chapel and Residence adobe buildings, which were about the same width, but 300 feet long. The warehouse footprint was roughly 2/3 the length and the same width as the Chapel and Residence.
- There are no mission era records of Los Berros Canyon Warehouse construction. However, given the vagueness of communication back in that era, there is mention of a "Rancho San Antonio" Warehouse that was not far from the Purisima warehouse location. Dr. Farris believes it was possible that the Los Berros warehouse was misidentified as the Rancho San Antonio warehouse, though that seems unlikely. He showed a map of the Purisimax mission holdings that showed the Rancho San Antonio.
- Fr. Mariano Payeras, OFM did mention the warehouse in his correspondence during 1816.
- Fortunately for us that an 1850's surveyor actually took measurements of the Warehouse Foundation, so we have superbly accurate dimensions of the footprint of the building.
- The CCC may not have restored the warehouse along with the other major buildings at La Purisima because the warehouse was located on a different piece of property that was not retained for reconstruction by the CCC.
- A few other good Mission Warehouse examples survived long enough to be photographed or sketched. Buildings of similar functions at nearby missions often did not differ in design and execution. Examples of warehouse include: Temecula (Mission San Diego Assistencia), Mission San Francisco (William Dougal 1949 - Off For California: The letters, log and sketches of William H. Dougal, Gold Rush Artist. Edited by Frank M. Stanger with a forword by Joseph A. Sullivan)
- Confirmed that warehouse likely "stepped down" as there is a 9' foot drop from North to South along the long side of the warehouse.
- Warehouse rock foundation is 4.2 feet deep and much wider than the adobe walls at 4.5 - 5 feet wide.
- Few artifacts found at the warehouse during the various digs. For instance, only "one trade bead" found.
- "Cannon Bone" of a horse found at warehouse. Below the knee of a horse is the cannon bone which is also known as the 3rd metacarpal.
- "Matanza" (threshing floor?) found adjacent to the warehouse (see "Artist rendition" drawing which shows a threshing floor ). La era means "threshing floor" today. Today, Matanza means "slaughtering".
- Mission San Antonio and Santa Ines has a large circular stone "threshing floor" extant. 160 horses ran around threshing the flour! Indian's called out "yegua" (mares), "cambia" (turn) - it has been reported (somewhere in the historic record).
- Confirmed: There were no "cross walls" in the warehouse, which is unusual. Other warehouses had them, and it contributed to the stability of such a large adobe structure.
- Three infirmaries at La Purisima (many sick). 10 sets of rooms. Open rooms like a "field hospital". Should we know more about these structures.
- "Underreported structures" at La Purisima: Married Indian Housing, Warehouse, Infirmaries.
- Discussed leaving sites untouched for future exploration with "better methods" and perhaps (hopefully) "better funding". La Purisima has many such sites in these "under-reported structures".
END OF UPDATES. These updates have been incorporated into the article below.

ORIGINAL "LAS NOTICAS" (DOCENT NEWSLETTER) ARTICLE: After the massive earthquakes and flooding in 1812 destroyed the original La Purisima Concepcion site, the new mission across the Santa Ines river received a massive amount of building and growth under the dynamic leadership of Fr. Payeras. One of the first structures built at a new mission site is typically a storage building, as there is immediate need for securing food and property. Plus, in the early days, such a mission building often doubled as the church and shelter.