Tuesday, January 27, 2015
SLO: Point-In-Time (PIT) Homeless Census 1/26/2015 Report
January 26, 2015, I participated in the Homeless Services Oversight Council (HSOC) Point in Time (PIT) Count of the homeless in SLO County. This was my first time, and I am glad that I did. It was an eye opener for me, but not in the way that you might expect (more below). You can read more about the "PIT Count" by viewing the SLO Homeless website by clicking here.
The count took place on Monday, January 26, 2015, from 6am to 10am. You can read an article on the count in the Tribune newspaper BY DAVID SNEED AND CYNTHIA LAMBERT entitled "Volunteers scour SLO County to count homeless population" by clicking here. For the PIT Count, the volunteers (like me) were teamed with paid homeless "guides". Together, the homeless/volunteer team was assigned an area of the city of SLO (and bits of adjacent county land) and given a map and census forms to be completed in the field. We were given until 10am that day to complete our survey work.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
SLO: Homeless Services in Need of a Fresh Approach
On Wednesday, 1/14/2015, Dan Carpenter (SLO City Council member) wrote a "Viewpoint" article in the Tribune entitled "SLO County's homeless services are in need of a fresh approach". You can read this article by clicking here. He made many major points, and I agree with all of them, more or less (some more than others). On this city council, he would appear to stand alone in his "fresh" thinking.
Within a few days, there was a backlash to Mr. Carpenter's article, much of which distorted what he was saying. I updated this post on 1/20/2015 to reflect some of the unfair criticism sent Mr. Carpenter's way. I think the most important thing to remember is that Mr. Carpenter is committed to getting the homeless into housing, even if others might disagree with his approach. Also, Mr. Carpenter has extensive first hand experience helping and working with the homeless, and is not just ignorantly "shooting from the hip".
Let's look at Mr. Carpenter's main points in the article. I provide commentary where clarification may be needed:
(1) 10 Year Homeless Plan Not Working: Agreed. 7 years in, and there are more homeless people than ever. Why do I appear to be the only one who is upset about the lack of progress? Should somebody be fired for not "carrying out the plan?" Apparently, this was not a real goal that anyone expected to meet. How sad.
(2) Housing First is the Best Approach: Agreed. The new "50 Now" program is currently doing this, but its just not enough. As of this writing, only about 14 to 17 of the 50 in the program have housing. Why, you ask? I am told that it is because there is none available for the program - there is no "affordable housing" out there for anybody.
(3) We Should Not Build the New Homeless Services Center (HSC): Mixed. As I have said all along, I would prefer it be built than not be built, but I agree with Mr. Carpenter that I would rather put the funds to other uses serving the homeless, including "Housing First" programs. First, I don't believe the new shelter will stay within budget, at least not if the drawings and artistic renderings are any indication of the degree of construction difficulty. To see what I am referring to, go to this link: New SLO Homeless Services Center.
Concerns about the new HSC:
1) Construction cost overruns (above).
2) Restricted operations after opening due to citizen complaints.
3) Loss of faith-based volunteers when the overflow program ends.
4) Lack of operational funds (larger facility serving more clients means higher operational costs and overhead); if operational funds are lacking now - what will happen when the utility bills and number of homeless clients served increases?
5) Building a "taj mahal" to the homeless, when a "down and dirty" facility is "the right tool for the job". The homeless are used to the grit of the street - who are we trying to impress with the new HSC that looks more like an art museum or a fancy library? The design better serves those who give tours of the facility, rather than the homeless, who are just "trying to get in out of the rain".
Main Benefit of HSC: As I have said many times over, the main benefit to the new HSC is that all homeless services will be combined under one roof - a huge operational and services upgrade.
Within a few days, there was a backlash to Mr. Carpenter's article, much of which distorted what he was saying. I updated this post on 1/20/2015 to reflect some of the unfair criticism sent Mr. Carpenter's way. I think the most important thing to remember is that Mr. Carpenter is committed to getting the homeless into housing, even if others might disagree with his approach. Also, Mr. Carpenter has extensive first hand experience helping and working with the homeless, and is not just ignorantly "shooting from the hip".
Let's look at Mr. Carpenter's main points in the article. I provide commentary where clarification may be needed:
(1) 10 Year Homeless Plan Not Working: Agreed. 7 years in, and there are more homeless people than ever. Why do I appear to be the only one who is upset about the lack of progress? Should somebody be fired for not "carrying out the plan?" Apparently, this was not a real goal that anyone expected to meet. How sad.
(2) Housing First is the Best Approach: Agreed. The new "50 Now" program is currently doing this, but its just not enough. As of this writing, only about 14 to 17 of the 50 in the program have housing. Why, you ask? I am told that it is because there is none available for the program - there is no "affordable housing" out there for anybody.
(3) We Should Not Build the New Homeless Services Center (HSC): Mixed. As I have said all along, I would prefer it be built than not be built, but I agree with Mr. Carpenter that I would rather put the funds to other uses serving the homeless, including "Housing First" programs. First, I don't believe the new shelter will stay within budget, at least not if the drawings and artistic renderings are any indication of the degree of construction difficulty. To see what I am referring to, go to this link: New SLO Homeless Services Center.
Concerns about the new HSC:
1) Construction cost overruns (above).
2) Restricted operations after opening due to citizen complaints.
3) Loss of faith-based volunteers when the overflow program ends.
4) Lack of operational funds (larger facility serving more clients means higher operational costs and overhead); if operational funds are lacking now - what will happen when the utility bills and number of homeless clients served increases?
5) Building a "taj mahal" to the homeless, when a "down and dirty" facility is "the right tool for the job". The homeless are used to the grit of the street - who are we trying to impress with the new HSC that looks more like an art museum or a fancy library? The design better serves those who give tours of the facility, rather than the homeless, who are just "trying to get in out of the rain".
Main Benefit of HSC: As I have said many times over, the main benefit to the new HSC is that all homeless services will be combined under one roof - a huge operational and services upgrade.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
INTERNATIONAL: Radical Islam is Winning - Show Me the Cartoons!
*****UPDATE 1/15/2015: A few days ago, the magazine "Charlie Hebdo" came out with a new edition, and instead of printing their usual 60,000 copies, they printed 3,000,000 (three million) and they sold out instantly. Good for them. Note: I've never read "Charlie Hebdo" magazine, and I don't believe in making fun of religions or anything else, but I do believe that "freedom of expression" trumps "you're not allowed to use words to say things that upset people".
You can read about this post-slaughter edition by clicking here.
*****ORIGINAL POST 1/8/2015: On 1/7/2015, Islamic killers executed 12 and injured 11 in a horrifying terrorist attach against satirical cartoonists at the office of the French magazine "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris. Despite having 1st amendment rights, not a single TV, cable show, or newspaper (that I am aware of) in our own United States is willing to show the offensive cartoons - not for 1 second. I still have not seen them. Not in the Wall Street Journal - not CNN - not on the Fox News web site - not anywhere. If the Islamic terrorists have not flat out won on this front, they are certainly winning.
*****ORIGINAL POST 1/8/2015: On 1/7/2015, Islamic killers executed 12 and injured 11 in a horrifying terrorist attach against satirical cartoonists at the office of the French magazine "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris. Despite having 1st amendment rights, not a single TV, cable show, or newspaper (that I am aware of) in our own United States is willing to show the offensive cartoons - not for 1 second. I still have not seen them. Not in the Wall Street Journal - not CNN - not on the Fox News web site - not anywhere. If the Islamic terrorists have not flat out won on this front, they are certainly winning.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
WORLD: The Case for "Intelligent Design" (aka G*d) Has Been Made
The Wall Street Journal makes the scientific and mathematical case for the "intelligent design" of our universe and life on our planet, which you can read by clicking here. I'll give you the "Reader's Digest" version below:
In 1966, no less a world-famous astronomer than Carl Sagan announced that there were 2 important criteria for life on a planet: the right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star. Given that there were believed to be 1 octillion (1 with 24 zeroes after it) planets in our universe, there should be about 1 septillion (1 with 21 zeroes after it) planets capable of supporting some sort of life.
Above (click to enlarge): The Waag Clan enjoys an odd Christmas/Chanukah Tradition - a fun day at Magic Mountain on Christmas eve. We've executed this fun tradition at least 5 or 6 times, and it continues today. Why put a photo in here? Because text-only articles are boring, and I like pictures. In fact, how about one more? (below).
Above (click to enlarge): Andrew and James gettin' ready to rock on Magic Mountain's INSANE X2 Roller Coaster. We were able to ride it 4 times (a fact only meaningful to roller coaster fans).
In 1966, no less a world-famous astronomer than Carl Sagan announced that there were 2 important criteria for life on a planet: the right kind of star, and a planet the right distance from that star. Given that there were believed to be 1 octillion (1 with 24 zeroes after it) planets in our universe, there should be about 1 septillion (1 with 21 zeroes after it) planets capable of supporting some sort of life.
Monday, December 22, 2014
WORLD: US Moves to Keep Control of the World Internet Until 2017
Despite the wishes of the Obama Administration to give over control of the internet to G*d only knows who, Congress has stepped in to prevent that from happening until at least 2017. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, also known as Icann, will remain under US control until at least September, 2017.
IMO, this is a great relief. The forfeiture of internet control was one of many moves by the Obama Administration to act on the belief that there is no such thing as "American Exceptionalism" - only the belief that all countries, including ours, are exceptional. Proof of that America is "special", just like "everyone else", would be giving up control over the internet, and showing that any crazy regime could do what the United States has done to keep the internet free and open to all comers.
This news has so far only appeared in the Wall Street Journal, as far as I can tell. You can read the Wall Street Journal on the subject by clicking here. Stay tuned for confirmation of this news.
Above (click to enlarge): Random photo. Grapepicker Tim at a GleanSlo event at a winery in SLO county.
IMO, this is a great relief. The forfeiture of internet control was one of many moves by the Obama Administration to act on the belief that there is no such thing as "American Exceptionalism" - only the belief that all countries, including ours, are exceptional. Proof of that America is "special", just like "everyone else", would be giving up control over the internet, and showing that any crazy regime could do what the United States has done to keep the internet free and open to all comers.
This news has so far only appeared in the Wall Street Journal, as far as I can tell. You can read the Wall Street Journal on the subject by clicking here. Stay tuned for confirmation of this news.
Friday, December 19, 2014
SLO: Fresh Eyes Come Up With Fresh Ideas
I responded to a Viewpoint article in The Tribune written by teacher and friend Brian Miller, way back in 2011 with a corresponding Viewpoint article a week later. I had deleted the interchange from this web site, so it's time to bring it back.
You can read Brian's original article entitled "Viewpoint: SLO's Homeless Need Real Solutions" published by the Tribune on September 17, 2011, by clicking here. By Golly, what Brian said still rings true now. Just a snippet from his full article:
"A few years ago, I designed a unit on homelessness for my sociology class at San Luis Obispo High School. We visited the Prado Day Center and Sunny Acres. We worked on the farm at Sunny Acres and served breakfast at the Prado Day Center. We had speakers in, and we pored over statistics. We researched, role-played and wrote essays. We debated, and we discussed. And then we took to the task of offering solutions. On paper, they are long gone, but these solutions resonate still in my mind. We sent our solutions to Adam Hill, we sent our solutions to Dan De Vaul. Neither party gave us even a response. Both parties will now swear they never saw my email with our solutions. No one would ignore high school students wanting to help, would they? That’s some cold stuff, man. But both parties did. Make of that what you will. All I can tell you is this. In 50 minutes, my students came up with ideas that I don’t see happening right now in our county."
Dear elected representatives: Nothing has changed in the past 3 years. Brian Miller is still dead on correct.
My response, entitled "Viewpoint: Don't Wait on 'Real' Solutions for Homelessness - Act Now!", published in response to Brian's letter on September 25, 2011, which you can read by clicking here.
Just a snippet from the full length article:
"I decided that the time for talking about problems was over for me and that the time for doing something about them was now. There are numerous things that an ordinary person can do to help. Some ways to get started include:
• Donating money to homeless support service organizations;
• Calling a homeless support organization (examples: CAPSLO, Food Bank, Sunny Acres, etc.) and ask how you can help;
• When you see a homeless person, treating them as a real person, and not as somebody you see right through. If you have a few minutes (and you are in a safe, public location), stop and talk to them like you might to any other person; just being treated with respect and dignity might make their day;
• Talking to your friends and family about what you are doing to help, and encouraging them to get involved in any way, no matter how small — every little bit helps.
My goal in helping with the homeless situation is to be inclusive and not divisive. I hope that The Tribune’s readers see these words and get started “being a part of the solution.”
In reading this article 3 years later, I realize that my approach has not changed. If you care about the problem, get out and do something now - don't wait for the powers-that-be to do something, or you'll be waiting a long time!
You can read Brian's original article entitled "Viewpoint: SLO's Homeless Need Real Solutions" published by the Tribune on September 17, 2011, by clicking here. By Golly, what Brian said still rings true now. Just a snippet from his full article:
"A few years ago, I designed a unit on homelessness for my sociology class at San Luis Obispo High School. We visited the Prado Day Center and Sunny Acres. We worked on the farm at Sunny Acres and served breakfast at the Prado Day Center. We had speakers in, and we pored over statistics. We researched, role-played and wrote essays. We debated, and we discussed. And then we took to the task of offering solutions. On paper, they are long gone, but these solutions resonate still in my mind. We sent our solutions to Adam Hill, we sent our solutions to Dan De Vaul. Neither party gave us even a response. Both parties will now swear they never saw my email with our solutions. No one would ignore high school students wanting to help, would they? That’s some cold stuff, man. But both parties did. Make of that what you will. All I can tell you is this. In 50 minutes, my students came up with ideas that I don’t see happening right now in our county."
Dear elected representatives: Nothing has changed in the past 3 years. Brian Miller is still dead on correct.
My response, entitled "Viewpoint: Don't Wait on 'Real' Solutions for Homelessness - Act Now!", published in response to Brian's letter on September 25, 2011, which you can read by clicking here.
Just a snippet from the full length article:
"I decided that the time for talking about problems was over for me and that the time for doing something about them was now. There are numerous things that an ordinary person can do to help. Some ways to get started include:
• Donating money to homeless support service organizations;
• Calling a homeless support organization (examples: CAPSLO, Food Bank, Sunny Acres, etc.) and ask how you can help;
• When you see a homeless person, treating them as a real person, and not as somebody you see right through. If you have a few minutes (and you are in a safe, public location), stop and talk to them like you might to any other person; just being treated with respect and dignity might make their day;
• Talking to your friends and family about what you are doing to help, and encouraging them to get involved in any way, no matter how small — every little bit helps.
My goal in helping with the homeless situation is to be inclusive and not divisive. I hope that The Tribune’s readers see these words and get started “being a part of the solution.”
In reading this article 3 years later, I realize that my approach has not changed. If you care about the problem, get out and do something now - don't wait for the powers-that-be to do something, or you'll be waiting a long time!
SLO: County Needs Affordable Housing - Part V
*****ORIGINAL ARTICLE: December 19, 2014:
I tend to be long-winded and take forever to get to my point. Often, by the time I get there, the message is convoluted. Stay with me here. That is the reason that I am a doer, and though frequently invited, I rarely/never accept invitations to serve on boards or committees, or anything that requires sitting in a room with a bunch of people for more than 20 minutes. I've been true to that commitment, until this year.
Above: I've never seen a homeless shelter comic, so I had to snag this one - thanks Sally G. for pointing this out to me!
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