Homeless Shelter Overflow
Seeking Overnight Volunteers - No Experience Necessary: My friend John Cook (805) 440-5622 jl_cook@charter.net manages the homeless shelter overflow for the month of December every year at the Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church. He is seeking volunteers to help for the month of December. Please contact him if you can help. I will be doing 2 overnight shifts. When you volunteer, it gives a homeless family a safe warm place to sleep for the night, just like you get every night. Please help. No excuses. Call John now. Thank-you.
SAN LUIS OBISPO: City of SLO Spends $270,000 Fighting the Homeless (Jan. 2013): The local Tribune Newspaper report that the City of SLO ordered by Judge to pay attorneys fees in homeless case. The article describes how Superior Court Judge Crandall awarded approx. $134,000 in attorneys fees ($300 per hour) to attorneys Stewart Jenkins and Saro Rizzo for acting in the public interest, resulting in 99 criminal citations (sleeping in their vehicle) being dismissed, and re-shaping the formulation of various anti-homeless laws.
I just have to believe that the $270,000.00 spent by the city of SLO on this issue could have been better spent on dealing with the homeless problem, and associated problems. Its not a pretty issue or fun to deal with, but it is not going away, either.
Those who call these 2 lawyers greedy are being unfair; they did legal work, and the law (as interpreted by the Judge) said they were entitled to payment for their time. If you wanted to make that kind of money, you could have gone to law school, dental school, medical school, etc. or founded a profitable business. Hopefully, Jenkins and Rizzo donate some of their fees to homeless causes, but make no mistake, they earned it; they were at great risk of not making a penny for their work on behalf of the homeless population.
The Tribune put out another good article on January 12, 2013 entitled Homeless Situation in SLO Called a Crisis.
Tim's Summary of Homeless Issues: As stated before, homeless is a complex issue. Jobs are hard to find in California, with a stubborn 10% unemployment rate. Each homeless person has a different story to tell. Some are willing to work but cannot find work. Others are just not hirable due to personality quirks or their own homelessness or lack of recent employment. Others cannot find work due to mental or physical disability. Many cannot navigate the complex requirements of seeking government benefits. Many have no family or friends to turn to, or the other people in their sphere of influence are also just barely scraping by.
What is the solution? I do not know - that's what makes it such a difficult problem. I believe that there will always be homelessness, but that the local law enforcement and citizens should combat ancillary crime associated with that homelessness, such as burglary, theft, rape, assault, panhandling, litter, etc. SLO should not be an attractant to the homeless outside our area, but we should try to assist local homeless with ties to our community.
As I have said many times before, I believe that in our affluent society, we should be able to shelter and feed everyone, regardless of circumstance. Not luxury accommodations. Not gourmet food. But a roof that doesn't leak, a warm safe bed, and 2,000 calories a day of affordable, healthy food.
New Proposed CAPSLO Facility:I have come out against the proposed new homeless shelter facility with 200 beds that costs tens of millions of dollars. Take a look at the architectural plans for this behemoth. It looks more like a modern art museum than a facility for getting people back on their feet. Below is one of the images of the facility, and you might see why something a little bit more functional and affordable should be pursued:
SAN LUIS OBISPO: City of SLO Spends $270,000 Fighting the Homeless (Jan. 2013): The local Tribune Newspaper report that the City of SLO ordered by Judge to pay attorneys fees in homeless case. The article describes how Superior Court Judge Crandall awarded approx. $134,000 in attorneys fees ($300 per hour) to attorneys Stewart Jenkins and Saro Rizzo for acting in the public interest, resulting in 99 criminal citations (sleeping in their vehicle) being dismissed, and re-shaping the formulation of various anti-homeless laws.
I just have to believe that the $270,000.00 spent by the city of SLO on this issue could have been better spent on dealing with the homeless problem, and associated problems. Its not a pretty issue or fun to deal with, but it is not going away, either.
Those who call these 2 lawyers greedy are being unfair; they did legal work, and the law (as interpreted by the Judge) said they were entitled to payment for their time. If you wanted to make that kind of money, you could have gone to law school, dental school, medical school, etc. or founded a profitable business. Hopefully, Jenkins and Rizzo donate some of their fees to homeless causes, but make no mistake, they earned it; they were at great risk of not making a penny for their work on behalf of the homeless population.
The Tribune put out another good article on January 12, 2013 entitled Homeless Situation in SLO Called a Crisis.
Tim's Summary of Homeless Issues: As stated before, homeless is a complex issue. Jobs are hard to find in California, with a stubborn 10% unemployment rate. Each homeless person has a different story to tell. Some are willing to work but cannot find work. Others are just not hirable due to personality quirks or their own homelessness or lack of recent employment. Others cannot find work due to mental or physical disability. Many cannot navigate the complex requirements of seeking government benefits. Many have no family or friends to turn to, or the other people in their sphere of influence are also just barely scraping by.
What is the solution? I do not know - that's what makes it such a difficult problem. I believe that there will always be homelessness, but that the local law enforcement and citizens should combat ancillary crime associated with that homelessness, such as burglary, theft, rape, assault, panhandling, litter, etc. SLO should not be an attractant to the homeless outside our area, but we should try to assist local homeless with ties to our community.
As I have said many times before, I believe that in our affluent society, we should be able to shelter and feed everyone, regardless of circumstance. Not luxury accommodations. Not gourmet food. But a roof that doesn't leak, a warm safe bed, and 2,000 calories a day of affordable, healthy food.
New Proposed CAPSLO Facility:I have come out against the proposed new homeless shelter facility with 200 beds that costs tens of millions of dollars. Take a look at the architectural plans for this behemoth. It looks more like a modern art museum than a facility for getting people back on their feet. Below is one of the images of the facility, and you might see why something a little bit more functional and affordable should be pursued:
Tim's Homeless Guidelines: I have a few recommendations regarding homelessness:
- Do NOT give any money panhandlers on the street; instead, go through organizations like CAPSLO or the Food Bank or your local religious organization for donation of cash and goods.
- Talk to the homeless when you have a few minutes and you have no reason to fear for your safety (safe looking transients, safe location with other people around). It helps draw them in as participants in the community instead of pariahs.
- Personally, I will always buy a homeless person a cheap meal at McDonalds or the like - its inexpensive, you find out if they really are hungry or not (my experience: its about 50/50 whether they accept or not), and you don't feed their bad habits (smoking, alcohol, drugs, etc.)
- Volunteer through CAPSLO and their various programs (Prado Day Center, Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter, Home Shelter Overflow, Food Bank, etc.).
My previous blog posts regarding the local Homeless Population:
