They ran my letter to the editor (below) in the San Luis Obispo Tribune Newspaper on 11/6/2014, which you can read by clicking here.
Added commentary on this subject:
The real question is, other than myself and a handful of other so-called "crazies", does anybody actually care about these homeless people? Enough to actually do anything about it? The answer, of course, is no - nobody cares enough to actually do something.
My blog here at/timwaagblog.blogspot.com is filled with things that people can do to help the homeless. Remember, "there but for the grace of G*d go I", which means - it could be you that is homeless, instead of them.
Our public officials display no sense of urgency in dealing with our unhoused crisis. I have no doubt that they are well-meaning, but: They write goals in annual plans to "end homelessness", then just worry about re-election. That's what I observe, anyways. At these meetings, I just want to stand up and scream: 6 years into your 10 year plan to "End Homelessness", there are MORE HOMELESS PEOPLE THAN WHEN YOU STARTED - doesn't that bother you just a little? Enough to do something - anything - about it?????
I put my money where my mouth is: I donate to homeless causes, I actually help people on the street (not in case management), run the local shelter overflow for the month of July and more. I'm just a regular guy - nothing special - no special skills, nothing. But so are the homeless - just regular people like you and me, and something went wrong in their lives. But they don't deserve to live on the street like animals. We would shelter a dog before a person - sad, indeed.
*****November 6, 2014:
I recently asked Hope's Village of SLO if there was any way I could help with their mission. After reading the book "Tent City Urbanism", I was more encouraged than before about the possibilities of a village-type housing environment for the unhoused. They suggested I write a letter of support to various individuals and publications, which I did. The letter I wrote today is reproduced below. Note that, depending on the publication, I changed the support letter a little bit. Here goes:
Added commentary on this subject:
The real question is, other than myself and a handful of other so-called "crazies", does anybody actually care about these homeless people? Enough to actually do anything about it? The answer, of course, is no - nobody cares enough to actually do something.
My blog here at/timwaagblog.blogspot.com is filled with things that people can do to help the homeless. Remember, "there but for the grace of G*d go I", which means - it could be you that is homeless, instead of them.
Our public officials display no sense of urgency in dealing with our unhoused crisis. I have no doubt that they are well-meaning, but: They write goals in annual plans to "end homelessness", then just worry about re-election. That's what I observe, anyways. At these meetings, I just want to stand up and scream: 6 years into your 10 year plan to "End Homelessness", there are MORE HOMELESS PEOPLE THAN WHEN YOU STARTED - doesn't that bother you just a little? Enough to do something - anything - about it?????
I put my money where my mouth is: I donate to homeless causes, I actually help people on the street (not in case management), run the local shelter overflow for the month of July and more. I'm just a regular guy - nothing special - no special skills, nothing. But so are the homeless - just regular people like you and me, and something went wrong in their lives. But they don't deserve to live on the street like animals. We would shelter a dog before a person - sad, indeed.
*****November 6, 2014:
I recently asked Hope's Village of SLO if there was any way I could help with their mission. After reading the book "Tent City Urbanism", I was more encouraged than before about the possibilities of a village-type housing environment for the unhoused. They suggested I write a letter of support to various individuals and publications, which I did. The letter I wrote today is reproduced below. Note that, depending on the publication, I changed the support letter a little bit. Here goes:
CARING PEOPLE OF SAN LUIS OBISPO AND THE CENTRAL COAST.
Do you know where your next meal is coming from?
Do you know where you will sleep tonight?
Will it be safe, warm and comfortable?
Then you're good.
Under different circumstances, you could be the one:
- going to bed hungry,
- sleeping under an overpass or in the bushes down by the creek,
- waiting to see if you'll be ticketed or arrested or raped or attacked or robbed in the middle of the night.
Think about it. Then do something about it.
Above: One of several costumes I wore at Rick and Brian's Haunted House in El Segundo this Halloween. Text-only posts are boring, so I pump them up with silly photos like this one!
Across our nation, one of the solutions that has proven viable to house the chronically unhoused is the "village" living format. In this approach, a group of individuals and families live in tiny individual housing units and share kitchen and community living space. They also govern themselves with support from a experienced volunteer board of directors.
We have a local non-profit, Hopes Village of SLO (www.hopesvillageofslo.com) that is pursuing just such a village housing area. It is one of many viable solutions for providing affordable housing and deserves our support. I urge you to get involved, find out more, make a donation, and support the goals of Hope's Village of SLO. We need to find solutions NOW.
Support Hope's Village of SLO.
I was recently one of many to be asked the following questions about our local SLO homeless:
1. What types of housing are needed and what are the gaps for homeless and special needs clients?
1. What types of housing are needed and what are the gaps for homeless and special needs clients?
2. What are the most common housing problems for homeless?
3. Are any populations/household types more affected than others by these problems?
4. Discuss the needs of formerly homeless families and individuals who are receiving rapid re-housing assistance and are nearing the termination of that assistance.
To which I replied:
Each homeless person became that way for a different reason and has different needs from other homeless. The solutions below would house the vast majority of our homeless, and should help many on their way to working self-sufficiency. However, it is unlikely that any of this will ever happen because, IMHO, politicians need to get re-elected, and the homeless and low income don't vote.
1. LOW-INCOME CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
Sufficient Low Income Housing that maxes out at 30% of household income, whatever level that income may be, including zero.
1A. Government policies that allow low income style housing to be built (low government fees, granny units, homesharing, dorm-size tiny homes, etc.)
1B. Building codes and government density codes only allow middle and upper income housing to be built.
2. SELF-GOVERNED VILLAGE-STYLE HOUSING
Self-governed "village-style" housing complexes (tents, RVs, tiny homes with common areas, self-contained "village in a building", etc.).
2A. Government policies that allow "village-style" housing of all types.
2B. Close access to public transportation.
3. REST-STOP STYLE "NO JUDGEMENT" TEMPORARY HOUSING
Emergency shelter style, rest-stop style, transitional housing.
3A. No requirements that the clients be drug and alcohol free.
4. THE HOUSED QUICKLY BECOME DE-HOUSED
Follow-up and support for the homeless who become housed.
4A. The homeless routinely fall in and out of housing - once they are in housing, they need to be supported in staying there.
5. CAL POLY HAS A ROLE TO PLAY
Encourage Cal Poly to house their students and keep housing competition with the rich college kids at a minimum.
6. EVERYONE ELSE HAS TO DO THEIR PART, TOO!
Encourage surrounding counties to provide for their homeless so they don't come to SLO county.
6A. About half the public despise the homeless and want them to just leave.
6B. The best way to keep "unaffiliated" homeless from coming to our county, is having services in the county they are tied to.
7. LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN MAKE IT BETTER OR WORSE
Law enforcement channels the homeless into housing and job programs (housing and jobs first - not citation and arrest).
7A. Law enforcement to minimize citations and incarceration related to "illegal" homelessness only.
8. THE HOMELESS ARE PEOPLE TOO!
Government and business PR campaign promoting that "the homeless are people, too!" and should be treated as such.
9. SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Support services to all of the above at levels as needed (detox, government-business job coordination, counseling, case management, mental health, disability support, etc.) In the lingo, different levels and kinds of "case management".
Marty (Martin L. Meltz, PhD) had much better responses than mine, so I have included them below, along with my responses afterwards:
1. What types of housing are needed and what are the gaps for homeless and special needs clients?
- Single room occupancy; Who can purchase old motels, hotels or large homes to create SRO'S?
- Organized home sharing, with living-together mentoring, and wrap-around-services under case management where needed.
- Tiny and affordable homes surrounding a core facility (kitchen, showers, bathrooms, meeting room, etc.), requiring a change in codes and cooperation from cities an counties.
- Group homes
- Affordable housing in general
2. What are the most common housing problems for homeless?
- Need for more landlords to accept section 8 vouchers
- Some homeless, because of individual issues, simply cannot be accepted in certain housing available to others.
3. Are any populations/household types more affected than others by these problems?
- As a community, we are not dealing with individuals (e.g., unassisted youth, aging senior women) and families with children who are couch surfing. We are not dealing with children living in unstable housing environments).
4. Discuss the needs of formerly homeless families and individuals who are receiving rapid re-housing assistance and are nearing the termination of that assistance.
- No experience here.
Also, Becky Jorgeson of Hope's Village addressed these questions, and like Marty's, I have included them below.
Even though we are not on the HSOC housing committee, Hope's Village board members have done outreach on the streets of SLO County for many years. We also include unhoused people in all of our monthly meetings, ask for, and get their input. We thus hear, first-hand, what the unhoused people themselves want and need, and what kind of environment they know they can thrive in. With best of intentions, we are sending along our input for your review.
1. What types of housing are needed and what are the gaps for homeless and special needs clients?
For many unhoused folks out there who can't live with or near a lot of other people in a dorm-type setting, or in an apartment building or house with others, tiny Cabins on Wheels (legal structures licensed by the DMV) would be ideal. These tiny cabins will have a common house in the midst of the village that include a commercial kitchen, dining area, meeting rooms, bathrooms and laundry facilities. Our special needs population can't be left to their own devices. In a community village setting, they will have privacy in their cabins in the evening, but will come to the common house to use facilities and dine, giving them a sense of community and of belonging. Required? Ten acres, and an organized group camp permit issued by the SLO Co. Health Department. They are waiting for Hope's Village to find a viable site, and our team of community volunteers are waiting to start building.
(For the time being, until we get our village open or a better solution comes along, we continue operating our "RV's for Veterans" program -- getting unhoused veterans out of the bushes and off the streets. Our 29th donated RV will be given to a local veteran on Sunday!! Paso Cares, Santa Barbara and San Diego are now all starting up programs of their own! Our local SLO Veterans' Service Office on Grand Avenue also refers veterans to us that they can't help...)
Gap in service:
1.) Lack of enough Section 8 housing for veterans and others (this could take many years to change, if ever, since liability is the key issue. Many landlords are not willing to have their homes scrutinized for code violations by the authorities, and aren't comfortable renting to low income people for fear of unpaid charges, care of their property, crimes committed, etc.;
2.) Ineligibility of many people to utilize Prado or MLM that house the only soup kitchens in town. When the unhoused are banned from these shelters, for whatever reason, they are literally out on the streets with no stability, safety, or security; no food (except a sack lunch if they can get to the gate at Prado between 11:00am and 11:15am -- if they have transportation, or money for the bus, or at holiday time when there are meals provided for all hungry people. Because of this lack of food we see begging on street corners. These folks have no regular access to clean water, showers (there are no public showers in SLO and contrary to popular belief, I see no bathrooms open at night - and I've checked. They also have no access to laundry facilities (unless they have money to go to public laundries, telephone calling (not all can afford cell phones, or minutes on their cell phones - very common problem we hear.)
2. What are the most common housing problems for homeless? In addition to above, SLO has no very very low income housing. Many unhoused folks have next to nothing as far as income goes. We have one homeless veteran out there, living on $135 a month - ineligible for benefits ... waiting for disability for three years now...taking chemo every week because he needs heart surgery that's unavailable to him until he gets his disability. Many folks are not eligible for aid, nor do they belong on aid. They are capable of working, but few employers will hire when these unhoused people are forced to walk around with their belongings on their back. We are a nation addicted to welfare. Time for change.
3. Are any populations/household types more affected than others by these problems?
The reason we will house adults only in our first village is because we know homeless adult males get less attention and assistance than others do - especially our men who come home from the military with PTSD, act out, and end up in jail, over and over again. We will have the ability to give these folks another chance at a better life by first housing them, and then giving them work to do they can be proud of.
4. Discuss the needs of formerly homeless families and individuals who are receiving rapid re-housing assistance and are nearing the termination of that assistance.
No experience here.
Please call with questions or comments. Becky Jorgeson, Founder & President
HOPE'S VILLAGE OF SLO
234-5478
www.hopesvillageofslo.com
Also, Becky Jorgeson of Hope's Village addressed these questions, and like Marty's, I have included them below.
Even though we are not on the HSOC housing committee, Hope's Village board members have done outreach on the streets of SLO County for many years. We also include unhoused people in all of our monthly meetings, ask for, and get their input. We thus hear, first-hand, what the unhoused people themselves want and need, and what kind of environment they know they can thrive in. With best of intentions, we are sending along our input for your review.
1. What types of housing are needed and what are the gaps for homeless and special needs clients?
For many unhoused folks out there who can't live with or near a lot of other people in a dorm-type setting, or in an apartment building or house with others, tiny Cabins on Wheels (legal structures licensed by the DMV) would be ideal. These tiny cabins will have a common house in the midst of the village that include a commercial kitchen, dining area, meeting rooms, bathrooms and laundry facilities. Our special needs population can't be left to their own devices. In a community village setting, they will have privacy in their cabins in the evening, but will come to the common house to use facilities and dine, giving them a sense of community and of belonging. Required? Ten acres, and an organized group camp permit issued by the SLO Co. Health Department. They are waiting for Hope's Village to find a viable site, and our team of community volunteers are waiting to start building.
(For the time being, until we get our village open or a better solution comes along, we continue operating our "RV's for Veterans" program -- getting unhoused veterans out of the bushes and off the streets. Our 29th donated RV will be given to a local veteran on Sunday!! Paso Cares, Santa Barbara and San Diego are now all starting up programs of their own! Our local SLO Veterans' Service Office on Grand Avenue also refers veterans to us that they can't help...)
Gap in service:
1.) Lack of enough Section 8 housing for veterans and others (this could take many years to change, if ever, since liability is the key issue. Many landlords are not willing to have their homes scrutinized for code violations by the authorities, and aren't comfortable renting to low income people for fear of unpaid charges, care of their property, crimes committed, etc.;
2.) Ineligibility of many people to utilize Prado or MLM that house the only soup kitchens in town. When the unhoused are banned from these shelters, for whatever reason, they are literally out on the streets with no stability, safety, or security; no food (except a sack lunch if they can get to the gate at Prado between 11:00am and 11:15am -- if they have transportation, or money for the bus, or at holiday time when there are meals provided for all hungry people. Because of this lack of food we see begging on street corners. These folks have no regular access to clean water, showers (there are no public showers in SLO and contrary to popular belief, I see no bathrooms open at night - and I've checked. They also have no access to laundry facilities (unless they have money to go to public laundries, telephone calling (not all can afford cell phones, or minutes on their cell phones - very common problem we hear.)
2. What are the most common housing problems for homeless? In addition to above, SLO has no very very low income housing. Many unhoused folks have next to nothing as far as income goes. We have one homeless veteran out there, living on $135 a month - ineligible for benefits ... waiting for disability for three years now...taking chemo every week because he needs heart surgery that's unavailable to him until he gets his disability. Many folks are not eligible for aid, nor do they belong on aid. They are capable of working, but few employers will hire when these unhoused people are forced to walk around with their belongings on their back. We are a nation addicted to welfare. Time for change.
3. Are any populations/household types more affected than others by these problems?
The reason we will house adults only in our first village is because we know homeless adult males get less attention and assistance than others do - especially our men who come home from the military with PTSD, act out, and end up in jail, over and over again. We will have the ability to give these folks another chance at a better life by first housing them, and then giving them work to do they can be proud of.
4. Discuss the needs of formerly homeless families and individuals who are receiving rapid re-housing assistance and are nearing the termination of that assistance.
No experience here.
Please call with questions or comments. Becky Jorgeson, Founder & President
HOPE'S VILLAGE OF SLO
234-5478
www.hopesvillageofslo.com
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