This is the first time I have written to the paper, but Shredder’s “Kick ’em when they’re down” piece (April 22) really riled me up. I am absolutely ashamed and astonished at the total lack of compassion or solutions for our unhoused residents. Shredder hit the nail on the head over and over in the column. I live a block from Mitchell Park, and over the past year have dropped by the park regularly to bring the residents socks, food, and clothes/shoes. And just before that big storm hit in February, I brought blankets and warnings about just how much rain was expected and they might want to move tents to higher ground.
These are just regular people! They deserve to have a decent place to live inside! You know, they’re not all criminal drug addicts and alcoholics (though if I had to live outside, I’d probably turn to drugs and alcohol, too). Some are families, some had good jobs but no savings cushion when the pandemic struck, some have shattering mental problems, some were just one month away from homelessness when they got sick and could no longer afford rent anymore.
Or how about the tiny hunched over old lady who has two wheeled suitcases holding her belongings. She’s gotta be at least 80 years old. I see her around downtown a lot. Here’s how she handles moving from place to place: She pushes one suitcase up a block, then walks back to get the other suitcase, and then wheels it up to the other one. Over and over and over until she gets where she’s going. I’ve asked her twice if I can help her, and she declines, telling me these are too heavy for me (a tall strong middle-aged woman) to handle! Then she just keeps going. My God, we can’t find a place for her?
On my daily walk a few days ago, I was stunned to see absolutely no one at the park, and all the regulars gone. I burst into tears. Where did they go? Why was this done? Were housing solutions offered by the city? I was angry and sad. The level of NIMBYism in this town is truly disgusting:
“Hey, lets allow developers to build fancy hotels that cost $500/night and giant new neighborhoods that no one will be able to afford, but as for those drug addicted pieces of shit in the park—just get rid of them, whatever you have to do.”
And it’s not just the SLO City Council and other government offices that continue to ignore the problem or just make sweeps every now and then, it’s the residents of our “happy” city who live in million-dollar, 1,200-square-foot houses and 5,000-square-foot mansions who also just want them gone. If they even have a thought about the homeless crisis, they just pat themselves on the back and say, “Well we have Prado. Why don’t they just go there?” As if one facility could fix all of the problems! Oh and these human beings who are sheltering downtown cannot even get to Prado unless they walk 3 miles, pushing their now illegal shopping carts that hold all their meager belongings. Even if they did get there (which many don’t want to go for reasons I can’t get into right now), it might be full, or not accepting new arrivals! People, is there no way to provide a shuttle to those who want it?
But let’s get to the real root of the problem. Housing! It has been shown in many more kind cities than SLO that people who have even the simplest type of reliable home (tiny houses, revamped hotels, legal tent cities with facilities) actually begin to thrive. Add social services to it for rehab, mental wellness help, job searching services, etc., and they might even (gasp!) be productive, happy citizens!
This city now has a huge amount of government money to use to help the people of SLO. What are they going to do about the unhoused people of this city/county? How much of that money will be applied to those whose voices, needs, and circumstances are basically ignored? And regulations continue to pass that are punitive and discriminatory toward these humans! There are better solutions.
Under housing-first programs, homeless people need not meet any criteria to qualify for housing. Even if they are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, they can get a place to stay. They are of course expected to stay in touch with social workers, but other than that, not much is required of them. They are even permitted to stay in these places for the rest of their lives! People cope better with their problems when they have a roof over their heads. Controlling addictions and alcoholism has been found to be much easier when given housing. Not having a place to stay only makes matters worse. The same is true for practically every other social problem.
There are many cities that have successful programs for housing. Don’t reinvent the wheel, study other cities’ successes, and let’s take action SLO in implementing these kinds of housing solutions.
1. Houston, Texas: Implements housing first, “a revolutionary idea when it was housing first, a revolutionary idea when it was introduced in the 1990s because it didn’t require homeless people to fix their problems before getting permanent housing. Instead, its premise—since confirmed by years of research—was that people are better able to address their individual problems when basic needs, such as food and a place to live, are met,” according to the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.
2. Salt Lake City, Utah: The state of Utah has also been doing well with housing first. It has solved its homeless crisis by also handing people a house first.
3. Columbus, Ohio: The city has a 70 percent rate of successful housing results.
4. North Hollywood just opened a tiny house village, Alexandria Park, that has 103 windowed units and 200 beds at a cost of $8,000 each including two beds, heat, air conditioning, a small desk, and a door that can be locked. “Residents in the colorful villages get meals and have access to showers, laundry facilities, case management, housing navigation, mental health help, and job training and placement, according to Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission,” as reported by KTLA. Δ
Savana Rose Woods has been living in SLO for three years. Send a response for publication to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 9, 2021.
I’ll add one for you:
5) San Francisco spends $61,000 per year per tent for “safe sleeping program”. They are of course smart, successful, big city thinkers.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/…
The progressives have had a super-majority on the SLO City Council for several years. It’s as if they’ve had other priorities to consider. I am sorry you didn’t get the government that you voted for in SLO.
I am grateful to Savana Rose Woods for her very thoughtful insights into our county’s homeless problem in all of its manifestations and challenges. And yes, getting people housed is a game changer for nearly all of the homeless because it allows them to see the beginnings of a life IN society and not in the streets, parks, and riverbeds.
We would be making significant progress on this problem throughout our nation if we didnt have so many people tied to the idea that selfishness and greed are good and that we need not help others less fortunate than ourselves.
Our planet has enough resources to provide adequately for every single person here. Theres nothing a nation can do better for itself or its citizens that to make sure we all have enough to eat and have adequate healthcare and quality education. Its simple. The only reason we have not accomplished this is because we have too many people who take more than they need and have no regard for others or society in general except to the extent that they can lean on it without any obligation. The well-off people in San Luis Obispo County are well off because of the support they have gotten from government and society in general. No one has gotten successful all by themselves with no help from others. The joy, satisfaction and spiritual uplift that comes from selfless service is real. We can all pray that more people avail themselves to the blessed opportunity to serve with no expectations of personal benefit. The irony is that when we take that approach we all benefit. Thank you thank you thank you!
Ms. Woods states that many homeless avoid the available shelters due to “reasons I can’t get into right now”. Those “reasons” are the fact that they won’t allow residents to get high or drunk in the facility, which Ms Woods apparently finds objectionable when she touts the “housing first” approach. These reluctant homeless are people who have made the choice that getting high is their most important objective in life, and so important to them that they were willing to sacrifice their former homes to continue doing so. Is enabling their continued self-destruction by giving them a comfortable site to kill themselves really helping them? Getting off of the street is the main motivation that drives the homeless who do successfully muster the will to conquer their addiction – do we really want to make it easier for them to maintain their self-destructive plunge? When we make it easier to maintain the momentum of the addicted life, we eliminate an incentive to break free. What is more important – accommodating our wish to feel “kind” or actually saving the lives of those who can be saved?
Its interesting to see the absurd logic people use to justify not helping people less fortunate than themselves. Providing a homeless person shelter during times of trouble in no way enables someone to continue on a path of self-destruction. Yes, even people who drink or take drugs are worthy of having a roof over their heads. It will certainly help more than it would hurt. And why is it always people who are fortunate enough to have a home who are the quickest to want to deny food and shelter to others? Thats all the great religions tell us so clearly, the homeless are our brothers and our sisters and how we treat them is a barometer of the health of our society.
Thank you, Ms Woods, for this enlightening and heartfelt essay. It seems that SLO City Council is taking the “my way, or the highway” approach to the homeless rather than put some thought and humanity into the homeless situation. Interesting that they are being outdone by cities such as Paso Robles, of all places, which has put some thought and dollars into their approach to the homeless. Research has also shwon that just by providing a home to the unsheltered with no strings attached enables people to deal with their addictions on thir own. It’s all about housing.
I’m putting out a memo….TO all bums in america…..come to slo….play a gilt trip on regular hard working people…ruin their quality of life stumble around ….if they object…shame them….drink…gather…do dope….leave trash everywhere…..bum money off people…get your free meals …..BRING YOUR FRIENDS….
Newsflash: Housing in SLO County will NEVER be affordable!
It is a simple fact of life that the intersection of supply and demand will always determine the cost of consumer items such as housing, and the inevitable effect of government attempts to manipulate the marketplace will ALWAYS result in less housing and the corresponding impact being that the housing available will be LESS affordable. In other words, the best thing we can do is do nothing.
If the whacky left had the gumption to be honest brokers on this and other issues, they would advocate that homeless people move to more affordable areas, as their are many places where housing is decidable more affordable than SLO County. Moreover, people who are already working hard to pay their own mortgage should not be asked to subsidize their fellow community member, who has not put themselves in a position to afford the high cost of Central Coast life. If anybody deserves relief, it is hardworking people who have jobs and a mortgage, and any effort to address housing ought to be directed at workforce housing. In other words, help people who are already helping themselves, it is a more productive use of limited money.
Instead of grandstanding on this issue, why won’t the whacky liberals simply invite the homeless to come into their homes? Heidi Harmon? Dawn Addis? Aaron Gomez? Jimmy Paulding? Hypocrites?
We have enough resources to feed and house everyone. Anyone who suggests otherwise is either lying or doesn’t know what they are talking about.
We either live in love or we live in fear. There is no middle ground. God is giving us the opportunity to feel and share compassion. That’s one of the most wonderful things that can happen to us in our lives. Those who choose to live in fear, controlled by an ego that is always self-centered, misses out on so much of the richness of life.
On a per capita basis, homeless people produce less pollution and less trash than people who have homes. The worlds environmental problems come primarily from the consumerism fueled by people who have homes. On a per capita basis, most violent crime is committed by people who have homes.
Its a shame that well off people who have nice homes will Scape goat the homeless and seemingly blame them for all the hills of our society. When, actually, most of the serious problems in our society are directly connected to the needs and desires and crimes of people who have homes.
WE will not feed and house anyone but ourselves. YOU can have whoever you like move in with YOU! Bad actors and those who excrement on societal values will not be funded by society. Yes, MOST of them are alcoholics and drug addicts. And if you want to, YOU can choose to become one too. “The world’s environmental problems come from consumerism fueled by people who have homes.”???????????????? REALLY? The WORLD is FUELED by the income generated by people who have GOALS and DREAMS and who use their INCOMES as THEY wish to. To BUY homes to LIVE in. They don’t whine and cry like you about outcome inferiority due to bullshit prioritizing in your life, misguided generosity and defeatist thinking. “Crimes of people who have homes.”???? It’s a crime to OWN? A crime to INVEST? A crime to SUCCEED? Then lock my dumb ass up NOW! I want to live and die in a prison full of successful, property-owning, driven individuals. The author of this article, rightword 2 and Jill Stegman are racists, as well as the slo city council and democrat party. The new “left” privilege must be defunded and repudiated. “Left” privilege will not be tolerated.
What is it that you want to do that you don’t have the freedom to do? What is it that you need that you don’t have? Why do you insist that society owes you something and that you are more deserving than others? Why do you take and take from society and offer nothing back other than your reluctance to help anyone other than yourself? Why do you show no gratitude for all that this country continually gives you? You act as if this nation has given you nothing and that you’ve done everything all on your own. You act as if you are more special then others and deserve more than others. If everyone acted like you, we would have no nation.
Theres nothing a nation can do greater than to make sure people have adequate food and healthcare.
When we work together with a unified vision, almost anything can be achieved. We cant let fear stop us. We need to be courageous. We need to love.
Blah, blah, blah. This country is wonderful because of the freedom that is laid out to each of us in the constitution. You are free to do as YOU wish, I am free to do as I wish. At least until you form a faction that seeks to restrict my freedoms, (see…democrat party). Luckily the bill of rights breaks down how I can protect my freedom through the amendments and also limiting the reach of power-mongering folks that can’t leave others be without nagging them like an old ex-wife choking on her own bitterness. Thank God for his prudence. You need to NOT tell others they Should do anything. Mind YOUR business. WE will love who WE wish to. Not all deserve love. Just because you are born does not guarantee any thing, just ask those who weren’t born (see…unwanted pregnancy/Abortion). Why don’t you love an unwanted baby and adopt it? Why don’t YOU have a homeless commune in YOUR house? Because you are all talk, all fuzzy nice talk. Screw that. DO not say my friend.
What is it that you want to do that you don’t have the freedom to do?
No one is asking you to have anyone move into your home.
What compels you to want to spread your bigotry, hatred and vitriol through our community? And what does your ex-wife have to do with anything?
One problem: you are attempting to stir up animosity toward people who are homeless. That means you are posing a danger to our community. Many of us would appreciate it if you would stop it. Thank you.
The number of homeless children in California is staggering. Official counts of homeless children are rarely accurate, because parents don’t want authorities to know they have children who are homeless, for fear that they will have their children taken from them.
When you see a bunch of teenagers hanging out on the corner, chances are one of them is homeless and spends their nights couch surfing at friends and or at sexual predators homes.
Official counts? You once again are writing platitudes and emotional falsehoods. No accurate official counts due to YOUR anecdotal reasons do not give YOU the right to whine and complain and proselytize to other people. Stop quoting falsehoods to somehow spur folks into action to help a community that will not help itself. If they wanted somewhere to live, they would change their behavior. WE dot not change OUR behavior to better their circumstances, we just give them more money to squander and more taxpayers to spit on. What can I not do that I wish to do? I wish to be allowed to use the restroom in stores and restaurants when I or my family have to go. Many businesses have closed access to the bathroom for the public due to homeless people using the bathrooms for illicit purpose or leaving it filthy after use. This is one small thing but even you can remember being able to do that, surely. It indicates a reaction to the lowest actions perpetrated by homeless folks for the majority of the public. This reason alone is enough to move all homeless out of our area and relocate these vagrants in Fresno or Bakersfield or Needles (how appropriate). Until they change their behavior, shun them, DEFUND them and MOVE THEM OUT!!!!
I’m sorry you have had problems going to the bathroom away from home. But I think it’s not fair to blame that on Everyone who has ever been homeless.
One solution that would help everybody would be to have more public bathrooms and then maybe you could relax a bit more when you are in public.
People without homes are not your enemy. In fact, it could happen that one of them saves your life someday. You never know.
By the way, it’s absolutely true about what I said regarding the number of homeless children in California and elsewhere. There are many more than most people realize. There are untold numbers of homeless children who go to school every day And they keep it a secret that they have no official home as you and I have. It’s sad and troubling and even more so when there are people who want to deny this fact and seemingly do not care one bit.
Did you ever consider when you were refused to be able to use the bathroom that it was because of what the proprietors thought of YOU and your look and attitude, and not what they think of the homeless?
Sure, they might mention the homeless as a reason, when it’s really just because they didn’t like you. It’s easy to blame things on the homeless and lots of people try to do that. You certainly would not be the first or the last.