For many years, we’ve been trying hard to help the San Luis Obispo City Council understand the horrific conditions of the thousands of people in SLO who have no housing and live on our streets—especially the women, children and veterans. We try to explain that everyone needs income to get housing—even subsidized housing. We worked to explain that not everyone can get Supplemental Security Income or State Disability Insurance or Veterans Affairs benefits, even though they may be in need and eligible.
We have made personal appearances at city council meetings, hosted presentations on tiny-home villages, given 88 talks, and written numerous emails citing what other cities are doing to help unhoused people; advised what the laws are (and are not). We took you to the creek, Mayor Heidi Harmon. We hoped it would have an impact.
We tried to get you to abolish the ordinance of ticketing unhoused people for sleeping outside, since this is where they are forced to be, many through no fault of their own. Sleep is their civil and human right. To deprive someone is no less than torture. Now, thanks to a compassionate judge in Idaho, sleeping in public places is no longer illegal.
We asked why law enforcement was forcing our unhoused neighbors to leave city parks when a social event of yours was happening.
Please don’t believe for a moment that we’ve reduced homelessness in our area; there weren’t enough volunteers to cover all areas during the Point In Time Count of two years ago. And please don’t think many of our unhoused people here are out-of-towners. That’s a huge misnomer. When City Hall can’t even call homelessness a priority, why would anyone seeking help want to come? (We keep stats at showers, most of our guests are local home-grown folks born and raised right here in SLO County.)
We believe you care—and we thank you for legalizing tiny homes on wheels in backyards. This, however, won’t help many (if any) of our unhoused folks.
Please know that homelessness is this city’s biggest problem. Potlucks, coffee chats, and newsletters won’t solve the problem. No, many unhoused people don’t vote, pay taxes, or show up at council meetings. They have little if any income, and aren’t any help to politicians. It breaks my heart that we didn’t hear the word “homelessness” once during mid-term elections, and certainly not from the federal government.
We explained to you all that when we open our model sustainable community village, we’ll get 50-plus more chronically unhoused people (who have little or no income) off the streets and into tiny safe and warm cabins on wheels. We’ll save the taxpayers $2 million on an annual basis. And this village will serve as a model for the rest of our county, state, and nation to follow.
We often hear about infrastructure. We have no infrastructure with so many people downtown begging for food or sleeping in the corridors in the early morning hours, trying to stay warm and dry. (Downtown SLO is beginning to look like San Francisco.) Or our hundreds of people living along the creek trying to get a little bit of privacy, with rats chewing at their tents, if they are lucky enough have tents.
Imagine our surprise and dismay to learn that our unhoused people are not a priority of City Hall. Their basic human needs aren’t as important as bike baths, enormous new hotels downtown with pools on the roof, or plastic straws. How long do you think it’ll take tourists to figure this out, too?
It’s a slap in the face to those who work so hard at reducing homelessness in our town, to those of us who constantly go to encampments passing out sleeping bags, tents, tarps, and food—in the rain—listening to their stories, trying to offer “hope.” To volunteers who are now picking up trash on the Bob Jones Trail because the city won’t. Volunteers who offer showers, clean clothes, and “hope” to our folks who can’t go elsewhere to get clean, since SLO has no public showers and never has. Doing the city’s job on our dime and our time.
A fellow homeless advocate recently told me that he sees some of the same people living down by the creek today who he saw there 16 years ago when he began doing outreach. We can’t even shelter people properly, let alone house them.
It’s been said that City Hall isn’t representing or serving the people, but their own priorities. And I take issue with that. Please. We are counting on you to do your job. Represent all the people of SLO. Δ
Becky Jorgeson is the founder of Hope’s Village SLO. Send thoughts through the editor at clanham@newtimesslo.com or write a letter for publication and email it to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Weddings 2019.
Their constituents have a huge incentive to block housing, as reducing the supply pushes up their house values. It’s NIMBY homeowners who have made SLO into the #6 least affordable place to live in the U.S.
Tiny houses are not a solution. You can’t raise a family in a tiny house.
I thoroughly appreciate the passion and dedication that Becky Jorgensen brings to this issue. Her tireless work is a large benefit to our County. I do believe that her representation of SLO City and our priorities is not accurate. For anyone who saw or participated in the Major City Goal process they know that “homelessness” was a large topic of discussion. It actually resulted in the issue being folded in to our Housing goals. Here are the Major City Goals for San Luis Obispo that were just adopted for 2019-2021:
Housing: Facilitate the production of housing with an update of the Housing Element, including an emphasis on affordable housing (including unhoused people) and workforce housing through the lens of climate action and regionalism.
Fiscal Sustainability and Responsibility: Continue to implement the Citys Fiscal Responsibility Philosophy with a focus on efficiencies, strategic economic development, unfunded liabilities, and infrastructure financing (Funding the Future).
Sustainable Transportation: Enhance accessible regional transit, bicycle, and pedestrian mobility to promote a transition to a car-free or shared-car lifestyle and to reduce greenhouse gases.
Climate Action: In response to the climate crisis, continue to update and implement the Climate Action Plan for carbon neutrality, including preservation and enhancement of our open space and urban forest and planning for resilience.
Downtown Vitality: Support the economic and cultural heart of the City with attention to safety, maintenance, infrastructure, and amenities.
https://www.slocity.org/Home/Components/News/News/6580/17?backlist=%2F
Mr. Gomez, can you be more specific about the Major City Goals adopted for un-housed people?
Thank you,
George Hill
You can build as many homes as needed and offer them to the homeless with the condition that the dope pipes and booze remain behind. A large number will choose the drugs and booze.
Those who can’t adapt to rules in order to be housed still deserve our help and sympathy.
Provide laundry and personal care facilities and locations for under the stars sleeping.
Print up and distribute at libraries and city halls business cards with contact infomation for such support.
We can all give those out instead of cash . . .
I do believe mini homes can be a solution.