From what used to be a nuisance, aggressive panhandling, and shopping carts littering the neighborhood has grown into something much, much worse.
I remember grocery store chains would use electronic devices to prevent their shopping carts from being taken out of the parking lots. One might have thought that was a big deal. No, today to have to step over a homeless man or woman, who is sleeping at the entrance of your store has to be worse.
The pandemic and America's continued greed and fascism have expanded an already tragic problem, housing. What's supposed to be the most prosperous nation in the world, is looking like a Third World country unless you're blind. America's dirty little secret, the growing number of homeless. "America the Beautiful" ... not so much anymore. Not a pandemic, but an exploding epidemic on a national scale. More than an eyesore, it's a black eye for the country as a whole.
A couple of years ago, a group of women took over an empty home in Oakland, CA. that was on the market to be sold. The women were just trying to house their children in what they may have thought was just an abandoned home. Fortunately, after legal and court action, the families were allowed to stay in the home with community help and support.
The homeless are the most vulnerable among us. Maybe more so than the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions. Some cities have resorted to using hotels for the homeless to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But existing hotels are not the permanent solutions, even if they are bought and paid for. Too many "not in my backyard people'', and politics to deal with. And of course, there weren't enough hotels to house so many anyway.
Stopping the spread of Corvid-19 is a must, but that's only the beginning of the monumental task at hand, housing the homeless.
What were the root causes for so many homeless? Should they be forced to live in shelters? Who are the homeless anyway, and how did it become such an "in your face problem"?
There isn't enough time or space to cover all aspects of this subject, but I will do my best with what I've learned from reading, talking with people and witnessed with my own eyes.
No, there are no easy answers here regarding housing the homeless. Something that was in the shadows, is now in broad daylight. Everything big and small should be examined. And yes, that which is tiny too.
Because everybody has a story, and everybody's story is unique. I wanted to know what I could do on a small scale to bring attention to what everyone recognizes as a big problem.
I ask why the one group of homeless, who seemingly gave the most to the country, seemingly receives so little after serving. Veteran homelessness worsened during Trump’s time as president. This was the first time in years that veteran homelessness did not improve. You hear of military veterans, having to wait weeks on end for appointments at VA hospitals. The enlisted volunteers wouldn't have been accepted into the military, if there were psychological issues when they began their military careers. But now, who cares that you were once willing to put your life on the line for the country?
Does it start with, I'll just sleep in my car a few days ... later to find out that your car has been towed and impounded for parking violations or some other offense?
Because the coronavirus has affected and upended so much of our everyday lives like any pandemic would ... it's easy to draw on the parallels of the virus, and other problems we may not have thought about before. And once you think about all the ways Covid-19 has changed your everyday life, multiply that times three when you think of the homeless.
There is always a lack of restroom facilities on a good day PRE Corvid-19. And with the closing of so many stores and stay at home orders, did anybody think about the homeless?
What's one of the biggest needs when you're already homeless? It's water. You can't live a healthy lifestyle without enough water to drink. The pandemic hit the homeless especially hard. The homeless were already lacking in facilities for general cleanliness for showers and washing of clothes.
Where do you go to wash your hands for twenty seconds? How do you maintain a six feet distance from others? And maybe most importantly, how do you mask up, when you don't know where you may be spending the night. If you don't have a place to sleep at night, that's your main focus, or maybe its food.
Years ago, I remember hearing someone on the news had the humanitarian and compassionate idea to provide the homeless with tents. Of course, the problem was nowhere as big as it is today. It was to provide protection from the cold and rain, and what in his mind was a better shelter, than the pieces of cardboard placed together that you continue to see today. And the skid row was just one part of town, not like today, where it's everywhere.
As I write this diary, you will quickly see that there are two groups of homeless, one that truly wants to get off the streets, and the other that seemingly doesn't. It's not a case of "Build it, and they will come".
You ask who are the homeless? They're abused mothers and their children, military vets and teen runaways. Some have a criminal history because of alcohol and drug abuse, some have had their family and friends turn their backs on them. Some may have escaped a violent boyfriend, to only be trapped again in some other form of sex abuse. Others have had long termed psychological issues, and others have somehow fallen through the cracks of help. You would think our government would do better for our citizens, especially our veterans.
There is never just one cause, for how and why someone ends up homeless. Sometimes its mental health or lack of education, substance abuse or family rejection. But the number one cause for homelessness is job lost.
But we have to remember, we just finished four long years of growing fascism under Trump. And President Biden still doesn't have all his cabinet picks in place.
Not everyone wants help, and refuse to sleep in the provided Shelters. Yes, some people really prefer the streets and storefronts rather than community shutters. Some just want to be near places to panhandle for alcohol or drugs, and others to compete with those, just pretending to be "down on their luck."
For those who really want off the streets, tiny might really be a big deal. There are a number of organizations that are focused on trying to build homes for the homeless. Maybe this is an area "Habitat for Humanity" could help by building tiny homes? Their name seems more than appropriate for the times.
We seem to always be reactive to a problem rather than proactive. Instead of looking for emergency housing like schools and abandoned buildings after a natural disaster or just record cold/heat. Maybe city planners should build for emergency housing, and have a location and all the needed facilities in place, like they do when planning for schools, shopping and roadways.
Think you like Parks and Recreation? Think again, so many of our once loved places for lunch and relaxation, have been displaced by what has to be some type of city violation or ordinance. Tents and makeshift housing have invaded many playgrounds and city parks. And city employees and police seem to be powerless. Where would they move them to?
The homeless don't have cell phones or internet access. Sometimes they have to move from one encampment to another, and any important paperwork they may have, is lost in the shuffle. It's like the game "Whack-A-Mole", where you move to one location, then you're forced to move to another.
You thought aggressive panhandling was a big problem, but it pales in comparison to the homeless problem. They start a small fire for warmth or cooking, that may get out of hand, and quickly spreads to other properties. Then there's the issue of garbage pile up and human waste. And who's going to hire you when you haven't taken a shower in days. Homelessness, more than an eyesore, it's a tragedy of epic proportions.
And just like in the movie "Nomadland", what you and I might consider junk ... what little possessions they may have, they want to hold on to. And their pets are family too.
Homeless kids focus on where their next meal is going to come from, rather than what they want to be when they grow up.
In talking to a group of park workers about the hours of operation of dusk til dawn and the homeless there ... You will get all types of answers and ideas of what should be done. From facilities that are already built in "another city" but unused, to issues of why it wouldn't work, because some wouldn't want to move there.
Where does the responsibility rest for what seems like a city, county or state problem ... maybe it's a situation that can only be addressed and handled on a national level?
The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened another epidemic, homelessness in America. It's a crisis of epic proportion because it's not just your large big cities that are being affected, but small towns everywhere.
A BART ride here, a handrail touch there, should I sit here, or over there? You know where this could lead. And this has to be a major health and safety issue, not only for those who are living on the streets, but the spreading of diseases. The public can easily be affected, because of incidental contact with the homeless.
As we move from red, to orange, to what I hope is herd immunity very soon. Vaccination of the homeless starts with the one shot option, for reasons already described above.
Recovery starts with a roof over one's head as the foundation of stability. And mental health officials are greatly needed, but because of Covid-19, that help is in the distant future. Those with a criminal past, have got to be given a chance with entry level job positions. People need a place to prepare oneself to re-enter the job market. Even some of the most basic jobs nowadays require an email address.
We have to point out to our elected officials what's not hard to see. Maybe emergency homeless housing could be part of an infrastructure bill that works to provide jobs and help the economy as well.
The Biden administration already have their hands full now, but their hands were already tied by the prior administration with, immigration and an out of control pandemic. Welcome, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, you have my full support.
We have to continue to work for solutions like an affordable living wage for housing or $15.00 hr. that is phase in for small rural counties. And continue to brainstorm new better creative ideas that start out tiny, but are built with and preventions of homelessness as its goal. We just can't have people living, paycheck to paycheck. Living on the streets or our parks cannot be an option.