From Oakland to Frisco, ‘solutions’ created by politricksters are killing us, not housing us
By Tiny on These “solutions” to homelessness—created “about us but without us”—are not only bound to fail, but bound to harm, often leading to our deaths.
Homelessness
Homeless at the Piano
By Andy Pope on I think it was this. I had gotten so used to only being accepted by people who were outside, and being looked down upon by people who lived inside, I couldn’t imagine them doing anything other than to look down on me, even as I played the piano.
Clarence Galtney: The OG of Harrison Street
By Bradley Penner on As mounting pressure from the city of Berkeley brings 8th and Harrison to its breaking point, one resident sheds light through the cracks.
Oakland attempts to curb the homeless health crisis with street medicine
By Chris Lee on Homeless deaths have surged in recent years. In Oakland, chronic illness and addictions make up most of homeless deaths by 47% and 31%, respectively.
San Francisco activists say: No to APEC!
By Joemae Santos on Image courtesy of Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP). This year, San Francisco will host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Their original faces: a soul, not a homeless person
By Jesse Mentken on "I do not think of people as homeless; I think of people as having been betrayed," Mentken writes.
Why would anyone want to live on the street?
By Timothy Busby on Only after I accepted the fact that the person I was before was never coming back…could I begin to accept another life.
Hating the holidays
By Timothy Busby on After a series of horrific events I found myself living on the streets at the age of 49, and Christmas suddenly took on a whole new meaning
‘I have never called my cell a home’
By Juan Haines on All throughout my incarceration, I have never called my cell a home. Moreover, I consider the bars that cage me disrespectful, even to animals. So, I think Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf let down some very vulnerable people when she told the San Francisco Chronicle that a vacant jail is an “obvious” option for a homeless shelter.
Rebuttal to the SF Chronicle: Visibility for homeless families
By Tracey Mixon on The 2019 one-night homeless count found 201 families (612 people), a count similar to the 2017 one-night count of 190 families (601 persons). That means 8 percent of the total counted homeless population is made up of families. The Coalition on Homelessness says the count is actually much higher, pointing out that the school district—using its own definition of homelessness—lists more than 2,000 students as being homeless.
Affordable housing: One size does not fit all
By Andy Pope on As the homelessness crisis worsens, cities all over the U.S. are desperately trying to come up with solutions. California, for example, is in a frenzy to build new homeless shelters that will fit thousands of new shelter beds.
Correcting misconceptions about homelessness
By Timothy Busby on I have a group page where I post stories and also answer questions about homelessness. Recently, someone posted the following