This weekend I was in the Dana Point/Laguna Niguel area with my family celebrating Easter, and I got to thinking about the article we read and discussed earlier this week on the homeless populations being pushed out of Orange County. As I was driving around, I saw endless gated neighborhoods, high end grocery stores, and public parks- clearly all at the disposal of pretty wealthy families. Especially since the article mentioned Laguna Niguel, our discussions on NIMBY really began to make sense. Trying to put myself in their shoes, I thought about how beautiful the neighborhoods were and how different they would look with homeless encampments in a few locations. But then I began to think about all we have learned this semester: about how these homeless individuals are rarely dangerous, how people can be so misunderstanding of their position, and how there are so few resources offered. Perhaps the people of Laguna Niguel are afraid of homeless camps being near their children’s schools, but it sure seems like more progress could be made on the issue if people would use all their effort usually put towards complaining towards finding affordable housing in their communities instead. I think that people tend to forget that the homeless individuals they observe and come into contact with are fellow community members rather than strangers they have nothing in common with.

Introduced by Senator Wiener, SB 827 is a new bill that would allow for “upzoning,” that is, building heights above the limit that local governments have approved and densities currently restricted by city zoning codes near public transit stops by limiting local control of high density housing developments near transit-oriented developments (TODs for short). For those of you who don’t know, TODs are pretty popular these days and are part of the New Urbanism movement, which stresses walkability, variety when it comes to housing types, and mixed-use development. Proponents of SB 827 say that it would be one way to start satiating housing demands that are only going to continue growing, but many groups and organizations (some of seemingly separate causes) came out the woodwork in opposition to the bill. Opposition is based in concerns that said “upzoning” would not necessarily entail more affordable housing but perhaps just more luxury condos, the idea that it would “strip local governments from the decision-making process” (Kash), and the fact that 96% of San Francisco would be eligible for the new drastic change in height allowances.
I have not thought of how debates concerning local vs. state control could pertain to housing other than when they relate to NIMBYism, and I’m not sure what I think of this bill. I am definitely all for streamlining the affordable housing development process, but I also don’t think San Francisco should have to lose its character by turning into one monolith of 8-story apartment complexes. Have any of you heard about this bill? It seems complicated and I’d like to hear y’all opinions.

Oh, my in-text citation is from a Sierra Club statement on SB 827. The link to the statement is here: https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2018/02/sierra-club-policy-transit-oriented-development

This week was very interesting. I enjoyed going over the data exercise  4 on the different organizations and their effectiveness. I chose a organization based out of New York. They try to feed around a thousand meals in the city on a given night. The organization also had many different housing options. They offer housing for single mothers and their children, a place for people that just got out of jail, a place for men, and apartments for families. The apartments they ask you to pay a small fee and go to some classes. I think the class is a great idea because they are about saving and investments. They also are about staying clean and out of trouble. Overall this program does great things and continues to help others find housing, shelter, and food. I found that hearing all of these different organizations working together really made me appreciate what the world is doing to try to help homeless or near homeless. It was amazing to hear that other countries are doing outreach. In Austria they are doing outreach through food. They help by serving food on any given day and the locals who really wanted It were extremely appreciative while the nonlocal were very greedy and only wanted what they wanted.

During class on Monday March 26^th, I presented my Book “B” presentation on the book “Tent City Urbanism: From Self-Organized Camps to Tiny House Villages” by Andrew Heben. This book was very unique compared to the other presentations. It introduced the tent cities and tiny houses organized by the homeless that presents a sustainable housing options and can also improve quality of life. The class and I shared an interesting discussion about this movement and its possibilities. After the presentation, I was wondering why the author did not include more information about children and their point of view living in the tents or tiny houses. He did mention that the children thought of it as “camping” and were unaware of their serious situation.

This inspired me to research more about children living in tents or tiny houses. In the article, “Everyone agrees: The Santa Ana River trail is no place to raise homeless children,” by Theresa Walker, tells the story of a mother and her children living in a shady homeless encampment located along the Santa Ana River bed. Many parents come to the river when they have no alternatives. They hide their children from Child Protective Service for fear that they might be taken away. Even though this may be an alternative, everyone in this camp believed it is no place for a child. The conditions were described as unsafe and dirty. In some instances, the mother and 11 year old daughter found syringes and needles. The daughter described it saying “I loved it here. I knew everybody, but the struggle was real.” I recognize how serious this problem is that families want to stay together, but living in this situation could be extremely unsafe for children.

https://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/16/santa-ana-river-trail-is-no-place-to-raise-children/

The perspectives of the homeless community is something that I have worked on to understand this semester.  In a recent article published in the New York Times, Benjamin Weiser provides a perspective of a homeless women Nakesha Williams.  Nakesha would reject when people would offer help like entering a shelter.  Nakesha would accept any food, clothes, or toiletries that was offered.  No one who knew Nakesha would have anticipated that she would become a member of the homeless community.  She was Class President, Choir singer, member of the school newspaper and National Honor Society.   She even was third in her class and received her college tuition covered by a scholarship.  Nakesha faced challenges in her life that led her to wind up where she did.  Her mother became ill with cancer.  This led her to a number of odd jobs that left her moving a lot.  Through this, she developed a sense of anxiety.  Well in Los Angeles she would find places that offered free samples to eat and go to Churches that offered services.  Throughout her life, she never once referred to herself as homeless.  In New York, she was a regular member of the homeless community that resided on the streets.  She developed a relationship with members of the community that would stop and ask if she needed any help.  Weiser comments on the fact that are 3,900 unsheltered homeless people in New York City. They reside in sleeping bags near building/construction sites, bury themselves in blankets, ponchos and cardboard boxes. You never know anyone’s story until you take the time to talk to someone.  It is important to remember to never make assumptions about a member of the homeless community.

This week in class we had a presentation on tiny homes and whether or not they could be a solution towards homelessness. There are pros and cons towards tiny home villages and whether or not they would be beneficial to society let alone the homeless. Something to consider is whether or not it is a good idea to put the homeless population all in the same area or to spread them out. This is not an answer that can be answered immediately because again, we have to look at the pros and cons. Having them all together could make things easier for the community itself, but may not be beneficial to the homeless population. However, having them dispersed all over a city may make it difficult to regulate them and have an idea of where they may. Tiny homes I believe are a good option for homeless because it provides a better shelter then sleeping on the park bench. However, my initial thought when I think of tiny homes is all the TV shows that are made about the rich wanting tiny homes.  The rich are  saying they want to “downsize,” but then spend an abundance of money on trying to make it the fanciest “tiny home” someone has ever seen. I personally believe that tiny homes are nothing but a trend that people have recently discovered. If one simply Google’s “tiny homes” and clicks on images the “TINY” homes that come up are absurd. They are beautiful and a generally interesting idea (one I could never live in though), but one could easily tell that they have a lot of money put into them. I recognize that building tiny home communities for the homeless population would not have such elaborate homes because they would have such a smaller budget, but then I also feel that the rich would no longer be interested in them. I don’t say that in a bad or a good way, I just believe it is the truth because then the rich would not think they have something “unique.”

This week, we discussed different homeless organizations and what they were doing to help, and what made them unique from other organizations. I remember one of us shared on the Coalition for the Homeless, which is an advocacy group. They focused on the right to have a home and specifically the right to vote, which is not a main concern we see in many organizations. One unique thing I found about them is they have a mobile soup kitchen that travels to 35 different sites. I feel this is very beneficial to help combat homelessness on a wider scale. I shared about Solid Ground, an organization in Seattle who’s primary fight is against racism. They believe institutional racism leads to homelessness (more commonly for people of color) and they bring awareness to that issue. They also offer varieties of shelter, donate food and refer banks to get food, and prioritize credit counseling. Believing that racism is the root of homelessness is an idea I had not previously heard, so I appreciate that different perspective. Lastly, an organization in Austria was discussed, but this one did not seem ideal. Austrians could get free food, but foreigners could not. The races were also divided when dining. The homeless were not appreciative of the food they were getting, and demanded something more appetizing. I fully support helping those in need, but I also believe you need to be appreciative of what you are getting. If someone is willing to help you, offer thanks instead of rudeness. It makes me wonder how homeless generally behave in other countries.

What kind of behavioral experiences have you guys had with homeless you have encountered? Do you feel it is justified to not be very pleasant when you are in a situation such as homelessness, such as those in the Austrian shelter?

I really enjoyed this week of talking about different cities, and learning of a couple theories out there of what actual steps to take to solve the homelessness issue. It was no surprise to me that Los Angeles was making more progress than San Antonio because of certain ideological issues that are affecting policy. San Antonio’s choice to isolate the homeless, blame their situation on personal failings, and rely on private action showed in their results as Los Angeles is experiencing more success in long-term solutions.

Dan McGuire’s skype call was also really informative. Homeless Solutions in New Jersey is privately owned, and I think that it was good for me to hear about a private organization making real sustainable differences, because based on the reading and discussing we have been doing in class I have found myself leaning in favor of government providing these services. Privatizing this issue seems to go hand-in-hand with doing things like blaming peoples situation on personal flaws and damaging stigmas. It seems like that would be a good idea because of the way it would impact national narrative, but it’s always a good reminder that private institutions can do plenty good.

Hearing about how state funds have shrunk dramatically was definitely disheartening. I believe that across the board there was a 75% drop. Fixing this problem will obviously take a lot of resources and it seems like we are moving in the wrong direction.

This past week in class we were fortunate enough to have a Skype conference call with David McGuire, the CEO of Homeless Solutions, Inc. in New Jersey. They are a homeless shelter who serve a variety of people,  from single men, single women, families, and those who are mentally ill. They also have a traditional housing program where people have jobs, but simply cannot afford the housing in their county. It is an 18 month housing program and they will help you create a budget, improve your credit score, help you work towards a better job or a promotion, and several other things that could help better your life. Another thing they have been working towards is affordable housing. Something that plays a large factor in homelessness is the fact that there is no affordable housing options. Homeless Solutions Inc. has recognized this problem and has began to build affordable houses to better benefit their community. They look at persons income and if you make less than a certain amount of money you can qualify to live in one of the affordable houses. They have also strived to make these homes as green as possible to reduce the impact on the environment as well as keep cost low. One of the most surprising things I learned was that there are at least 8 people who get evicted from their homes a day in their county. I do not know why I was so surprised by this number because I know there is such a large homeless population, but I had never thought about the number of people who are evicted from their homes on a daily basis. One of the things I really appreciated from talking with David, is Homeless Solutions, Inc. slogan. There slogan is “Give a hand up, not a hang out!” This means that they have to do the hard work, but Homeless Solutions, Inc. will be there to give them advice on what to do. I think this is important because, not to stereotype, but a lot of the time people do not want to help the homeless because they feel they are giving them a hand out. They do not want to give beggars money because they feel as though they worked hard for their money and they could simply do the same. This goes for homeless people as well, some simply do not want to have a job because they are getting hand outs on the streets, which is easier then working sometimes. I appreciate that Homeless Solutions, Inc. is focused on helping someone, but only if they are first interested in helping themselves and willing to do the work.

This week we heard from Dan McGuire, the CEO of Homeless Solutions, a homeless organization aimed at providing housing and development programs for people facing homelessness in Morris County in the state of New Jersey. I found our conference call to be insightful and I learned a lot from Dan. Something that surprised me was the statistic that eight households get evicted each day in Morris County. It’s my feeling that if the county can recognize that statistic, then they can recognize that there is a housing crisis they need to tackle. Like Dan said, it’s all about the money and government support. Without that help, organizations like Homeless Solutions can’t accomplish much. I was curious to hear Dan say that in their Safe Haven program for those suffering from mental illness, Homeless Solutions does not house individuals with diagnoses of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This left me wondering what help is out there for those individuals, who may be at a higher risk of homelessness. I loved hearing that Homeless Solutions is aiming to partner with fortune 500 companies in the area to create a positive pipeline from their shelter to higher-paying work! It’s a creative idea that allows Homeless Solutions to vouch for individuals that they know will become successful employees.

A side note: I found Dan’s advice for those seeking employment in the non-profit world to be really helpful. He reaffirmed my belief that any sort of experience can be marketed toward whatever company you’re applying to. He said it himself that secondary experiences are a value and that you should sell those in an interview. While I try to enter the real world, I will keep his advice in mind.