A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
Eric, known to many as E-Tee, has lived here in San Francisco since he was 27 years old. When he first arrived to the city, he had high hopes to work for the Cement Mason Union doing work laying brick and concrete. However, in order to work for that Union, he needed to pay union dues, or the cost of membership needed to fund the activities and services that unions typically engage in.
The oldest son of ten siblings, three boys and seven girls, Ron was born on July 26 more than six decades ago in New York to Ronald Sr. and Alice Elizabeth Merritt. He was especially fond of his immediate and very large extended family of grand and great grand parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, as well as nieces and nephews. He held in high honor with deep respect his mom and dad, both now 88 years of age.
By researching Navigation Centers, shelters which provide case management and other services to homeless people, and reflecting upon the positions of various journalists, members of City administration, and local politicians, I learned good and bad news. The good news is that, yes, we are making progress in finding ways to fight homelessness. The bad news is that this progress is so slow that the social pathology of homelessness may lead to the erosion of universal ethical values,
Despite the lack of affordable housing and increasing gentrification and displacement, U.S. cities have continued to attack homeless people through criminalization. More concerned about keeping homeless people from the public gaze rather than providing housing to women, children, adults, people with disabilities, and elderly people, there has been an increase in anti-homeless laws across the nation.
While the criminalization of homeless and poor people is nothing new, it is the steady increase that is most concerning.
Granted, this Union saying has been around for quite a while but never has it been more true than it is today. Sure, the election results sucked but when you think about what has been happening in America since the so-called Reagan Revolution with its trickle-down economics, elimination of mental health care, and massive increase of homelessness, where we find ourselves today has a certain perverted, twisted logic to it.
San Francisco is getting props from a national homeless advocacy organization for innovating a model for emergency shelters. But the City’s addition of a local ordinance regarding homeless encampments could undercut its overall efforts.
The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty lauded the City’s navigation center in its report “Housing, Not Handcuffs” as the Washington, D.C.-based organization launched a national campaign on ending criminalization of homeless people’s outdoor activities.
How false promises led to Prop. Q’s success
Even though the votes are still officially unofficial as of press time, the majority are reporting and it seems like November 8 was a victory for homeless and low income individuals in San Francisco in a lot of ways. It seems as though the city will pass the local Propositions C (to convert at-risk multiunit residential buildings into permanent affordable housing) and J (to create a Homeless Housing and Services Fund),
I grew up in San Jose. That was where I spent most of my childhood and where I grew up into a young man. The house I lived in there I shared with nine other family members, so it was always pretty crowded. As we grew up my brother and sister both got nice jobs working, but it was hard for me because I had a learning disability and at the public school I was at they didn’t give me the support I needed.
Most of us consider our home as a place in which we rest, regroup, and feel safe. It is where we store our belongings, are able to shut out the world for a while, and simply be ourselves.
However, for 59-year-old Rita, getting into public housing has yet to provide her with any of the qualities mentioned above. Rita has therefore made the brave decision to share her story with the Street Sheet in order to raise awareness of the many dangerous hassles,
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has announced that they will cease funding the operations of Street Spirit as of December 31, 2016. The newspaper, whose tagline is “Justice News and Homeless Blues,” is sold by street vendors in cities all over the East Bay and also available online. It has been covering organizing for homeless rights, nonviolent social justice struggles and economic inequality for over 21 years. Staff, vendors and writers of the paper were taken by surprise by the abrupt termination of support from the AFSC,
