annonymous asks Kimberley White, Meredith Matthews, Brett Watson, Raelina Krikston , Dana Quillman, Jeffrey Scott Sterling…
What is your position on chronic homelessness?
What is your position on chronic homelessness?
— annonymous
Responses
Raelina Krikston
Well I’m against it if that’s what you’re asking.
I think that housing is a human right and we need to make room for people in our community to be sheltered no matter how they might have been disenfranchised or become a victim to institutionalized prejudice, or just circumstantial life events.
In Sweden for example, there are housing allowances for students and anyone who needs it. In doing so, you have a solid base in which to build your life and you have a safety net if anything should happen. I would like to live in a world where our community ensures that we’re taking care of one another’s most basic needs.
My own experience: It took me a while to realize that I had been homeless for a large part of my life. Leaving home at 18 left me with little options and by the grace of my friends I was able to couchsurf until going to college, and then finding a place where I could live on my own was a challenge as a student with no parental support.
When you’re young and carefree, somehow it’s “different” but when it comes down to it, I have been homeless before and it would have been really easy for me to continue to be that way if it weren’t for having landlords that charge fair rent. We should have that assurance by default, not just because someone was lucky enough to find a kind hearted landlord.
It’s proven that we cannot rely on the “free market” to determine something as basic as housing. If we are to solve chronic homelessness it starts with recognizing housing is a basic human right and begin to provide protections for people who are at risk of being homeless, before they are without shelter, not after.
Kimberley White
It appears indeed chronic homeless and long term solutions with dignity and respect is on the forefront of our Arcata residents mind. This question is very similar to one asked prior, so I am going to answer it again here.
I live in Valley West and a large majority of the unhoused community are in Valley West/North Arcata. Not too long ago, I wrote a two part series in Mad River Union News titled, “Faces of the Unhoused”. While trying to scrape out an existence in the cold this last winter, we lost several of our unhoused community members. My heart breaks daily. I know many of the unhoused in my community by name, and likewise they know me by name. HomeKey is on the way and it is a start, but we will need much more housing, not only for the chronically unhoused, but also those at risk of being unhoused.
We need to rethink social policy. It is essential we address issues of equity and social justice and how disparity permeates through affordable housing and the unhoused community. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. aptly put it, “It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people.”
First let me say, regardless of why someone is on the streets, putting a roof over their head will give the stability needed to improve their life. In other words, housing first. Without housing it is unlikely that any other solutions will work. By providing housing you give the unhoused a fighting chance to improve their lives.
Before we can begin to solve homelessness or the unhoused we have to understand the causes. I often hear people say, the unhoused choose this lifestyle. Sometimes the unhoused have been out there too long and simply cannot reintegrate. While reintegration can be more difficult for some than others, I don’t think anyone woke up one day and said, I think I will become a drug addict, lose my job, my home and go take my chances in the streets. I do not think anyone ever planned being in a destructive relationship that resulted in domestic violence, leaving them no choice but to leave, often having isolated themselves from family or friends and no place to go, but the streets. I do not believe anyone intentionally makes a decision to become houseless.
I became a Planning Commissioner for the City of Arcata to address affordable housing issues, home ownership opportunities, and to be a voice in Valley West where the majority of the unhoused reside. As a current Planning Commissioner for the City of Arcata my special interest is equitable and affordable housing. I was involved in the adoption of the City of Arcata’s newly updated Housing Element portion of the City of Arcata’s General Plan. The Housing Element not only included an assessment and inventory of resources in Arcata, but also looked at the regional housing needs of the county as a whole to assure we meet our share of housing needs for the entire region. I am currently working on the Gateway Area Plan draft for the City of Arcata. I have served as an Arcata Planning Commissioner for over three years.
Like most of California, we are also experiencing a housing shortage in Arcata. This isn’t new and has been the case ever since I can remember. With Cal Poly Humboldt expanding we need even more housing. We are in the midst of the controversial Gateway Area Plan which will decide what Arcata is going to look like moving forward, but I do not see any supported homeless housing or any housing for the unhoused community for that matter in the Gateway Area Plan draft.
My particular housing interests surround solutions for safe affordable housing and the barriers that the unhoused, low income, students, veterans, seniors and the disabled face. I am now running for city council to continue public service and pursue my passion of helping others overcome housing barriers. It is my goal to make sure our most vulnerable populations have equal access.
As we navigate through COVID the challenge of loss of jobs, more are becoming destitute and are in jeopardy of becoming unhoused. As we address issues of the unhoused I want to point out that while it is essential to have a roof over one’s head, it is just that, a roof. It needs to extend beyond a roof. It is essential to have a sense of community, a sense of purpose, and a sense of control of one’s destiny. To give back respect, give responsibility, a sense of dignity and control over one’s life, is the most compassionate way to help the unhoused to truly begin to reintegrate into society.
I believe that permanent housing is a solution rather than shelters, encampments, tent cities, etc. A shelter is just that, a temporary shelter. There is a school of thought that shelters cause homelessness. Much of the time, rather than being a stepping-stone, it can be the undoing and often can mean a return to the streets, worse off than before. Some shelters have an open door policy meaning anyone can come stay. Although that may sound compassionate and equitable, it can be a nightmare. Those with an open door policy allow drunkenness, people under the influence and have very little in the way of rules, leaving utter chaos. Sleep deprivation due to noise, no privacy and feeling unsafe, even the unhoused/homeless do not want to stay. Then there are the shelters that do have rules and turn away those who appear to be under the influence. Once turned away or asked to leave, there is a reluctance to not go back and so it goes, back into the streets.
As I stated earlier, it is important to talk about some of the reasons for becoming homeless or unhoused. Our mental health system is broken. Many of those who are unhoused and are living in the streets have a mental illness or substance abuse issues. We need to stop the expectation that these folks have the ability to set aside a portion of their monthly income as many lack the self-control or impulse control to do this (or they may not have the wherewithal to even apply for disability or other benefits). One solution proposed by advocates is to have benefits split, half going straight to a landlord and the other half pocket money. This not only will help them maintain housing, but also maintain social services, medical and mental health care.
With no permanent or fixed address these folks will often slip between the cracks. Family, social services and mental health services are unable to find them and they become lost. This is why wrap-around services and supported homeless housing are essential, hence the Homekey programs that are currently being implemented across the state of California. We have two Homekey Projects that have been approved in Valley West and are underway. There are 139 units planned at the Red Roof Inn and the Days Inn. I will add that it is essential that the highest risk not be segregated in one area or neighborhood or in this case one city block. It will not serve the target population when the homeless are warehoused and the community will only resent the homeless, to no fault of their own. The outcomes of segregation are not positive. Studies have shown over and over the negative effects of segregation.
I also want to point out that living with others requires the ability to get along well with others and some social competence. Those with mental illness etc. may do better living alone. The need to live alone also contributes to becoming homeless because it simply is not affordable to live alone. Those who have social skills and are socially adept are more likely to get off the streets faster compared to those who lack social skills who are more likely to remain on the street longer. But even those who have social skills and can adapt to living with a roommate or two it is simply not financially feasible in Arcata, due to high rents. This is the plight of many Cal Poly HUmboldt students when they move up here to go to school, there simply isn’t enough affordable housing. Those with mental health issues or loners face a bigger financial challenge in getting off the streets having to come up with first and last or first and a deposit in advance. This makes it nearly impossible to get off the streets unless they can find steady employment. Then of course many landlords require rental history. It becomes a vicious cycle, in order to find stable employment, one needs housing, and in order to find housing one needs stable employment.
There simply is no one size fits all. While some programs are successful with certain populations or a community, it may not work at all in another. Critics often say nothing works, but in reality we really do not know which services or programs are working. Perhaps lies the answer in having the unhoused weigh in and evaluate what works for them. When contracting for services the client rarely is involved in the decision making on what programs they receive. They do not get the option to shop around or choose. Rather than thinking they do not want help, perhaps it is not wanting the services or help being offered. We could save a lot of guesswork and money by eliminating services that the unhoused have deemed unhelpful or worthless. I know, how dare the unhoused weigh in on their own lives.
One solution for the unhoused is a tiny home community. Humboldt County passed a new housing law on Tiny Housing. There are many examples of tiny house communities that are successful. I also have been following container homes, if done right, are incredibly affordable. There are similar housing projects that have worked. A Community First Village in Texas is a great example of what is possible when everyone works together. Oahu moved forward in resolving their unhoused community after receiving a donated C20- acre parcel.
These communities are self-sustainable where everyone pays rent and has an investment in the community. It is about a sustainable community that gives everybody dignity and a reason. Examples of sustainable communities include various onsite resources such as auto shops, bicycle repair, cooking classes, community gardens, basic budgeting and finance workshops, vocational and employment workshops, carpentry and wood shop, on-site childcare, a lending library, a grocery store, and more. Also they could include social services, counseling and mental health care, substance abuse and alcohol on site programs, clean and sober recovery programs as well as a mobile health/dental unit visiting the site regularly.
When you give somebody a task and you expect the best of them, you give dignity back and a reason to keep trying. We live in a throwaway society and I’m not just talking about what’s going into our landfills, but human beings. We are our brother’s keeper and I think that it’s time that we reach out to the unhoused community with real solutions with dignity and respect.
We need to rethink social policy. What the unhoused really need is a sense of community. It is about community, collaboration and commitment. A little compassion can also go a long way. I really do not want to give much lip service to a camp or tent city. These are all temporary solutions and they never seem to go any farther than just that.
While we need more housing, equally important is equal access. While looking at causes of the unhoused it is essential that we also look at the connection between affordable housing and homelessness. It is essential to address issues of equity and social justice and how disparity permeates through affordable housing and the unhoused.
We have many organizations in our community that directly work with the unhoused. What is needed is a City of Arcata housing committee (not just an in-house that serves as a liaison to the various organizations to avoid duplication of efforts and opportunities to work on the same vision and apply for grants when feasible, together. This committee would be made up of a diverse representation of the community and Cal Poly Humboldt, to ensure equal access and to avoid inequities and disparities. If staffing or budget constraints it is not feasible for the city to take on a housing/homeless coalition then a collaborative community driven coalition should be organized.
Finally, I am a proponent of public banking. If the city controlled its own bank, we would decide where to invest our own money. Although this could not happen overnight, it is time we divest from fossil fuel companies and invest in solving our community’s unhoused and affordable housing crisis. Bond revenue is also a promising way for Arcata to address affordable housing. With the high percentage of renters versus homeowners in Arcata it is difficult to imagine that our citizens would not get behind a plan that would increase affordable housing over keeping homeowners property taxes low. If Arcata is serious about prioritizing affordable housing, voters must get behind higher tax rates and funding must be included in Arcata’s capital plan.
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