Street Guide: Tips for the Newly Homeless in Livermore, California

Homelessness for Stupid People

The foibles of the most pampered homeless population in the Bay Area...

So, you lost your job a while back, and you've been evicted from wherever you live... what now? Homelessness is staring you square in the face and you're scared out of your wits! What do you do now?

If you have a car, you're better off than some. Keeping it is going to be a problem without any income. Cars are expensive! Consider that you might not be able to keep that either and be prepared for that first and foremost.

Lucky you, you're in Livermore. I don't call the homeless in Livermore the most pampered homeless in the world for nothing: I mean it. You have so many services here to keep you fed and clean it isn't funny, but I'll go over those in a minute. First off, you need to get your head screwed on straight and face what you're facing.

First, always keep this in mind: Less is More! 

The less you have, the better off you are. Crap ties you down and decreases your mobility. You have a lot of stuff in storage? Shed it as soon as you possibly can however you can. I don't care that they're family heirlooms or whatever, your going to lose them if you don't hit the lottery like now! Better to control how you lose your stuff than have your stuff control you till circumstance takes it from you.

Second: be very, very careful who you hook up with and who you trust. Learn to say “NO!” 

Maybe you don't need me to say this, but some of you do: there are people out here who will take advantage of whatever resources you have and suck you dry. There are even some dangerous people out here. We have people who look perfectly sane and talk a good game but will turn on you in two shakes. Never EVER let anyone stash stuff in your car! Don't do it! You won't be able to get rid of it most of the time. NEVER let any of the homeless drive your car. And be very, very leery of letting anyone into your car in the first place.

Third: learn who you can trust!

Among the homeless in Livermore, and probably anywhere else, there are the good, the bad and the ugly. The ugly, largely drunks and drug addicts. They'll be nice enough, but you probably will be able to weed them out pretty easily. The good may not appear all that good to you in the beginning. Those are the people who are hard to know, often times. They've been there, done that and they know that the new guy or gal showing up is probably a mooch that expects service on a silver platter. You can ask around and find out who is who, but experience will tell you who can be trusted. The bad will be amoung the friendliest you meet in the beginning. They'll sidle up to you with a smile and do whatever they can to get into your good graces. See item 2!

So, the services in Livermore are the best there are anywhere. Showers Monday, Wednesday and Friday, food every day, clothing on Monday and Friday. Stay clean, don't make a mess, and be mobile enough to move out of wherever you are on a moment's notice, and you will rarely, if ever, have a problem with Livermore's Finest (aka the Police). By the way, when you come in contact with a cop, introduce yourself, be friendly, and don't be afraid to tell the cop whatever he wants to know. Our guys in blue here are pretty damn good to those of us who try not to be a problem.

The services:
Monday: 7:30am – 11am Showers, Breakfast and Clothing Locker.
Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 460 North Livermore Ave. 
It's run by Cornerstone Church and assisted by Cedar Grove Church, show up early as you can. Breakfast is served at 9am, but showers open pretty early. That beefy guy with the smooth legs and women's clothing, that's Doug, the Shower Nazi! He manages the showers for Mickey Kundert (the lady in charge). He might look scary, but Doug runs the showers better than anyone else ever has... Breakfast is always good. Often you'll get treated to Biscuits and Gravy (a big favourite there!) 

Tuesday: Noon – 6pm Open Heart Kitchen
Asbury Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave.
Open Heart Kitchen has been around for years. They serve anyone no questions asked, and the food is pretty darn good. You'll notice these folks like to serve a lot of Devil's Food (chocolate cake) in a church! Make sure you give them a little jab about that, it tickles them! There's also a lot of bread put out for you to take with you for later. 

Wednesday: Noon to 6pm Open Heart Kitchen – Showers - Cothing
Asbury Methodist Church, 4743 East Ave.
Open Heart as above.
Cornerstone has Johnny DeLaRosa (yes, from THE DeLaRosa family... if you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll find out eventually) opens the showers up a little after noon and runs those till 6pm. Get on the list early. Johnny's a good guy with a good sense of humour... but don't tick him off! Bob and Donna McKenzie set up the clothing locker at noon and do take requests! If you've got a job interview, you can probably get something nice from them. 

Thursday: 3pm – 6pm Open Heart Kitchen
Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 460 North Livermore Ave
Pretty much exactly how it's run at Asbury, except slightly shorter hours. Sandra Chesterman is usually the first server. She's someone you want to know, so be nice to her. There's at least one guy out there with a crush on her who will have your head if you're not... (yes, Gary, I'm talking about you!)

Friday: 9am – 11am Showers and Breakfast
Trinity Church, 557 Olivina Ave
Trinity is a relative newcomer to homeless services, but they have facilities enough to be able to get people in and out fast. Two showers each for the men and the women helps out quite a bit. Breakfast is pretty good as well.

Saturday: 1:30pm – 2:30pm Lunch
St. Matthews Baptist Church, 1239 North Livermore Ave.
Service with a smile. St. Matthews likes to make one of the best meals the homeless will ever see once a week.

Sunday: 9am – 10am, Breakfast
Discovery Church, 5860 Las Positas Rd.
Always a good breakfast. If you have a car or a bicycle, it's easier to get to. Walking will take time, however. It's right off Vasco Road.

From November 1 to April 30 you also have the Livermore Homeless Refuge. If it rains, or gets below 40 degrees, they open their doors and put you up for the night. You'll meet the Quiet Man and Sofia Loren... I mean, Bob and Donna McKenzie, who are there every single night and do the lion's share of the work. Pay attention to the rules, don't be a problem, and if Bob and/or Donna ask you to do something: just do it! Don't argue!

The trick to getting along as a homeless person is, first and foremost, to accept it and decide that you're not going to be a problem. If anyone wants to hear your story they will ask. If they do not, believe me, they do NOT want to hear it. You'll hear a lot of whining and complaining out there. Those that do have about as much potential as that snail you accidentally stepped on...

Complaining isn't going to get you anywhere. Move on and work on moving back up. It's difficult, but not impossible to hold down a job and be homeless. Pastor Doug at Vineyard Christian Fellowship will let you use that address for mail if you ask him, but be sure and ask him first.

Bottom line is this: you can be homeless and maintain your self respect. It's not the death sentence some of the bleeding hearts make it out to be... get over it and get on with life!