Mayor Marchand on the Homeless

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Mayor John Marchand is nothing if not a disarming, engaging and astute conversationalist. I have seen him several times at Tommie's Café and, more recently, at his State of the City Town Hall in which his engaging speaking skills were on full display. When a private meeting with him was offered, of course I took it, and scheduled one for the afternoon of Friday, September 27th.

Maybe I'm not being clear enough in conveying how disarming the Mayor is... first, he showed me a painting by Tilly Calhoun, who was a cousin of mine, hanging on the office wall. He showed me an ancient Fire-Engine Red Coke machine he had in the conference room we used... who told the guy I like old stuff? He also made it very clear throughout our conversation that he was quite familiar with most, if not all of what I'd written over the course of the last few months... I wasn't going to get away with a whole lot in this conversation...

The Mayor took issue with a couple of things I'd done. One was beating up on LPD... we had an amicable disagreement over that. LPD Guys (and Gals), I'll remind you, you have always had my respect, and you always will. Mayor Marchand reminded me that LPD has been doing yeoman's work fighting crime lately... which is certainly true, all you have to do is go through he Police and Fire section of the Livermore Patch to see this. (Just an Aside: here's a brilliant piece on being a witness by Mayra Flores)

The other issue was that I have written that the city does nothing for the homeless...

He gave me a sheet describing things being done with federal money aimed at the homeless. Two things I noticed in it. The first was Abode's Hope Van, which shows up once a week at Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

The other item on the list involves a $900,000 Federal Grant (which certain people think they're gonna get a piece of) to prevent families from becoming homeless. Keeping families from becoming homeless is certainly a noble endeavour, but I have not nearly enough knowledge on the subject to even begin an intelligent conversation on it... read: no knowledge.

Abode is what it is, a government funded non-profit that provides medical services. Wonderful. We also have AXIS over in the Multi Service Centre on Pacific which is probably funded in some similar manner.

I stand corrected.

What seemed to concern the Mayor greatly is funding the Status Quo. He made it clear he doesn't want to do that. Finding real solutions would be high on his priority list if he could identify them...

Sorry, Mr. Mayor, if I knew, I'd share it with you, but I can make some suggestions that, hopefully, won't cost the city a dime more than it's spending now.

The first is this: Keep discouraging permanent camp sites. Mayor Marchand spoke of how anyone camping along a water way, such as Mocho Park, is simply unacceptable. It creates a health hazard. Yeah, being homeless is hard, but it's possible to be mobile even if you don't have a car... how often do I have to repeat this? Every encampment we spoke of had always become a disaster in short order.

Two: Please make it clear to Livermore Residents that giving money to people flying signs finances substance addiction! It's also the biggest single attraction for out-of-town homeless. If people want to give, there are plenty of more productive ways to donate money. If people have the gumption, they could volunteer at the Livermore Homeless Refuge, which needs volunteers far more than it needs money.

Three: Encourage those groups helping the homeless to set strict behavioural standards. When standards are laid down, people do tend to rise to the occasion. Sure, they'll grouse about it, they'll complain and they'll whine... Mr. Mayor, it would so tickle me to hear you say: “Just feed 'em some cheese and tell 'em this is the way it is!”

And last, but probably most important: Encourage those helping the homeless to engage the homeless themselves in community service. I can't stress this enough. When people get used to performing a task, they tend to become productive.An object in motion... yeah, you being a Scientist, Mr. Mayor, you don't need me to remind you of this axiom. I see a lot of cigarette butts and other trash in Carnegie Park... and who was talking about Livermore Residents picking up trash a couple of days ago...? Hmmm?

The Mayor told me something that impressed me. He worked in a Library while attending University and had to deal with some of the vagrants in it, which I'm sure was very pleasant... not... so he does have experience at this level. He's seen the ugliness and bad behaviour first hand, which is a good thing. Couple this with the Mayor's new policy of community engagement, and I think his office has set course in a very positive direction.

What Mayor Marchand alluded to throughout the conversation was that problems with the homeless always involve Behaviour... Uhm... where have I heard that before?

No matter...

We did not have time to speak of the real economic barriers that keep the working homeless homeless. That's something that... well, I certainly can't imagine what would solve that outside of massive amounts of government money... and that's proven disastrous...

BUT... Mayor Marchand has been thinking...

...and what he's been thinking about is having another Town Hall on Homelessness sometime in the future. It has no set date, and may not happen for a few months, but he seemed very enthusiastic about it, and is likely terrorizing his own staff with the idea as I write this in his brilliantly engaging way...

Once again, Mr. Mayor, thank you again for seeing me. It was very much a pleasure

The Policeman is your FRIEND!

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Some nights classic things happen. Wednesday evening I attended the Mayor's State of the City Town Hall which was surprisingly enjoyable, I must say. But Michael Harris, our new Police Chief, was there and I'd wanted to introduce myself to him since I'd heard he'd taken over the job and I had a question or two to ask him, but that's neither here nor there.

My friend Robert and I were hanging out outside the Library after the event and I noticed Chief Harris was speaking with a woman inside still, they were the last two in the room and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a word. Fabulous, right? Right!

Anyway, so my friend Robert was looking at me sideways as if I was plotting something horrible... c'mon, Robert, Really?

No matter... eventually, with the library about to close, one of the staff came in and probably informed the chief and the woman of this, so, they came outside. I took that opportunity to introduce myself and he excused himself to continue his conversation with the woman.

Robert and I went off a few yards away to let the two of them complete their business...

Now, Chief Harris is built... he's tall, and looks to be a pretty powerful guy. I'm 5'10”, not tall, but he towers over me. His uniform enhances this effect. Plus he was wearing what appeared to me to be a field uniform complete with his piece on his belt, nevermind the four stars on his collar, he looked like a well groomed Patrol Officer who could easily handle whatever.

So, Robert and I are waiting patiently, and up strides Nick. Nick is former Air Force, and also tall, but lanky. He's wearing his seabag on his back, probably about fifty or so pounds of stuff he carries, and there we are... Nick is the only Nick I've ever mentioned in this blog. He's a close, personal friend and one of those people who truly gets it... but for a moment, just a moment, things got... well, funny.

Now, imagine, you see a couple of your friends in the distance. Between you and them is a Police Officer talking to a well dressed woman, with Robert and I looking our dischevelled selves sitting on the bench a few yards behind.

I wished I'd had a camera. Nick's face went visibly pale and seemed to elongate at once. He stopped dead in his tracks and appeared as if he was about to turn around and hurry away.

It was all Robert and I could do to keep from busting up laughing.

Poor Nick obviously thought we were in some kind of trouble... of course, his experience is this, any time the police are around any of the homeless, that's what it usually means.

In any event. Chief Harris said goodnight to the woman and approached. I re-introduced myself and introduced Robert and Nick, then posed my questions to the Chief.

Just so you know, Chief Harris was very gracious to us and very personable and my impression of him on a personal level is favourable. I hope I have opportunity to speak to him at length at some point.

I think I took about ten minutes of the Chief's time, we said goodnight and he left for home or whatever business he had, and Robert and I proceeded to tease Nick about his reaction to the circumstance.

Nick... you and I already agreed, the Policeman is your FRIEND! Don't forget!

A Prayer for Kristina

At 11PM, Monday September 24th, Sandra Chesterman posted this on her Facebook page:

Feeling an unbelievable, unimaginable loss right now. At 11:04 pm last night my beautiful baby girl Kristina was struck by a 19 year old drunk driver while she road her bike in the bike lane home from study hall at CSUChico. She was less than one block from home. The driver just left her in the road to die and went on to crash into 2 more cars (no others injured) then stumbled into his apartment and passed out drunk. Kristina Chesterman suffered major head trauma and is not expected to survive. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Even the best people?

How much can one family endure?

Last night, Kristina Chesterman was struck by a drunk driver after, I am told, an evening class in Chico. She has been hurt so badly that her chances of survival are not... they're just not good.

Kristina's mother, Sandra, and her father Dave, are likely in Chico at this moment holding vigil and hoping for a miracle.

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that Kristina's brother suffered a brutal attack in Chico earlier this year while he was visiting Kristina.

Sandra and her family are... well, they're the best people. I count Sandra amongst my friends and I'm very proud to call her that. I've met Kristina only a few times, but I remember her as a vivacious, beautiful young woman with a caring soul who supports her mother well in Sandra's efforts to serve the poor and the homeless.

Your prayers are requested for the miracle that is so desperately needed. I don't know the details, but Kristina's injuries are said to be terribly severe and very life threatening.

Thank you all...

KRCR News Story

Patch Story by Mayra Flores

What? No GIFT CARD?

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

I'm on Twitter. Yech, yes, I know, I'm going to Hell! Please don't beat me up! But I'm subscribed to a lot of Activists for the Homeless who tweet amazing things about how these huge programs are going to solve homelessness... I'd love to wake these people up from their fantasies...

There's a frequent blog responder named Special Ed who these activists should probably talk to. He wrote the following:

“I've written in the past that I am one of those who is perfectly willing to give whatever I have to help people who are trying to help themselves. It's the abusers that annoy me. I know that I should not be judgemental but I'm not perfect and quite honestly I'm more than a little fed up.”

Wrong, Special Ed, it's okay to be judgemental. In my less than humble opinion there's not enough of it going around... I've seen plenty of what it is you're talking about. If these attitudes that create the kind of behaviour you're talking about are not corrected, nothing will ever get solved.

I mentioned, in passing, in a previous blog how Keith And Nancy, a married couple that used to sit on The Rock in front of the I580 Safeway told volunteers that the volunteers needed to pay their rent because the volunteers simply hadn't done enough to help Keith and Nancy. Keith and Nancy are just that deserving. That happened some time ago, and as many little incidents that have happened since, I've let a lot of those fade away from memory. This blog would have twice as many blog postings if I chronicled all of them.

More recently, Mariah had a birthday. Mariah isn't homeless. She's doesn't even live in Livermore. She lives in an apartment near BART in Dublin. But she shows up at Vineyard most Monday Mornings and most Thursday Afternoons.

It's easy to feel sorry for Mariah. She had some sort of accident which left her with some brain damage. She's obviously lonely, and her motives for coming to where the homeless are probably have a lot to do with some need to be around people... but I don't read minds, that's conjecture.

Mariah gets a whole lot of sympathy from the volunteers, or has in the past...

Anyway, it was her birthday this last week...

My good friend, I'll call this person The Former Masochist (TFM), was thoughtful enough to buy Mariah a cake for her birthday... I saw the cake. It wasn't an inexpensive cake, and it was more than enough to share with a lot of people. TFM was already unhappy with Mariah, since Mariah had given TFM a list of items TFM needed to bring Mariah for Mariah's birthday... I can't remember them... I just remember it being something of a frivolous list of expensive stuff.

Later that day, TFM gets a text from Mariah telling TFM that TFM had “ruined” Mariah's birthday with that cake! RUINED! It was all TFM's fault that the rest of Mariah's day went to hell, and TFM didn't even include a gift card... THE NERVE!

Over the years I've seen this kind of thing in a lot of pre-teen and young teenagers (and some older teenagers) who treat their parents this way. It's the parents job to give the kid anything they want all the time no matter what or there's hell to pay... NOT! I hope any parent reading this gets what I'm trying to say here... overindulgence is just... wrong.

One of the things that I do take are shirts. I've had most of my shirts for well over a year and I take good care of them. Mickey Kundert and Bob and Donna McKenzie both run clothing lockers on two different days. It's something they do very well. One of the things Donna will do is this: every time she finds a shirt that's “my style” (button down plaid) she'll save it for me... I haven't taken one in some time. I just haven't needed them any. I love those that I have and hope to keep the for some time to come.

But there are certain people who are so used to getting free stuff, free services, free everything, they seem to have come to expect it, as if it's a right they have. All you have to do is show up, no effort is required! Just enjoy!

Mariah is one of abusers that fits Special Ed's description. TFM told Mariah “I'm done with you!” this week to Mariah's face. I was there! That's why it's “Former” and not “Current” Masochist! I was so proud of my friend!

So, Special Ed, TFM, in the end, had to be judgemental in order to end the cycle of abuse by Mariah. Mariah's not the only one who's abused TFM, but a lot of that is coming to an end as well. TFM's experiences, I'm betting money, probably mirror yours.

I wish I could put Special Ed, TFM and some other volunteers in front of a bunch of bound and gagged activists and force them to listen instead of pontificate and seek to spend everyone else's money... that would be so much fun to see...

Neon Bums

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

To those of you who I have met, or will meet at some point: Thank You! I'm constantly amazed by the number of people who stop me out and about, or come into Tommie's just to see me! All of you have been so very gracious and kind and you've managed to give me some measure of solace in that this blog has had some value to Livermore at large. Your kindness has done a great deal for me on a very deep level.

But, concerns have been expressed.

The chief concern voiced is that this blog is “inviting” Homeless People into Livermore. I find this rather amusing, considering that in three months this blog has called out more bad behaviour on the part of the Homeless than any other single source. Yes, I have outlined services in a few blog postings, but the lion's share of them have been about what it is I see.

For instance: Yesterday I had words with Boston Bill who showed up to Vineyard Christian Fellowship in his normal drunk state. He seemed to take issue with my telling another about his bad behaviour at the Springtown Inn last Christmas. The Warming Centre was closed. It was very cold that night. Rooms were rented for several people. Check out time was 11AM or so... Boston Bill wouldn't leave till 3PM, he'd left a pile of beer cans and smoked so heavily in the room it couldn't be let out again for several days... Yeah, Bad Behaviour. I've done this a lot in this blog, and a few of the homeless jump down my throat for not “minding my own business.”

My attitude: if it affects me, it's my business. Bad Behaviour on the part of the homeless directly affects me. It affects all the homeless since it re-enforces the notion that all homeless are lazy ne'er do wells that leach off the community at large. That's not true, of course, but those that are exactly that tend to make life difficult for those of us that are trying, at the very least, not to be a problem and be decent neighbours. When the residents of Livermore have had enough of the bad behaviour, all the homeless suffer!

Well... there are those in Livermore who have read this blog, and refuse to believe it is anything but a sales pitch for homeless services in Livermore. COME TO LIVERMORE! It's Paradise for the Homeless!

Not so if you're a problem... and I'm proud to add, especially if you're on my radar!

I can only call out bad behaviour I either see or am well connected to. Yes, I did do the report about Bo Busse's arrest for which I caught a lot of grief, that's fine... it is what it is. I don't regret anything I wrote or the result. In my opinion, it was a productive discussion that followed. I'll not apologize for it. You guys on LPD, you have my deepest respect and those of you who spoke with me personally of late, I will keep my promises to you!

This blog has always been about Homeless Behaviour. Period! It's not about getting the homeless off the streets, it's not about begging for Government Funding, it's not about special privileges. It certainly is not about inviting people from other places into Livermore to come pan-handle and make a mess! If you want to know why out-of-town Homeless People come to Livermore, all you have to do is watch those flying signs collecting money... Didn't I do a Blog about that, too?

But even as I defend this blog, I suspect the reason people object to it is not so much that they believe it's inviting homeless into Livermore... These people certainly would be hard pressed to conjure up such a person that arrived here because of this blog... I believe that there are those in Livermore who are upset that a popular blog talks about Homelessness here at all. I can't prove it, of course. I can't read people's minds the way other bloggers can. I doubt those who object to this blog would ever utter such idiocy.

Is this blog is a big, embarrassing neon-sign on the Livermore Patch telling Patch readers that there are, SURPRISE, Homeless People living in Livermore? I guess I'm the original Neon Bum... some have called me a bum, I might as well embrace it...

I'm pretty sure that's the real issue... If that's a problem for you: tough.

My message to all of you, those that enjoy this blog, those that hate that this blog exists, whether you live in a home or on the streets: Homeless People do not have to be bad neighbours and nobody should tolerate those who are.

To those of you who object to the existence of this blog just because it's popular: it stops when I run out of material or I am dead, whichever comes first.

Ripple Effect?

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

We were talking about Sigfried and Roy this morning. They were tiger trainers. Roy Horn was attacked by one of their tigers a while back, which paralysed him and ended his career. But the gist of the conversation was establishing authority, and how important it is when dealing with dangerous animals.

My friends Mike and Tina had met them in Las Vegas where Sigfried and Roy performed. They met them at some point before the accident and were told that tigers are smart. That tiger push limits in so stealthy a manner you'll never know when it's happening. According to Mike, he was told that tigers are insanely intelligent about pushing limits. They do at intervals, learning as they go and that, he was told by Sigfried and Roy, it is difficult to recognize even for the most experienced trainers.

Fortunately people are easier.

The homeless have showers available Monday, Wednesday and Friday at three different churches around town. What's nice about this is that it keeps the homeless reasonably clean and healthy, and keeps them from offending the olfactory senses of those around them... especially the community at large. I detailed those services in my second blog posting.

When I first began using the showers and up till quite recently it was a chaotic affair. Many of the details would turn the stomach of the average person. But if you didn't arrive early enough you could wait hours for a shower. The time limit had always been fifteen minutes, but it was not enforced well, and some would spend as much as an hour showering, running out the hot water.

Shower Nazi Doug has been running Monday Morning Showers for six or eight months... neither Doug, nor Boss Lady Mickey remember exactly.

Immediately, Doug established his authority. In his high heels and mini skirts that show off the smoothest legs in Livermore, he sports a booming voice and a big rubber mallet.

When it's your turn to get into the shower: you go NOW!

When your time's up, and it's time for you to get OUT of the shower: out comes the rubber mallet! BOOM! BOOM BOOM! TIME'S UP! (He used it this morning... God love him!)

Early on, people hated it. The level of complaining about Doug and his “Holier Than Thou” 'tude and “Power Trip” and his “Stupid Way of Doing Things” were a topic of conversation, read whining, anywhere the homeless gathered. For weeks you could hear it. Nobody before had ever imposed that kind of standard on the homeless of Livermore!

Don't get me wrong, there were some standards, but they've always been loose and forgiving. Christians do run these services, after all. Forgiveness is a mainstay of Christianity and... well, I won't go there... maybe in my next blog...

So, while Doug took over at Vineyard on Monday Mornings, Asbury remained much the same for a while.

But slowly, something amazing happened. Without anything changing at Asbury from the top down, the showers began running smoothly. A long shower list did not mean you'd wait for two or three hours. Maybe an hour... People were actually becoming more and more responsible, getting their business done, and getting out of the way so the next guy could get in.

What happened?

Observing from the outside looking in never gives a complete picture. There are too many moving parts that cannot be seen. However, it's very interesting to me that after Shower Nazi Doug took over, things began going more smoothly at Asbury, which he's never been in charge of. The only thing the Vineyard and Asbury operations have in common is they serve the same people. They're not run by the same people.

In my mind, Shower Nazi Doug has taught us all a valuable lesson in standards. A practical lesson that nobody before him had been able to put into action. There could, of course, be debate over what happened to make the Asbury operation run smoother... some may disagree and I'll not challenge those arguments, I've said my piece on the subject...

It also taught me a valuable lesson. Without Authority there can be no set standards. Doug established his authority, and laid down standards... He tamed the tigers that are the Homeless...

WANTED: Your Old, Dusty Bicycle!

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Once upon a time I wrote about a bicycle and how valuable such a thing is to anyone who is homeless. Not just here in Livermore, but anywhere! The homeless and bicycles go together like... well, sort of like Cowboys and Horses. Not quite, but sort-of. I know, I live out of a bicycle and have had to learn how to do things like Change Spokes, true a wheel, adjust cables... okay, so I'm really not so good at adjusting cables, but, lucky me, I've got Awesome Bicycle Guru to do that for me!

Heh... he'll hate me for mentioning him, but such is the price if being so good and generous... No good deed goes unpunished, ABG, so get over it... this is your punishment! Just ask Sandra Chesterman about that...

Yeah, Sandra Chesterman I've mentioned her repeatedly in my blog postings. Hers is a name any homeless person in Livermore knows because of her ubiquitous efforts to serve the homeless! She's the mother of two lovely girls and a young man, wife to their father, and an object of affection for the resident Dallas Cowboys fan. I'd get into what she did last night for someone in need, but her husband would probably have my head on a platter if I did... (shout-out to Dave [Sandra's husband], good guy!)... The point is that Sandra does a WHOLE LOT for the homeless! Check out This Story and you'll see just how dedicated this woman is!

Sandra volunteers for Open Heart Kitchen, is the director of the Warming Centre and serves the homeless just about full time as if she were being paid to do it. If there were any kind of awards for community service Sandra would be amongst the most deserving.

Her latest project is in recognition of a need that has existed for quite some time. Awesome Bicycle Guru (ABG) has also, in his way, recognized this need and has, for the past several weeks, been doing much needed maintenance on ageing bikes that are often falling apart. ABG doesn't just fix bikes, he'll also encourage anyone with half an attention span to learn how to do what he does, teaching as he works. Teaching bike maintenance is very big deal to him! He just showed me how to keep my spare spokes (bicycle seat tube! WHO KNEW!) On Monday he's insisting I learn how to round my wheel... (yeah, advanced stuff I'll probably flub).

ABG and Sandra met for the very first time this afternoon, which excited them both especially with Sandra's latest project:

Sandra Chesterman has had a bike drive going for the past three weeks. So far, she's had eight bikes promised, none delivered, and eight requests... hmmm....

But, because of this new alliance, ABG and Sandra, the parameters have been widened. Sandra will now be accepting any serviceable bicycle that has a hope of repair. ABG will do the repair (with whatever support he can commandeer) to get any donated bicycles road worthy.

Sandra is accepting children's bicycles as well as adult bicycles with the intention of providing them not only to the homeless, but families in need. Sandra will provide helmets for the children and bike locks to the adults with every donated bicycle.

Also requested are 26” inner tubes and tires.

Donations of Bicycles will be accepted Monday Mornings: 8-11AM and Thursday Afternoon 3-6PM at Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 460 North Livermore Avenue in Livermore, two blocks north of Chestnut Street. You can also call Sandra Chesterman at 925-525-1200 to arrange for a pick-up.

Bicycles simply make life easier for anyone who has to carry everything everywhere. There's always a shortage of them. Before ABG committed his services and teaching, the vast majority of them didn't last very long. Now that his resources are present, you can be reasonably assured that bike old you donate will be appreciated and cared for.

Vineyard Christian Fellowship
460 North Livermore Avenue
Livermore, CA

Monday Morning – 8-11, Please see Mr. or Mrs. Kundert, the Volunteers in Charge

Thursday Afternoon -3-6PM, Please See Sandra Chesterman

For Pick Up Arrangements call Sandra Chesterman – 925 525 1200

Personal Economics

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Economics is often misunderstood as the exclusive domain of mathematicians. Certainly there is a great deal of Maths involved. But the maths is basic. A good command of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, skills every adult should have, are more than enough to understand it at its base level.

But economics is not simply maths. It is Sociology. It is the original Social Science. The term “Socio-Economic” seems a bit redundant when you look at it this way, but it's forgiveable, I suppose. Homelessness is perceived as an Economic issue and as an Economic Indicator by the News Media (but not Economists). Unemployment is, however, a valid economic indicator that Economists do use.

It is interesting to me that when someone is employed versus being unemployed, it changes their whole mode of thinking. Those that are unemployed might be on Unemployment, or they might be on EBT/General Assistance (welfare). Unemployment, I must stress, is NOT Welfare! It's an insurance payout that employees have paid into. At the Macro-Economic Level it's fundamentally different from Welfare.

However, on the personal economic level Welfare and Unemployment can be fundamentally the same, more-so the longer Unemployment is collected. Both allow people to relax. They give a person time to fall into bad habits, and one can lead to the other (Unemployment can lead to Welfare).

Before I go on, this is not a rant against the evils of unemployment and welfare. Government will do what government does, good or bad.

The effects of these programs, especially EBT/General Assistance, are on full display amongst the Homeless. What's interesting to me is I've not seen any economist or sociologist take the time to study the effects of Welfare on the homeless, which I have come to believe is a microcosm of society at large at its most depressed level.

Livermore may be quite different from most places with a homeless community. A significant number of the homeless here have jobs. Yes, I am one of them. I cannot speak to other places with any degree of certainty. Outside of Livermore, the most experience with the homeless I have had were two days in San Jose's Jungle. But looking at stories of homelessness from across the country, I see no indication of “working homeless” in any story I read. Is it that there's no interest or is it that Livermore is unique? I doubt it's unique. It's more likely just uncommon.

Of those who work, several have been employed and homeless for years! The two best examples I know are my good friends Frank and Gary, both have full time jobs, and I've mentioned both before. But there are quite few others, at least one of which commutes to San Leandro each day.

These people are the least likely to speak of their slide into homelessness. How did this happen to people who are industrious enough to hold jobs? In my own case, that's a very personal story, and I'll bet it's just as personal to people like Frank and Gary. It's not something I'd ask about unless we were having a maudlin moment over a little too much beer after a good Scottish Bar Brawl...

These people, the working homeless in Livermore, blend in wherever they are (me notwithstanding... I'm just a little too loud). They tend to be unassuming and personable, the kind of people who are casually known but who's trust will take a great deal of time and effort to earn. Those like Frank and Gary are people I trust implicitly as mature adult men who have an innate sense respect for the world around them, have very little and take care of what it is they have.

My friend Lynn, a volunteer I've mentioned before, had observed a while back that a lot of the homeless he'd conversed with always seem to have an “angle.” Amongst those who are not working this does tend, in my experience, to be true. You'll hear them begin a monologue (often a LONG monologue) with: “I'm going to...” “I'm working on...” “I'm waiting for...” whatever windfall that's magically going to make things better. Should you run into this, challenge that notion at your own peril. I'll likely lead to more monologue at higher volumes.

The lion's share of these people have EBT cards and are often receiving cash from General Assistance.

“Confidence goes out the window and self respect follows,” Lynn observed this morning. He went on to say that those who are working, it appears to him, are the ones who understand and have experienced self respect. Those who are not working tend to not have.

Having had an EBT card, I am aware of the process and what it did to me. It created a sort of barrier. I'll lose the assistance and have to fend for myself. If I get a job, things will get worse, not better, in the short term. Know that homeless people, especially those on public assistance, tend to think in the very short term.

However, economically the benefits of working outclass being on public assistance exponentially for two reasons. The first is, even if you're only working ten hours a week, it's more money per month than EBT provides. The second is that it's a time-sinc. Less time to spend that money. The more hours you have working, the less time you have to spend your pay-check.

I cannot find any study that has ever probed the economics of homelessness. I've spent several hours on Google and Bing and Startpage trying to find a Sociology Paper on the topic with no success. With all the advocacy out there and all the government money being thrown at the problem, you'd think there'd be SOMETHING. That said: if anyone does find something, please post a link in the comments.

You should not take any of this as gospel. These are personal observations of the environment I live in and of the characters I have come to know.

Homelessness entered the national Consciousness during Ronald Reagan's presidency largely as a means to undermine his economic policies. Since then it's been pretty much a media tool of whichever political party is not in the Oval Office, always connected to Economic propaganda. Perhaps this is the reason there's so little understanding of homelessness. I submit to all of you that personal economics and it's effect on the individual have a lot to do with the cause and the solution to homelessness. Maybe, someday, someone somewhere will be interested enough to do a study...

Homelessness as Therapy...

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

There's this kid I know, Victor. He's not homeless. He's twenty years old. He works 10 hour days at least six days a week. He has very little. He only purchases what he needs. When he speaks: he gets to the point in less than ten words. Victor will never be homeless unless someone burns down his house, steals all his money, blows up the place he works at and separates him from all his family and friends. It would take doing all of that at once to put Victor on the street.

I wish I had been like Victor when I was twenty years old. He has more wisdom than most people over forty that I know.

Victor's ability to keep his life organized... that impresses the living daylights out of me. Notice I mentioned he speaks to the point in few words...

Organizing my thoughts is a skill I had to develop over the course of a lot of time. It did not come naturally to me. Knowing who I am, and knowing who I was plays a big part in everything I'm about to tell you. I was a mess. I was a pack rat. And I often had diarrhea of the mouth at times I felt free to speak, often unable to figure out when I should stop talking. Sometimes, still, I revert to that state. It's never good when it happens.

In the blog entry on MA (Less is More) I began speaking of the notion that hoarding and talking too much seem to go hand in hand. Since then, I've come to believe there's even more to it and even more connected than I previously thought. That these things are somehow a product of disorganized thinking, and that leads us back to “less is more.” Less to take care of, less to have to manage, better organized...

It's so simple!

Has anyone made this connection before? Are there any great psychology white papers on this? Did someone do a study on the notion that, if someone is a pack-rat, if someone has to speak 500 words before getting to the point they're trying to make, and both these qualities are present in the same person, part of the solution is to shed everything, downsize and learn to manage a little rather than a lot? (Notice my run-on sentence... see? Still guilty!)

Is homelessness a natural therapy for this type of person?

I can just imagine some poor kid who never cleans his room, spends too much time playing Xbox and can't shut up when he opens his mouth getting prescribed this by a therapist.

“We're going to take away everything you have, and you're going to live on the street for six months... or till you get a job, whichever is longer...”

I do remember how fearful I was when I first became homeless. It's something that everyone experiences at first. Perhaps I was lucky. I slid into homelessness rather abruptly. It did not come in stages. I did not have a vehicle to carry stuff in. I had no money to put mountains of crap in storage. I was not weighted down at all. In spite of the terror, I truly was freed from all this stuff that there was no conceivable way for me to keep.

A friend of mine is about to become homeless again, I believe for the second time. This person had a vehicle the first time, but no longer does, and will be facing life as I've faced it. Another friend lost his vehicle after he became homeless, and I've watched him slide into a bit of a comfort zone. Neither of these people are substance abusers. Both have similar qualities to those I describe above, and a whole lot of homeless people, who are not substance abusers, do! (Not to mention those who are substance abusers... meth, alcohol, etc... but that's a bigger issue).

When people ask me about being homeless, I will sometimes tell them that I think I'm exactly where God wants me to be. Am I where I need to be? Is this the place which is the best place for me to be at this time?

If I think of being homeless as a type of corrective therapy, I'd have to say the answer to all those questions is an emphatic “YES!”

So to you, my readers, I present to you this hypothesis: Is Homelessness a valid corrective therapy?

Compare Victor to the rest of us, and it tells me that there's some merit to the notion...

Enduring Punishment and Violence

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

I was assaulted last night.

Oh, don't worry. I wasn't hurt. John Moore grabbed me and tried very hard to throw me to the ground in a rage. He didn't succeed, and I didn't raise a hand to him. Had I done so, I wouldn't be blogging right now, I'd be in jail. Fighting John Moore is about the same as fighting Adam Parris. It's just not a fight.

I've known John a while. I'd watch his stuff for hours at a time, along with other people's. He'd sometimes bring food back from Asbury or wherever when I was so trapped. Can't do that anymore since I scored a good job.

I've spoken before regarding how being by yourself is the best way to be? Well... that's the story here. Last Friday, as I reported, there was a sweep around Livermore of the homeless, and those with permanent camps or those who had commendered some of the parks were evicted.

John Moore was one with a permanent camp somewhere along the Arroyo Mocho. They gave him notice, I was told three days, but that's hearsay, to pack up his stuff and get out. Another one was Bob Newton, who had been making something of a mess in the Butterfly Garden at Civic Centrr Park. It was so bad people stopped going there. I had spoken to Bob repeatedly about cleaning up, stowing his stuff and being invisible at least during the day. He blew me off, of course.

And I had spoken to John, repeatedly, telling John that a permanent camp site is a bad idea... he blew me off as well. He was too comfortable with what he had. Of course, someone noticed his camp in the Park and... surprise, surprise, he was swept out by one of the City's Code Enforcement Inspector.

So... where did these two decide to go after they were evicted? They moved in on yours truly...

You know, that wouldn't have been a problem if they'd bothered to ask. John I probably would have accepted. Bob, no way. The guy's a mess. Bob's kinda funny. One of the things he'll tell people is that he's applying for all these jobs, not a few of them is as a professional driver... He's also a recycling fool! It's how he finances his vodka purchases. A notorious alcoholic who I've had to call an ambulance for when he was suffering the effects of low blood-alcohol levels...

Both of them, but John especially, are intimately familiar with this blog and my attitudes and they're well aware that I'll do what's necessary to protect myself. Nothing I've done should have come as any surprise to either of them, especially as they both know I'm trying to hold down a job.

Anyway, I get back from my excursion to the Jungle a week ago Monday, and what do I find?

I find John and Bob camped out where I stay. Now, I've developed a few relationships over the years with the people around where I stay just to gain a level of trust. That, and I thought these guys were friends... well... I wasn't happy. You see, where I stay, every time a colony forms, LPD gets called. So, I'm forced to go to my backup spot on the first night... Tuesday rolls around and they're still not cleared out.

Now, Bob has a mountain of STUFF. He had told people he had “permission” to park it where he had in front of the Cafe at the Library. John seemed to have no problem with Bob's mess there, he certainly wasn't doing anything about it, and that is why I called the Police on them Tuesday evening...

On Thursday, when I found out Bob had lied through his teeth about having “Permission” I informed the Library staff about Bob's stuff being parked there for nearly a week... they made him move... where did he go?

He went right back into the Butterfly Garden at Civic Centre Park. He's still there.

And John is still camping around the same place. Still forcing me to be the one to relocate...

And last night, when I found him, I told him every time I caught him camped out near me, I'd call the police. He hopped out of his sleeping bag, grabbed me bodily and made a valiant effort to throw me to the ground. He's a couple or three years older than I am, but he's not in the kind of shape necessary to hurt anyone easily with bare hands. I was never in danger. I managed to keep my cool, thank goodness, and keep my arms down.

He made it pretty clear, however, that he was perfectly entitled to go where he wants and do what he wants...

Yeah... he can do that... and I can do what I do...

The lesson here is this: when you screw up, don't punish your friends. That tends to make enemies.

Tough Love for The Kid

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

My cousin Clifford and his wife are heavily involved in with the youth group at our church. It's his thing, he truly enjoys having fun with these kids, probably because he's a bit of a big kid himself. For a while there, and I'll probably start doing this again, I was hanging out with them, largely because I like the youth pastor, Tom, he's a good guy.

Anyway, some of them got involved for a while helping out with the Serve the City Group over at Vineyard Christian Fellowship on Mondays, and it occurred to me that some of these kids would benefit from living homeless for a while.

Of course, I was only half serious, and I was NOT taken seriously at all by anyone. But that thought has stuck with me for some time, and I saw this in action last season at the Livermore Homeless Refuge.

At the Warming Centre early last season, I believe, if I remember correctly, in mid December, a black woman in her late 30s or early 40s (I can never tell... a black woman could be 50 and I'd swear looking at her she was 20... they're blessed with the non-aging gene, and yes, true to my nature, I did notice she's quite a pretty thing...) arrived with a young man of 18, spoke to Donna and Bob McKenzie and left him there.

It turned out she was this young man's mother, and this was her way of making sure he was somewhat safe while she administered her version of tough love. I'll just call him “The Kid” for simplicity.

What problems he had at home I couldn't say. But the Kid had a temper problem and something of a discipline problem. It took him some time to get with the program. Nobody believed he was a bad kid. So far as any of us are aware, he was not on drugs of any kind. He was soft spoken and meticulous about his appearance. He was NOT a “Pants on the Ground” Loser doing the Folsom Prison Shuffle.

But, he'd have issues like, oh, taking an extraordinary amount of time in the showers (we're limited to 15 minutes each). I was the target of one of his tantrums one day when I tried to get into the bathroom at Asbury Church and he had all his stuff piled up behind the door. He came back to me a day or so later and was very apologetic, which I appreciated.

To me, he seemed unmotivated, directionless... in a word, lazy. But he was 18 and male. To say he was “lazy” might be a bit redundant because most kids that age are... is it a hormonal thing? I dunno...

But this kid was not receiving any guidance save for the occasional encouragement or admonition from a few of us. Being something of a loner, and very reticent with his communication, it was difficult to get to know him.

One of the clues to his character, however, I was made aware of quite recently.

There was this dirtbag named Anthony who was, in a word, a problem. I won't get into details that are irrelevant, but Bob and Donna McKenzie had to call the police on him the last time he stayed at the Warming Centre and he called Bob a racist.

Yeah... Anthony might as well have stabbed Bob in the gut.

Anthony proceeded to talk to The Kid and my good friend Ricky, both of whom are also black, and tried to get them to come with him and The Kid said “I'm staying!”

That may not sound like much, but before you blow it off, remember, the Kid is a young man of very few words and they tend to have meaning when he utters them. Bob McKenzie, being of similar nature, can probably appreciate that. Those that know Bob certainly can.  The Kid chose Bob over Anthony, and that should say it all! (He wasn't the only one, by the way)

It was shortly after the end of the season (the Warming Centre's season ends April 30) that I ran into the Kid outside the library and asked him how he was.

He told me he had managed to get a job and had since moved back in with his family. Things were going very, very well for him. He was happier than I had ever seen him with this big, lighthouse grin plastered proudly across his face. He'd scored the job on his own, and earned his place back home...

I did catch a glimpse of the Kid's mother that day, who I had never spoken with and I failed to meet her this time. She's someone I'd truly like to talk to and to whom I'd like to express my admiration for. It had to be a difficult thing to kick her son out into the world the way she did. It was tough love at its very finest... I think Pastor Tom would approve...