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Growing up in Ukiah/Redwood Valley during the 80’s, there were always a handful of street people. They were mostly benign and often had quite colorful personalities. Occasionally they met tragic outcomes, such as was the case with Marvin Noble being shot by Ukiah Police Department in 1998 or Larry Long AKA “Elvis” who was robbed, assaulted, then murdered by being thrown off the Talmage bridge in 1996. Neither of these men were homeless.
Today, Mendocino County is experiencing an epidemic of homelessness intertwined with drug addiction and mental illness at an unprecedented scale that is seemingly increasing. The effects of this is tragic on a personal level with Mendocino County’s per capita rate of suicide, OD deaths and hospitalizations being much higher than the state average. It’s becoming painfully obvious that the effects are spreading throughout the community in the form of people camping in public and private spaces; burglaries/robberies/petty theft affecting persons, homes and businesses are increasing; areas becoming blighted with drug paraphernalia, trash, and human excrement. I have passed people on Perkins Street being attended to by medical personnel because they are suffering a drug overdose while I was taking my children to school. I have walked local creeks finding them littered with used hypodermic needles, human excrement and people openly abusing drugs. I have broken up and cleaned up multiple encampments from property I manage and it has become often enough that it is now a normal part of my job. As a volunteer firefighter, I have responded to overdoses, administered Narcan, performed CPR and sometimes covered the victim with a blanket after failing to revive them. We, as a community, have become too tolerant and accustomed to the situation. We have become so accepting of it that when people openly complain about the situation, they are often attacked for lacking compassion. Many of these things, such as our creeks being littered with excrement and needles, cannot and should not be tolerated. They should be seen as a crisis. We should be responding to and intervene in the emergency that it is.
There are times in a person’s life where they suffer a tragedy or event that makes it hard, if not impossible, to care for themselves. As a result of these traumas, which are often out of our control, people fall victim to drug addiction, mental illness, or both. That renders them unable to properly care for themselves and they resort to self harm. As a kind, compassionate community, we are morally obligated to help them return to a place where they can care for themselves or we must care for them. This moral obligation does not mean we should accept actions and behaviors that expand beyond self harm into harming other people, the community or the environment. When someone acts in a way that harms others or the community at large, there should be consequences regardless of it being intentional or not. Allowing the har to continue is not humane nor compassionate. Help in the form of therapy and substance abuse treatment should be offered to those willing and able to accept it. Those not willing or able to accept help should be involuntarily institutionalized. The form of institutionalization should be appropriate, used as sparingly as possible. Institutionalization comes in many forms from a 72 hour psychiatric hold at a PHF unit, being incarcerated in jail, or being committed to a mental health facility.
Currently, the efforts to combat the homelessness crisis are not enough and it’s not from lack of funding. Looking at the County budget, Mendocino County alone is throwing tens of millions of dollars a year at the problem. The state of California has spent around $24 billion to combat homelessness since 2019. The system we have has evolved into an industry that has an vested interest in maintaining the status quo to the point where we should be questioning if the funding is efficiently supporting successful programs that are achieving measurable results or, are we caught in a loop of repeatedly funding ineffectual programs. Homelessness is on the rise in the state and has reached such a level that some areas, such as San Francisco, are bussing their unhoused to other communities. This isn’t solving the problem, this is just shifting the burden to other communities. Instead of shifting the problem and blame, the issue must be confronted. Our community cannot accommodate or afford to deal with the problem we have now, much less handle more. We must set a limit of what we can handle and enforce that boundary. It is time we put up the proverbial “no vacancy” sign, assess our homeless population and prioritize those who have a connection here. Those that do not meet whatever criteria we have set, need to be sent elsewhere.
In the development of such a criteria, I believe we should prioritize those that are willing and able to be helped. There is a limited capacity of services available to help people get back on track. In the meantime, those waiting to access services need to be somewhere. Living in creeks, along the railroad tracks, on private property where they are not welcome, in their cars on the side of the road is not appropriate and neither is jail. I propose that an area(s) be identified to establish a sanctioned homeless encampment, a refugee camp of sorts, replete with security, bathrooms, showers, etc in order to establish a safe place for those that are awaiting their opportunity to access services such as a residential treatment center, a homeless shelter and to keep the community safe from the byproducts of unsanctioned camping.
Our community needs to have a conversation about where unhoused people can be. Our elected officials need to commit the resources necessary to ensure these places don’t become public health hazards and allow those that need the assistance a measure of human dignity. The assistance needs to come with the expectation that the persons needing it will make an effort to become self reliant again. Right now, it’s up to the individual and it’s chaos. By default of not making a decision, which is in fact a decision, we are deciding where they can’t be. Homeless people are setting up camps wherever they can. Property owners then react by evicting them, driving them to public spaces such as creeks. It’s like a dog chasing its own tail. We are all expending a great deal of effort and resources without addressing the problem much less solving it.
-Adam Gaska
Amen Brother.
I believe that mandated treatment is the only way to treat the addicted. Setting up a temporary type campground isn’t going to fix the problem. You still have the problem of people who are using drugs and are committing crime to supply there drug habits and going back out into all of our local communities. Police being taken off patrol to arrest violent individuals for every crime you can think of in this type of camp situation is detrimental to the addicted themselves and the officers and local communities. The local law enforcement is over run with small business crimes property crimes ECT. These individuals are incapable of making common sense decisions. Many are drug induced schizophrenic and others have severe mental issues in nature. The problem is we are dealing with a drug crisis that has caused a rampant homeless situation. The State and Federal Monies that are being granted to the Counties and various homeless programs and entities through out the State Of California Needs to be looked at on a State level. Housing these people in our local County jail is absurd and a waste of crucial State Funding and Federal Monies. Number one the Jailers aren’t psychiatrically trained for this, they have some class training. They are totally out of there job descriptions and this simply causes the County to be sued for an unfortunate event, that has happened more than once at our local county jail. Our Sheriff is a good Man who has tried to find the answers and work with all the agencies and the Board Of Supervisors and State Officials. This is ridiculous to expect law enforcement to deal with these overwhelming odds and protect the public at the same time and then blame the Sheriff and there staff when something goes side ways . Ukiah was once one of the ten best small towns to live in the United States, it is no longer in that category. This town has become unhealthy for us all. We all have become accustomed to avoiding certain areas of our town. Enough is enough and too much funding is being divvied up for the different entities. The Sheriff and City Police needs to be fully funded and supported immediately. We have rampant Crime especially in our North County Sector, Deputies are stretched thin. There simply isn’t enough of them and it is setting them up for a horrific incident, which a good percentage of there calls are due to drug related calls and incidence. The Sheriff has to be able to concentrate on the drug dealers and the illegal grows that are also destroying our County and State. Organized Crime is Rampant in our County and State, Law Enforcement has unfairly been straddled with this addiction problem and they have coped with this long enough. It was a detriment to the mentally ill in our Community when the Mendocino State Hospital was phased out and these patients were literally dumped on the streets and back into our communities. I seen many of them on the General Assistance roles and living in a couple of hotels in our Community. Our emergency rooms are a nightmare and unsafe for our doctors and nurses. They are over run with over doses and people acting out violently, again this is detrimental to our community and the people who have a medical crises and need immediate care. Social Services and CPS is over run and so are our schools and prisons, DRUGS. The State Hospitals need to be Instituted again and immediately, people need to be mandated to care. These individuals need medical help immediately, mind, body and spirit. The addicted are someone’s family member or child, mother or father. This isn’t a humane way to treat the mentally ill or addicted by letting them live worse than an animal on the street that no one wants to deal with, they are committing crime after crime to have money to buy the drugs of there choice . The judicial needs to remand the addicted to these drug addiction programs in the State Hospitals who have the psychiatric staff and can efficiently meet their needs. Unfortunately our State hospital out at Talmage was sold long ago. We actually need a State Hospital to be built once again in our County. Not only would it meet the needs of the addiction problems it would remove the addicted from our streets and any where these camps are. It would also bring much needed revenue back into the County in services, employment, relief the sheriff of this burden that they can’t fix. When the addicted is 51/50 at the hospital they can be held in the psychiatric State Hospital for 72 hours and then brought before a judge. As far as a truly homeless individual or family, there should be emergency services in place to deal with the situation. I have worked in the Human Service Field for over fifty years and grew up in this Community and raised a family here. I worked for the County for twenty one years. There are simply to many duplicate services and allot of professional grant writers that mean well. Here is the BUT, ” this isn’t helping the truly lost and repeated addicted offenders”. It’s a revolving door, which is the definition of insanity. Until appropriate common sense care is put in place this problem will not get better nor go away. Rehabilitation is possible for many of these people and they can be restored to mental health and our communities. Its up to all of us and our officials to make a difference and restore not only human life but our communities.
Lady, you have no idea what’s really going on You are oblivious.
Something needs to be done, but a free campground is not the answer. It would just continue to enable the bad behavior as people would be wandering away from camp at all hours to commit their usual crimes. Many of these people don’t want help or services beyond what keeps them drunk in the bushes.
The campground would need to be massive, and it would still reach capacity quickly. Full time security and maintenance, both real dirty jobs, would not be cheap. The state parks on the coast cost 45$ per night and they can barely keep them open and maintained. That’s without security.
Many of these people need to be locked up, involuntarily confined to something like the old state hospital. But we all know that’s not going to happen any time soon. I’m the meantime we could benefit from tougher camping and loitering ordinances. Make use of that shiny new courthouse. Reducing certain benefits and services would provide less incentive for the non-local bad actors to show up in town.
What we really need is a way to separate those who are receptive to help from the people who just want to layabout chugging taaka and smoking fentanyl. Lately most street people seem to fall into the latter category. It is past time to toughen up on this issue.
and once we seperate them out, then what? thats the whoe question
Build a new state hospital for the worst mental cases. Send the rest of the layabout frequent fliers to a work camp prison out in the middle of Mojave, perhaps. California could easily afford that. Maybe have them mine lithium by hand at the salton sea. Re-criminalize use, and especially sales of hard drugs. Extreme punishment for drug dealers. Guantanamo-style. No excuses. No benefits or services for the homeless without regular drug testing of the recipients. Benefits should be temporary and based on a person’s progress toward reintegration. No measurable progress? Then you are cut off from the dole and put on the fast track to either work camp or prison.
The bleeding hearts will throw money at this problem to no end, with increasingly ugly results. I’d much rather all the public money go toward enforcement and confinement.
Unlimited tolerance and misplaced compassion have only only exacerbated the problem while grossly enriching the worst enablers. A “free” campground is the wettest dream of the bigwigs at RCS. Just another “service package” to draw in more funding units.
Wow, no wonder your last name includes the word ‘pecker’. I agree with some of what you’re saying but not all. You don’t know the stories of these people. There are some sad, sad, stories out there. Doesn’t mean that there should be shit and needles in the creeks however, it doesn’t mean one should lump them all up together and say they’re all drug addict looney bins. I think the ones that shit on the sidewalk would blow their ass and shit on the side of buildings and the ones that leave and needles and litter in the creeks. Those are the ones that should be locked up. Put away from the general population. Let them go live in a disgusting needle-rated shit strand place. But some out there just need a hand up.
Work on your reading comprehension, Ed.
Sit down and be quiet, pecker.
Most of these people have mental health issues. We do not provide treatment or housing. It is a vicious circle of being arrested for being homeless, they may get clean in jail, but once they are released no further services are available.
In a lot of these cases the drug and alcohol use is to deal with the mental health issues.
Please people have some compassion.
Thanks Reagan
Reagan made a mistake that subsequent governors have failed to correct. Dukmejian, Wilson, Davis, and Arnold weren’t terribly detrimental, status quo. Brown 2.0 and Newsom have done more to accelerate the meth/opioid driven homeless crisis than the four previous governors combined. Let’s not even mention illegal immigration because that would blow your mind.
Reagan might have sparked the fire, but the DNC golden boys have only thrown gasoline on the flames.
Should this encampment be in your backyard or mine? I currently live near one and have had to replace everything in my yard numerous times, and now have chains and locks on my lawn chairs and bbq(attractive). I had to clean up after a woman stabbed her boyfriend on my porch after their fight ended there. I ended up keeping their dog for three weeks. Organized encampments do not really work for most homelessness because most do not want to follow the rules….curfew…no alcohol or drugs….mandatory state intervention. Can you imagine being told you must be in camp by 7 pm or you can’t stay?
Head-on? It’s more like head-first into a brick wall.
So-called civil society in America is collapsing under its own weight for numerous reasons. In many ways, various addictive substances and mental problems are as widespread as the sorry results of bad economic policy. Things are way beyond not good. Homeless camps sound like a plausible idea at first, but much of the cohort will just bring their problematic behavior with them. Any sorting process will certainly be tricky, and probably devolve into some sort of expensive political morass. Just look at the current presidential race. This clown show is supposed to be a contest for national leadership. But good luck, because that will be a big factor.
Adam,
You are a bleeding heart socialist and a threat to our communities and county. Go back to mamma Golden and stay the hell out of our local government and policy because all you know how to do is spend someone else’s money. Sad little man.
wtf? lets hear your solution
You know what they think the non-“bleeding heart socialist” solution is. Deathcamps. The very same sort of stuff they pretend is coming for them anytime a non-facist runs for any office. It’s their own wishes that they fear, but they lack the self-awareness to realize it. Esad would rather we just shoot people than deal with problems like adults.
However you are, at least Adam signs his own name.
What an insightful, original and meaningful grouping of words. Truly inspiring.
Drugs aren’t being made in bathtubs and peoples homes so much these days. Organized drug dealing is thriving of the biggest culprits often able to sit back from the danger of being caught. There’s no task force anymore. The cops are nothing more than want to be gangsters themselves. It’s hard on the conscience of people who watch the greedy succeed and become successful. The rich stay out of jail while those that don’t have resources suffer. Sure Ukiah attracts homeless with free meals and showers and many places to hide and camp. It also attracts criminals of all levels and drug dealing and organizations with its lack law enforcement. To much focus is on the lone weirdo that murders and not on more organized situations. Property owners are responsible for their own properties. This problem needs to be attacked from the top down.
Yes, cops are the biggest most scary corrupt gang in America and are legally licensed to kill. Then there will be an ‘internal’ investigation where the kill will be ‘justified’. Then they write their own media reports talking about how everybody just loves them, especially old people and families. What bull! Bring the people forth (not the da) who praise our police and sheriff in this town. Those people don’t exist. And if they do they’re oblivious.
The services are what brings people here from other cities and states. A local firefighter who works in Sonoma told me when they respond to the homeless, they tell him they come for the services. Look at San Francisco, they have spent more money on the homeless and their city is worse than ever.
Our law enforcement is understaffed and grossly underfunded. No mental hospital. I heard the county sold the Buddhists that property for $1. Either way, no place for them to go. The services should be for people who have lived here for a certain number of years. I have seen hard drugs and hard alcohol being consumed on state street. The businesses on state street and elsewhere have people using the outside of their buildings as toilets. I have always heard San Francisco was busing homeless to our town. It’s a very complex problem and without action, will get worse. A large campground or facility would be better than our city streets, private property, or our waterways.
Sounds like the Homeless industrial complex is real and flourishing.
Follow the money.
I believe that Mendocino county needs a state hospital again somebody should look into possibly turning in the old Rotech into a state hospital. It’s very much much needed as it was needed back in the day just a thought.
Self harm? Nope self medicating. We are currently paying taxes to kill Palestinian Children. That’s the painful reality.
$20 Billion to Netanyahu yester
Yesterday
What a bunch of gibberish. This guy has not an understanding. “Not ready” enjoying getting high, has family could be living with but prefers being on the street doing drugs. They are out there and want to be out there.
He is also clueless about “sanctioned camps.” You would need 24 hour security, very costly, plus other staff to check people in and out, and drugs would come in to the camp, also need to provide free meals whether you think that is right or not, free food needs to be delivered. And showers and restrooms that would be on a trailer, not just porta potties, and laundry service. These things all all required, especially if you are getting HUD federal funds, must follow their regulations. It would all add up to over a million dollars for a dozen people in a sanctioned camp for one year.
mainly they generally have no desire to quit the dope. “Back on your feet” is a bunch of BS in most cases. never happen. Unemployable by this late stage of drug use and cognitive impairment.
It’s already costing us our town
Ship em back to the bay area
AKA use the Marbut Report we paid for!!!!!!!! NOW
The county doesn’t want to help the homeless and drug addicted mentally ill people. They want to build $150 million courthouse so the da can sit his old ugly fat ass in a cushy chair in the most modern of offices, swirling with air conditioning… I don’t think that he or anybody in the courthouse give one wit about the creeks or the people. Just as long as they get to play their cat and mouse game of semantics and treat themselves to patrona on search and seizure forfeiture money that has no oversight.
the county has no say in buildng a courthouse and is not funding it, that is all under state control
Thank you Adam, it takes courage to offer a proposed action, and you’re right as usual about our indecision being a choice.
I agree with everything you said. We have got to do something cause my kids saw an open leg wound on a poor man and a circle of crack heads smoking in the parking lot between kohl’s and old penny’s . I too have seen a guy twitching on the side of Perkins street and no one seemed to be worried. The retail workers of our town are in constant danger and shouldn’t be our front line. I want my kids to walk around town without seeing scary shit.
I also wish I was brave enough to put my name here, so thank you Adam for speaking up.
Well put!!! I second that proposal!! Thank you for saying what needs to be said and also suggesting a solution!!
This is a man who ran for supervisor & lost?! A man with care, concern, ideas, desire & the public good at heart. Instead we got 5 turds more concerned with their own personal wealth. Agree with him, or not, at least he sees community first! Next time vote for someone who wants the job to do good for our county & not your friend who needs a supplement income.
I know, it sickens me too.
There are some, SOME people who are homeless that really truly want to be helped but the rest of the people……well, there’s a reason why they’re in the situation they’re in. Yeah, some of them might have heartbreaking stories like, “oh, my family abandoned me and left me to my own devices” or “oh, none of my family would take me in after I lost my place”. Most of these stories come with a large amount of details the person has left out. I have messed up my life big time but not to the point where I have absolutely no friends and my family has abandoned me and I feel like the biggest piece of trash there is. Like, you have to REALLY mess up your reputation or REALLY don’t want to be controlled in any sort of way to become homeless. It makes me wonder what these people have done to screw things up for themselves so bad. Like, I understand that there ARE some special cases, but they’re few and far between. You need to single out the people who ACTUALLY want to help themselves first. They DESERVE to have a chance at something more than what they have now.
Washoe County Nevada utilized federal government ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act 2021) funds to construct a resource center, Nevada Cares Campus that opened last year. They developed a 15 acre site by utilizing local governments, non profits, service providers, and public / private donors that raised $6.5 million dollars for the diversion based resource center. This was the City of Reno, the City of Sparks and Washoe County. This could be an example to help people that are really in need for immediate housing. If we could have a resource center that works on a client based program, it could help. It’s a huge project for a huge problem. We need our streets to be safe.
Many communities have greatly reduced homelessness across this nation. The solutions are out there. Demand accountability of results for money spent. Landlords, stop raising rents beyond what renters can afford. Rarely does someone get a 10% annual raise.
I can only speak for Ft Bragg. We have plenty of money to help the homeless but it’s being siphoned off and laundered so it never reaches the people. Example: Ft Bragg City Council gave Danco Corporatin a 2.38 million dollar “loan” for improvements to the new Plateau subdivision last summer. City Hall and Danco both REFUSE to give a list of even proposed approvements. And if you push, they say it’s a private loan and none of your business. Our tax dollars ARE our business. I know people who have been THREATENED just beacuase they asked about it!! Where is Mendo Fever and why aren’t they investigating this? Not only has nothing been done but residents have repeatedly had to call the fire dept to get the head high weeds cut down. Units here were vacant for around a year for no reason except Danco had no on-site management for around 10 months which was a nightmare.
Being Human without the Compassion of Humanity. Human beings lacking Shelter with all that implies. I place for Solitude & Dignity. No dresser of clean clothes, no Refrigerator of Food, no Amenities for Higkene. Disgraceful. The Law allows Persons to be ” compassionately compelled to Shelter. You can be detained without Habeous Corpus indefinitely by current State Law for the “crime” of Suffering. Coat the Streets ! Help another Person bridge the divide between Dignity & Humiliation.
I agree about the homeless agency industry. I know because I dealt with them the last 2-1/2 years of my homelessness. But please don’t label all unhoused citizens as drug addicts. I was a paralegal for 35 years with 4 college degrees but lost my home to toxin exposure. Couldn’t afford rent on Social Security and couldn’t work.
Thank you for this article, even though I do not agree with most of it. It is good to open up conversation about this important issue. My opinion is SF should take care of their own problems not send them here. There is so much spectacular wealth there, to have homeless is a disgrace to the city.
There should be NO HOMELESS there!!! Get with the program, uber-rich!
Back in the day Ukiah used to have a Mental Asylum which is now the temple of a 10000 buddhas. Why? The same out of context argument of freedom was used to release these patients into the world without any real plan to deal with them and to let the “market” solve it. All I see is the mental patients that were once housed and funded by the gov’t tax dollars are now out running in the streets. It’s not just a Mendo issue but a national issue. The mental health issue isn’t just in the homeless but an overall generational attitude in the population at large, which has turned into delusion in the form of misplaced nostalgia. The trash and neglected neighborhoods is a symptom of the people living here whether you live in a house or not. Mendo has been kicking this can down the road for decades…If the community can’t even consider rebuilding old outdated historical building (like its downtowns) for more relevant buildings then what hope does one have that this community can fix its homeless problem? This community is living in the shadow of the past and not embracing the future.
I think accountability starts from the bottom down.. fuck a participation trophy, you’re special just for existing is bullshit.. those who won’t do for themselves need to be punished for the lack of effort.. and amen to the one that tries and fails! But if you’re going to sit around and expect everybody to do it for you, no you should be expelled from society.. and you should be punished for not finding your place in society.. stop being such candy asses! And I’m saying all this to somebody who genuinely feels for the folks that cannot provide for themselves… But in this twisted up world we’ve given too much power to the people that won’t do and we’ve lost the people that can’t… So fuck the tweaker getting housing while the schizophrenic is left on the street..
first, establish provisions appropriate through the directive, I.E. mental health centers, both inpatient and outpatient, chemical treatment centers, both inpatient and outpatient. PTSD support, anger management … etc.
the provisions are in place following court sentencing. Arrests have been made under the new law of our Governor.
The hired “care Team” has the individuals, with very individual problems that communities can now, through expressed compassion for their plights have brought them to the streets. A little public education will also assist in this transition.
The individual Plan of Action will follow a long time, effective template with an established with a format to communicate the individuals information to “care team” members.
SOAP …
The SOAP note originated from the problem-oriented medical record (POMR), developed nearly 50 years ago by Lawrence Weed, MD.[1][4] It was initially developed for physicians to allow them to approach complex patients with multiple problems in a highly organized way.[4] Today, it is widely adopted as a communication tool between inter-disciplinary healthcare providers as a way to document a patient’s progress.
Subjective: Chief Complaint, history of present illness. There can be multiple CC’s, but identifying the most significant one is vital to make a proper diagnosis.
Objective: The objective section of the SOAP includes information that the care team observes or measures from the individuals current presentation. Your care team in this modality should have the ability to do physical assessments along with psychological.
Assessment: It is the individuals progress since the last visit, and overall progress towards that goal from the teams perspective.
Plan: A plan is developed for each problem and is numbered accordingly based on severity and urgency for the problem or problems. Discussing the Plan with the individual and dates for further review or follow-up.
Where to go from there ? If it’s back onto the streets, toss all of this away. The cost of beginning again is not possible. The original crime has already been committed. This is the treatment option to address the crime. Those successfully making progress will not be able to rent in todays expensive and limited market. Providing skill sets for employment is a start however, even those with masters degrees struggle financially. “Homeless Shelters”, many will not use due to “strict regulations”. Now’s the time for “tough Love” !, not continual co-dependency rescuing a person unwilling to help themselves.
I would suggest a military type of setting and structure. Meals prepared by camp individuals being taught by chiefs. Medical and dental in place with camp individuals learning about taking a Blood Pressure, pulse and O2 sats, along with cross contamination & steriilization techniques. The structure of a tooth & anatomy of the mouth. Back to school. Self esteem is elevated holding a High School Diploma in your hand. A multitude of job skills and training can be accomplished. Business owners will visit, hopefully offering employment for those successfully meeting their goals.
When the “care Team” re-assesses , and recommends discharge, the individual is brought back to court, addressing the Judge. A plan of action is presented to the Judge which should include housing (restrictive and non-restrictive), and employment waiting upon release. If agreed to through the courts, a new life might/could begin.
Jail is recycling people for big money and no real chance to be helped..then they have records and can’t get hired or don’t have a address.. these are also families and vets and people with disabilities…some have major drug mental problems…quit blaming and start fixing
People need affordably housing, food and jobs and healthcare. But no , our supervisors have given themselves a pay raise, did you vote for that, ?Effing scum bag politicians !
My partner and I are in this situation, we are trying to build up our clients and make and save enough money to do things “right”, yet being in that process takes time, it takes time to grind. We aren’t “druggies”, so we dont have extra costs like that. It’s the costs of doing things “right” that is also making things take longer. We have to pay for the laundry matt, for the dump, for food and gas, for bathroom usage at businesses(support local, so yes we pay for something), and etc… where at the end, we havent made any mess, leave no trace, we are surviving. And we arent yet making enough to also rent, even the campgrounds out here are too expensive for us at the end of the day. So we have been having to do vehicle living, and at this rate, not for a lot longer. But being punished for this, would only make it take us even longer to get on our feet, being “taken into custody” would only put at risk what we have built so far, being outcasted would only make us have to start over. We get yelled at, we get egged, we get told to move every few days, people aggressively honk.. and none of that helps us be any more productive, it just means trying to live, but now also in fear. I’m not saying its okay for unhoused people to leave messes and create dangerous enviorements, thats not okay. And we both know its not a happy thing to see other people struggling. But what would really help are actions from a place of patience and kindness. A safe place to sleep at night where we dont have to abandon what we have built for ourselves so far, would go a very long ways in our life, we would be able to get proper rest, and being able to stay in town makes it so much easier to keep making money, meet clients, and be productive. Its hard to be productive when you have to set up deep in the woods, it takes time and gas, and its scary to leave what you have unsupervised when its ALL you have. Yes it wouldn’t work for everyone, but why punish everyone, when it would work for people like us, young and trying to build a life, who do just need more time, and whom genuine support would actually help get along even sooner. Please dont make our lives harder because others in similar spots to ours are, focus on them instead of All unhoused people. I run a mobile music recording studio, only on year 1, so I also grind a lot of other work while building up my real dream business, but I wouldnt be able to if we end up getting chased out of towns, if it gets taken cause we cant afford a storage yet, if we are deep in the woods trying to get sleep cause society says we arent allowed to in town. And my partner who does hair professionally, needs to be able to be accessible for in home appointments, meaning also phone service, and for their other jobs also needs to be in cell service. We aren’t slacking, I am just 21 and need time to build a history of income, and to be able to save up enough, and then we will be off the streets. But we cant do that if we arent allowed to. I wish it was as easy as applying for a street permit with the city, or as a safe parking lot/spot, or even, to be allowed to live as we need in order to be able to build the life we want to live. We want a house, we want a property, and we want to add to the beauty of our community, and we are on our way.
Thank you for adding your voice to the conversation. It’s easy to dehumanize those whose lives diverge from the normal. Please, email me at matthewplafever@gmail.com. I’d like to speak with you further.
The homelessness in mendo County is outrageous but from really keeping up with it I can say…. Those that want to go above and beyond have never had a bad experience with the homeless, most who demand sanctioned camps and all the help for homeless do not want it in their backyard. I am positive we could start a pretty good list here of incidents we have encountered with homelessnes. And some have never. I lived in harbor and couldn’t walk my dog at night in fear of being approached by grou p s of 4 plus homes demanding money or smokes….I drove home with a homeless man in the back of my work van from dollar general. He was hiding from police for stealing stuff from dollar general then locking himself in bathroom to eat and clean up. I had a 75 pound pitbull in that van who was sitting next to him whole time. Can’t walk on sidewalks because they sit right in middle…..then they shit right in middle. Tired of it all
Great Letter, Adam, Bernie Norvell a recent addition to the BOS, implemented the Marbut report plan in fort bragg, when he was on City Council; I’m hoping that he will bring competence and integrity to the board….
You hit the nail on the head, Adam! I could remove Mendocino County from your letter and put Yerington, NV in place of it. We are experiencing exactly the same problems that you described. I was born in Ukiah, and left after 55 years of residency. It is becoming a problem everywhere, especially the Meth epidemic. Put them in a psych ward for 6 months. It will change their perspective, for sure!You should run for the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. Your insight is piercing!
I did and lost just this past March.
My mother and I both worked in mental health facilities, and I’ve watched more and more close down. There was/is a pattern of the decrease of these facilities with the homelessness rate of those who cannot care for themselves due to mental health status. I also know what it’s like to be stuck living on SSDI due to TBI & epilepsy, and those checks are under poverty level. I can’t afford rent, it crashed my credit score so I couldn’t get help, so I had to go back to school to get loans, and I still struggle unless I keep relocating (sublet) or live in a small trailer because my back injuries can’t handle moving anymore. Tip of the iceberg. Thanks for posting this article.