The Time Is Now

[advocacy33]

Individual V. Society

Homelessness affects many people, not just the homeless person but it affects the families of the homeless, home owners, business owners, and the city as a whole.

According to the fourth amendment people have the right to be secure in their persons, home, and property? It also guarantees a person’s privacy and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. It states that the police must have a warrant in order to search ones property. The case Kincaid v. City of Fresno is an example of the city violating the homeless citizens’ rights. The city did a “cleanup” of the homeless encampments but during the process they destroyed the only home those people had and also their personal belongings. Based on the fourth amendment this is a violation because that guarantees them to be safe in their persons and property. Property does not necessarily mean just a home or land it is anything that belongs to someone. So by destroying these people’s belongings it took that right away from them.

Homelessness affects the individual because they will have a loss of pride, emotional stress, and lack of hygiene. It also has monetary costs because they have to buy food, blankets, and some sort of shelter. It is a common assumption that it only affects the person sleeping on the sidewalk but that is false. Homelessness makes the businesses around that area less desirable because people will not want to go there based on how they area looks and people surrounding the area. The non-monetary costs are personal safety, pollution and vandalism. There would be a lack in sanitation and that would cause pollution to the area. These are the monetary and non-monetary costs of homelessness for the individuals and society.

Due to more and more homeless people living on the streets it affects Fresno’s economy too such as people not wanting to visit Fresno due to the trash and homeless people. Costs of homelessness are it reflects on society as trash and garbage, because all they see is trash. The city is deeply affected by the homeless due to them living on the streets Fresno is reflected as a bad city and a poor one too. Since homeless live behind houses and public places the city has their right to take action when they get a complaint from an individual. In this society there are many different impacts on this nation homeless is a major impact on this great nation. The monetary cost affects all citizens, taxpayers, law enforcement and the governments. Meaning, all citizens who pays taxes have to pay more because of the homeless people. The non- monetary costs would be the lacking in safety and resources, there would also be lawsuits settlements and costs of shelters and houses.

The chronic spread in homelessness needs to be stopped because not only is the Individual being affected but everyone around them is being impacted.

-Sierra De La Pena

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affects on individuals and society

Being homeless can affect many people in many different ways.  It can affect the monetary and non-monetary lives of individuals, externals, and social. In the individual lives, such as citizens and tax payers are affected by the homeless people by the cost of food and the costs of drugs they want to buy. Al Williams says his wife wheelchair and medicine was confiscated long with other belongings he owned.  The non-monetary costs are that individuals are at risk of getting harmed and individual rights are taken away. There is more inequality on society, health problems, and harassment.

  The monetary cost affects all citizens, taxpayers, law enforcement and the governments. Meaning, all citizens who pays taxes have to pay more because of the homeless people. The non- monetary costs would be the lacking in safety and resources, there would also be lawsuits settlements and costs of shelters and houses.

  The external costs would affect the homeowners or business owners. It would cause a lost in business or customers, running the business out of money. Homeless families are also affected by the external costs; all they have are their individual rights and property rights. The non-monetary costs are personal safety, pollution and vandalism. There would be a lack in sanitation and that would cause pollution to the area.These are the monetary and non-monetary costs of homelessness for the individuals and society. 

-Houa V.

[advocacy33]

Restricted Rights for the Homeless

Various people were impacted by this lawsuit, Pamela Kincaid v. City of Fresno, such as the homeless community of Fresno, their families, business owners, homeowners and the city. This case prevented Fresno’s practice of immediately seizing and destroying the personal possessions of homeless residents violates the constitutional right of every person to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. (https://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/fresno_homeless_residents_win_settlement_over_citys_destruction_of_personal_property.shtml)

These people had their rights violated. The homeless still have their rights whether or not they have a stable home and job and it seems that we forget that sometimes. The Fourth Amendment protects "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution)

Fresno Police Officers were violating their rights when they went to the shelters that the homeless had built to sleep in and tore them down and destroyed their property. The police had violated the homeless’ rights by going in there and destroying their property when the Fourth Amendment clearly states that it protects “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects.” The government is supposed to make sure that our rights are being protected and they've shown a poor job at doing it.

The homeless sued the City of Fresno for not giving them the right notice of eviction and destroying their property. They have taken over a part of the street to make it their home and they are living on it. The city is supposed to provide an eviction notice because they are still residents of that area. Some non-monetary costs are the cost of living. They don’t pay for somewhere to live. The monetary costs would be that they would have to beg for money to pay for their food and maybe a place to stay for the night in that specific area. Non-monetary costs for homeless are that they have a place to stay and monetary costs for businesses is that they don’t get customers anymore because the homeless are creating a bad environment for their store and bad reputation. Some monetary costs would be that people don’t want to give the homeless money because they think the money will go to a bad cause and non-monetary costs would be that society views homeless people as bad. They automatically think that they’re homeless because of something they did but sometimes they can’t help homelessness.

-Nikki M. 

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Where to Go

  Destroying someone’s property is wrong. The case of Kincaid v. City of Fresno is an example of how invading someone’s property is cruel, because no one would like to have their property destroyed. Even if this people are homeless they still have rights, because they are humans, and it would be wrong to just let them die. When they are being kicked out of their property, it’s as if the people where telling them to go die somewhere else.

I understand that the people that are destroying the homeless property are doing it because it’s their job; they get paid for doing it so they have to. I’m sure that they aren’t all happy about doing their job, when they are taking someone’s property and throwing it away. But as this people do their job, they are destroying someone’s values, treasures, dreams, and a lot of the times their lives, because they don’t know how long it took for this people to come up with the things that they had.

In the case of Kincaid v. City of Fresno, the homeless took the city of Fresno to court, because the city of Fresno destroyed, the homeless property. The court sided with the homeless people saying that destroying the homeless property was just wrong.  And it really was, but this wasn’t the first time this kind of damage was done, and it probably won’t be the last.

On the other side  I do understand the city because with the homeless taking over, there is less profit going into the city, not only that, but it make the city look bad. Also the homeless do get help, and maybe it’s not enough. But if the homeless had unlimited help, wouldn’t everyone want to be homeless. It has happened, and it will continue to happened, even though the homeless aren’t living the best lives, there are people that had become homeless because they want to, because they believe that homeless lives are easier.

At the end, if the homeless get kicked out of Fresno, where are they support to go. They obviously don’t have a house or somewhere safe to go. Taking their property is not going to kick them out of Fresno, it’s only going, make the people, start all over. The homeless are only going to start all over and gather more things, even though some of the things that they had were irreplaceable.

    https://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/fresno_homeless_residents_win_settlement_over_citys_destruction_of_personal_property.shtml

  http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9006629

  http://www.copblock.org/21831/sacramentoca-city-to-pay-796050-for-illegally-seizing-homeless-peoples-property/

Rosario G.

[advocacy33]

A place for hope.

I had called the Proverello House in Fresno, California to ask a few questions about what they do there and what they do to help the homeless in the community. The Proverello House opened in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit, nondenominational organization that serves the hungry, homeless, and destitute of Fresno, California. When I asked one of representatives from the Proverello House what type of serves they have to help the homeless, she explained how they serve three meals a day to anyone in need, they offer free medical and dental care through the Holy Cross Clinic, they also provide showers and laundry services, they house 28-bed residential alcohol and drug rehabilitation program, they also distribute free clothing, transportation, and mail services. 

I also asked how many people come to stay annually she said that most people will just come to eat and do their laundry when needed but when it starts to become cold more people will come to stay overnight and throughout the winter. She also explained how it became a lot easier when the Village of Hope was build which houses 66 single men and women; she said how she was glad it was build because it made her sad to turn people away during the winter. When I asked if they were planning on expanding their organization to places further than Fresno she said they wish they could have as many houses so there are no homeless people anymore but unfortunately everything takes money and time. 

I asked how their organization is funded and she told me how they do a lot of fundraisers throughout the year and the community has given a lot in donations to help provided not only money but also clothing. I asked if they had any services that can prepare the homeless for when they decided to leave she said that they have counseling and try to give them the confidence in believing in themselves for when they leave. She also stated how they are always in need of volunteers and become a volunteer you must go the volunteer orientation and be interviewed. The last question I asked was what she believed was the biggest misconception about the homeless people in the community, she said that people believe that they want to be homeless, that they could wake up no day and become “normal” if they so choose. But the reality is that they don’t to be homeless as much as you don’t want them to be there.

De La Pena, S

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Living in fear.

The topic I choose for homelessness is mental health and I am specifically interested in the connecting between schizophrenia and homelessness. Schizophrenia is a serious disorder of the mind and brain but it is also highly treatable. Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, medication can be used to help with the symptoms. Schizophrenia is a disease that typically begins in early adulthood and can show signs between the ages of 15 and 25 but some can show signs at a young age. Based on data from Department of Health and Human Services approximately 200,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are homeless. 

Due to the fact that most people suffering from schizophrenia live in group home and decided to leave once they turn 18.  A new study recently came out on the "The Economic Burden of Schizophrenia in the United States in 2002"  and they found that the overall U.S. 2002 cost of schizophrenia was estimated to be $62.7 billion, with $22.7 billion excess direct health care cost. The total direct non-health care excess costs, including living cost offsets, were estimated to be $7.6 billion. The total indirect excess costs were estimated to be $32.4 billion. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 6 percent of all schizophrenia patients are homeless at any one time. When schizophrenic patients are homeless, they rarely stay involved in any sort of treatment. 

The impact homeless people suffering from schizophrenia can have on the community is that once they leave a group home or a stable place they were stay they are less likely to take the medication that keep the symptoms at bay. As a result, homeless schizophrenia patients may experience a worsening of their symptoms. According to American Health Network when patients do not take their medications, they might try drugs or alcohol in an attempt to manage their symptoms. This means they could become very dangerous to the public as their lack of medication and possible drug abuse can cause them to harm themselves or others. There are no laws that force people suffering for schizophrenia to take their medicine or force them to stay at a group home.

De La Pena, S

[advocacy33]

Interviewing he head attorney

On April 26th of 2013, interviewed Naureen Nalia, staff attorney with Central California Legal Services, Inc. (CCLS). She was one of the lead attorneys on the case: “Homeless vs. the City of Fresno” in 2011-2012. As we sat down to discuss the case, she expressed to me the un-housed citizens and listed the rights that were violated by the City of Fresno towards the homeless citizens. Fresno homeless statistics shows that there are about 5,000 un-housed citizens living in Fresno. Central California Legal Services lead attorney’s interviewed more than 100 un-housed citizens on the first day and many more that same week.

The City of Fresno had not given notices to the homeless people that they were going to remove or destroy their property. They destroyed many of the homeless people's property such as; social security cards, identification cards, important documents, old family photos, etc.; Mainly thing that meant a great sentimental value to them.  According to one of the complaints, items seized and destroyed include tents, furniture, clothing, blankets, medications, photographs, letters, and other items of personal value. Many homeless people come a very long way and are able to carry only so much of what they value most. The city of Fresno came and destroyed all property leaving the homeless people with nothing when they have already lost everything. After destroying all their property, the homeless people were left with nothing and nowhere to go.

The City of Fresno provided homes and homeless shelters for them but the homeless people already had lost all of their stuff, they had no money to get transportation on a bus to go anywhere. All homeless shelters are limited and some only allow men or women with children, leaving many single women to survive on their own without shelters to go to.

After destroying their tents, the following month was already winter.  This left many un-housed citizens with nowhere to go, to stay warm and safe for the night. This policy has been carried out during the winter months when temperatures fell below 36 degrees on several occasions. One evening in December, an “extremely ill” homeless citizen (Melissa - last name omitted) was forced to remove a tarp sheltering her from the cold and rain. They removed her property and other homeless residents things were taken from shopping carts and destroyed as well. They weren’t offered alternative shelter, and Melissa ended up contracting pneumonia.

In January of 2012, the un-housed citizens and the City of Fresno came to an agreement and the homeless citizens won the case.  Settlements were distributed among the un-housed citizens. The damaging thing about this case was that the homeless people lost irreplaceable property and half of the homeless people who were also affected, didn't benefit from the settlement. There were so many un-housed citizens in this case that the ones that were lucky enough to receive the distribution only got $500-$600. This wasn't enough to put a roof over their heads and take care of them for a while, not to mention all their personal belongings not being replaced.

This case lasted from October of 2011 to January of 2012. The un-housed citizens’ rights that were violated were the 4th amendment, 5th amendment, property rights under the U.S Constitution, California Section Code (52.7), and the loss property law in California. The 4th amendment states that the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures. The 5th amendment is the right to live because the homeless people were pushed out to go nowhere and suffer the harsh winter. The California Section Code 57.2 is the right to homeless people that the city cannot move them or their property.

-Houa v.

[advocacy33]

Drugs can kick you out onto the streets

The tragic human devastation caused by such addiction, driving working-class people into poverty and life in homeless shelters or on the streets because of drug or alcohol addiction. The truth is that a high percentage of homeless people do struggle with drug addiction, but addictions should be viewed as illnesses. Drug addiction is most common in homelessness and young adults. Young adults start getting addicted to drugs at an early age n that would prevent them from education and work causing them to be out onto the streets.

There are different laws on drug addiction and it’s separated into classes. Class A: Cocaine, crack, crystal meth, ecstasy, heroin, LSD (acid), magic mushrooms, methadone, opium, and any class B drug prepared for injection. If a person is caught with these drugs he or she will be imprisoned for seven years. In class B, if a person is caught with Amphetamines (speed), barbiturates, cannabis, and codeine. This class also includes the following less common substances: dexamphetamine, dihydrocodeine (DF0118), methaqualone, methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin), phenmetrazine (Filon) she or he will be locked up in prison for up to five years. Class C: Ketamine, some tranquillizers like Temazepam, the supply of anabolic steroids and imprisonment is up to two years.

A large portion of the cost to the economy is the impact on employers by their alcohol addictions. Health care costs have increased in price and because alcoholics have a higher chance of getting alcohol poisoning, these individuals will experience a much higher health care costs. Absences are another issue for employers because of poor health, hangovers, or other alcohol related problems, alcohol abusers are more likely to miss work than many of their co-workers. Finally, loss of productivity is a strain businesses have to manage with employees that has an alcohol addiction. Even if an alcoholic is present at work and not drinking, their performance at work can often be compromised by hangovers, health complications, lack of focus, or psychiatric issues.

-Houa V.

[advocacy33]

On My Way to Reality

I had expectations on this trip, we had to go see the homeless and look at the situations, that they lived in.  The reason why I had expectations on something so sad is because I have seen poverty, I been close to it, and I lived it. Seeing this people on the streets was sad, but I have seen worse, I’m not saying that I don’t feel bad for them, I do feel bad for them and I would help them, but I feel like they can, and they should battle their way up. Every stop we had I was looking forward it, and to what could happened next, the people seemed depressed, and honestly they looked like they didn’t have enough force to keep them going.

At one point I stop and think that even though I wasn’t very fortunate before, I still wasn’t as unlucky as this people. I was glad that there  were people out there like Beverly, who were willing to help other that don’t have it as good as we do. We shouldn’t judge people because of the way that they look, or how poor they are because; we don’t know how bad they have it. Or even what they were going thru before they ended up in this situation.

As I kept looking I was also trying to figure out how  this people ended up here whether It was addictions or because they wanted to be there. I really could not tell, most of this people looked like normal people to me. They were dresses cleanly, but there was something about them that was different, I just don’t know what it was. I also notice that most of the homeless are males, but then again I reflected, our teachers and Beverly had told us that a church nearby took in women, so that cut some of the women of from the streets. Which I found was a really good idea, because out in the world, there are many people trying to harm other people and the women are the first victims. In this case they have rescued and save some of this women’s lives.

                I also saw some names on the ground, like a funeral but there was no one buried their (I think).It was different, and sad because if they have family, their family probably doesn’t know that they are dead. The only ones that knew they were dead are other homeless people. On my way back I had one thing left to do, thank god for having all the privileges I have.

§  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

-Rosario G.

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Homelessness of Teen Pregnancy

By Nikki M. 

Teen Pregnancy can be a cause of homelessness. It may seem like that’s impossible, but is it really? Everyday teens are getting kicked out of their house or running away because they told their parents that they’re pregnant or they’re too scared to tell them. This doesn’t just apply to females, it also applies to males. The father will tell his parents that he had gotten a girl pregnant and the parents would be disappointed and tell him to get out. Teens everyday are scared to tell their parents because they don’t want to face the consequences and are scared of what the parents might say. Sometimes the parents aren’t as supportive as they should be and make them leave or scare them into running away. This situation happens every day.

  Despite declines in rates of teen pregnancy in the U.S., about 820,000 teens become pregnant each year. That means that 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20. (www.teenhelp.com) Teens are getting pregnant every day and most don’t know what to do or how to tell their parents. They think that running away is the best option and to be on their own. Teens think that they can raise a baby on their own but they can’t. Most times they end up miscarrying or giving their child up for adoption.

  These pregnant and homeless teens lack financial resources and adequate health care, resulting in increased risk for low– birth-weight babies and high infant mortality. This study investigated individual and family-level predictors of teen pregnancy among a national sample of runaway/homeless youth in order to better understand the needs of this vulnerable population. (www.ncbi.com) Teen pregnancy often leads to runaways and most of the time they become homeless. They feel like their families will not be supportive and feel like there isn’t anywhere else to turn. Teens are put under a lot of stress trying to figure out what to do and how to tell their parents. Being under too much stress can be harmful to the baby resulting in miscarriage. Young, homeless women often become pregnant, but little is known about how street youth experience their pregnancies. (www.ncbi.com)

  Teens are impacted greatly by this and so are their parents. If the teen chooses to run away, the parent is left hurt and wondering why they left. The teen is left on their own with nowhere to run and they are scared and lost. They sometimes may think that they could do it all on their own but they can’t. They’re babies having babies. I know that it may be hard to tell your parents that you’re pregnant or that your girlfriend is having a baby because of the consequences. You never know if your parent is going to tell you to get out of their house or if they’re going to be supportive throughout the entire process.

[advocacy33]

The Struggle Of Homelessness

By Nikki M.

On Wednesday, April 17, I got the opportunity to visit some locations where homeless people have made a home for themselves or have taken shelter. When we were on the bus, we saw many homeless people that you wouldn't think would be homeless. If you really looked, you could see that they were hungry or scared. It was really hard to see those people who have probably done a lot of good things in their lives on the streets.

When you walked by the homes that homeless have made for themselves you wouldn't think that it was possible to live that way but many people do. Many of them had shopping carts full of items that they need and some we dirty because they haven’t showered in some time.

There were people who had animals and the first thing you think is if they can’t afford to feed themselves then how do they afford to feed an animal. A lot of homeless people don’t want to give their animals away because they feel like they could still provide love for it. They don’t want to be alone and most of the time they are. The animal provides company and love for the owner.

It was cold the morning we went to visit so I could only imagine how they felt during the winter and how they feel during the summer when it’s 100 degrees out. Seeing those people struggling to live and making homes on the side of the road and on the underpass of the highway, really make you grateful for the things you do have.

Some of those people who are homeless aren't on the streets because of drugs or alcohol but most are on the street because they lost their homes or because their spouse left them and took everything. Most of them do not deserve to be on the streets but when you think about it, nobody deserves to be on the streets. When you see homeless on the corners begging for change, if you don’t have any the least you could do is smile and chat with them.

[advocacy33]

Alcohol and Homelessness

By Rosario G.

Many alcoholics that are homeless are trying to survive, the sad thing about this is that a big percentage of them radar use their money on alcohol, then in food or other things that could be helpful for their survival. Many homeless people often turn to the alcohol, because the alcohol makes your body feel comfortable, and can also make you sleep better. In many cases it’s hard to go to sleep thinking that someone may harm you or simply with the weather it could be too cold or too hot, and going to sleep could be a challenge. The alcohol isn't doing any good, in many cases that is the reason why the alcoholics ended up in the streets. Some stay close to places where food is served, but in many circumstances, they get kick out of there. There are many places where people feel compassion for the homeless or for their own reasons, they give them money. Some of the homeless alcoholics tell people lie to achieve the money, while others let them know straight up that they want the money for alcohol.  If they work, the first thing that they lose is their job, then they lose their family and they just keep losing their things until they end up with nothing. As they end up with nothing, most of the alcoholic, now homeless people end up doing suicide. This is because they have nothing else to lose, or they have nothing to live for. Young adults are the ones that are most likely to drink. Once you are addicted, it is very hard to get out of the addiction, the fact of all of this is that they need help, but how can they be helped if they don’t want to admit that they need to be helped, or they simply don’t want the help. So it’s a waste of time for everyone, but then how can this problem be solved. “Many Americans with substance abuse dependencies, both housed and homeless do not receive the treatment they need. In fact, the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) estimated that in 2005, over 19.3 million people needed, but did not receive, addiction treatment services.”(nationalhomeless.org) How about the people that do want the help to first solve their alcohol problem, they have the help so what they need to do is go out and look for it. The last resource should be death, but in most cases it’s not.

[advocacy33]

Drug and Alcohol Addiction: Get Help Before It’s Too Late 

Drug and alcohol addiction is a serious matter. It can lead up to you losing everything you have and love. It could cause you to lose your home and become homeless and potentially lead to death.