We've just received word from multiple sources that the the police have "swept" homeless residents from another location in Vallejo. Many of these residents were already displaced from the homeless sweep earlier this month in the White Slough, and sought to find some form of refuge at this location.
We're awaiting confirmation and further details but again, all indications seem to point to another senseless homeless sweep in Vallejo. And we truly believe WE as a city are ALL responsible for this.
Please pray for our further displaced homeless residents who have no safe or warm place to lay their heads. Please email ServeOurVallejoHomeless@gmail.com if you want to be a part of the CHANGE.
Peace and Godspeed!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Governator to coordinate with Johnson, Sacramento
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson hold a news conference Wednesday outside the winter shelter at Cal Expo. Schwarzenegger said the mayor approached him at an event, and "that very same day we went out to the tent city."-Photo by BRIAN BAER/mailto:BAER/bbaer@sacbee.com
"The governor said he will try to find state money and suggested he would provide assistance for other cities struggling with chronic homeless problems." (SF Chronicle article linked below)
Good reads. Commendable that both the city mayor and state governor are working address short-term needs of "tent city" in Sacramento through temporary accommodations. But the question still remains of how communities (or a nation) can meaningfully alter systems and configurations that have led to such a moral and societal failure. It is, however, encouraging that some leaders and policymakers can publicly agree that WE CANNOT allow circumstances like of "tent city" to continue without a compassionate, coordinate, and sustainable response from ALL
of us.
=======================
Schwarzenegger, Johnson partner to address homeless issues
By Loretta Kalb lkalb@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2009 - 12:20 pm Last Modified: Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2009 - 5:30 pm
By Loretta Kalb lkalb@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2009 - 12:20 pm Last Modified: Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2009 - 5:30 pm
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said today they are working together to address short-term public health and safety issues and long-term solutions for the city's growing homeless population.
"We cannot look away and pretend this is not happening. It is happening, and we must take action," Schwarzenegger said in a joint press conference at Cal Expo.
"We must do all we can to do right by these people, who are living in these difficult times."
Johnson said, with the governor's help, 50 new beds will be available at the winter shelter at Cal Expo. The operation, managed by Volunteers of American, will stay open until July 1.
Near Loaves and Fishes, 500 bins will be available for personal belongings and kennels for 20 pets.
Johnson and Schwarzenegger vowed to do address longstanding problems of homelessness.
"This was a problem when I came into office. I said we are not going to ignore it any longer," Johnson said. "The city has swept this under the rug, ignored it. We are no longer going to accept that in the city of Sacramento."
The governor said Johnson approached him at an event, saying "one more thing." That led to a breakfast meeting to talk about homelessness, and a tour of Sacramento's tent city encampment that same day.
Schwarzenegger said the campers didn't have drinking water, toilets or wash water. "People in America for years have tried to find answers" for dealing with this issue, he said. "Nobody has found the sweet spot."
Johnson said homeless people should be treated with dignity and compassion. He praised the combined efforts of government, business, nonprofit and homeless advocates in developing a program in two weeks, culminating in a unanimous City Council vote Tuesday night on a $1 million homeless program.
It will provide 150 additional beds in Sacramento as a first step in easing the plight of the homeless, whose numbers have been growing with the downturn in the economy.
The city allocated $880,000 in city and redevelopment agency funds for the program, which includes other area shelters and plans for long-term housing. Sacramento County may agree to provide another $150,000 early next month.
The program will enable closure of a tent city along the American River, which gained wide prominence when Oprah Winfrey featured it on her television show.
A county survey last year found 2,700 people are homeless in the county, including 1,200 who are living on the streets.
Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Washington state in the news
Empowered by a generous sum from the Gates Foundation, the entire state of Washington is ramping up its homelessness prevention and exit efforts. Their homeless advocacy has taken them to greater heights.
================================
Gates Foundation Commits Up to $60 Million to Address Homelessness in Washington State
The Washington Families Fund, a public-private partnership led by anti-homelessness nonprofit Building Changes, has announced a commitment of up to $60 million over the next ten years from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for an initiative designed to help end homelessness among families in the state.
As part of the initiative, the state of Washington; King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties; the cities of Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma; and several philanthropic and corporate partners have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which they pledge to redouble their efforts to minimize shelter stays and provide critical ongoing support services for homeless families with children and families on the brink of homelessness. The signatories also agreed to streamline funding for family homelessness programs so that current resources can be used more efficiently and effectively while they tap new resources to address what is a growing problem.
The partners will employ five proven principles to guide future family homelessness investments: early intervention and homelessness prevention; coordinating access to support services; rapidly re-housing families; providing services tailored to meet each family's individual needs; and increasing economic opportunity through education and workforce services. Beginning this year, pilot projects will be launched in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. Lessons learned in those counties will be applied across communities statewide, with the goal of reducing homelessness among families with children by 50 percent in the next decade.
Other partners in the initiative include Boeing, Microsoft, the United Way of King County, the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, and the Ben B. Cheney Foundation.
"It saddens me that families with children make up nearly half of our state's homeless population. And unfortunately, the economic crisis may push even more families with children into homelessness," said Washington governor Christine Gregoire. "We must do more as a community to help families achieve and maintain stability. This Memorandum of Understanding is an important step at a critical time."
===================
"This short video is about the many reasons behind homelessness and focuses on the life of Tomey Smith. This video was produced for Building Changes by Linas Phillips and contains excerpts from his film, Great Speeches From A Dying World."
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The loss of a homeless resident
Tragically, one of our homeless residents passed away this week. Even more reason to work together for a better configuration. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
===================
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_11931180
Car hits, kills man with cart on dark street
Times-Herald staff report
Posted: 03/17/2009 02:02:22 AM PDT
A 49-year-old Vallejo man pushing a shopping cart was struck and killed by a car on Sonoma Boulevard early Monday morning, police said.
The man's identity has not been released as the Solano County Coroner's Office tried to contact his relatives, said Vallejo Police Department spokes-man Abel Tenorio.
It was Vallejo's first pedestrian fatality of the year.
The man, who police believe may have been homeless, was hit at 1:14 a.m. by a woman who was driving an older model BMW south on Sonoma, Tenorio said.
"A preliminary investigation indicates the driver doesn't appear to be in violation of any laws," Tenorio said. "It just seems the individual was trying to cross the roadway in the dark."
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Vallejo Officer Justin Farrington at (707) 648-4329.
===================
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_11931180
Car hits, kills man with cart on dark street
Times-Herald staff report
Posted: 03/17/2009 02:02:22 AM PDT
A 49-year-old Vallejo man pushing a shopping cart was struck and killed by a car on Sonoma Boulevard early Monday morning, police said.
The man's identity has not been released as the Solano County Coroner's Office tried to contact his relatives, said Vallejo Police Department spokes-man Abel Tenorio.
It was Vallejo's first pedestrian fatality of the year.
The man, who police believe may have been homeless, was hit at 1:14 a.m. by a woman who was driving an older model BMW south on Sonoma, Tenorio said.
"A preliminary investigation indicates the driver doesn't appear to be in violation of any laws," Tenorio said. "It just seems the individual was trying to cross the roadway in the dark."
The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Vallejo Officer Justin Farrington at (707) 648-4329.
"Tent City" in Sacramento
Not to detract from the seriousness of what's going on in Vallejo, but homelessless is burgeoning across the nation, especially in Sacramento where some say conditions are begin to mirror that of the Great Depression.
Email Us
Sorry for any lag on updates. We're still diligetly working to spread awareness, get people on board, and research strategies.
You can always email us at serveourvallejohomeless@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, or concerns.
Peace and Godspeed!
You can always email us at serveourvallejohomeless@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, or concerns.
Peace and Godspeed!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Resources and Models
Resources:
National Alliance to End Homelessness
http://www.endhomelessness.org/
National Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
http://www.nlchp.org/
National Resource Center on Homelessness
http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/Default.aspx
http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm
The National Homeless Underground
http://homelessundergound.org/
Homeless Empowerment Organization
http://www.homelessunion.org/
Potential Models:
San Francisco Homeless Services Coalition
http://www.sfhsc.org/
Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco
http://www.cohsf.org/eng/
Los Angeles Homeless Services Coalition
http://www.lahsc.org/
Sonoma County Task Force For the Homeless
http://www.sonomacountyhomeless.org/
San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless
http://www.rtfhsd.org/
Seattle/King County Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.homelessinfo.org/
Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.mnhomelesscoalition.org/
Florida Coalition on the Homeless
http://www.fchonline.org/
Metro Atlanta Task Force For The Homeless
http://www.homelesstaskforce.org/
Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
http://www.centralfloridahomeless.org/
Chattanooga Homeless Coalition
http://www.homelesscoalition.org/
Coalition for the Homeless (NYC)
http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/
National Alliance to End Homelessness
http://www.endhomelessness.org/
National Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
http://www.nlchp.org/
National Resource Center on Homelessness
http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/Default.aspx
- Best Practices: http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/Channel/View.aspx?id=17
http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm
The National Homeless Underground
http://homelessundergound.org/
Homeless Empowerment Organization
http://www.homelessunion.org/
Potential Models:
San Francisco Homeless Services Coalition
http://www.sfhsc.org/
Coalition on Homelessness, San Francisco
http://www.cohsf.org/eng/
Los Angeles Homeless Services Coalition
http://www.lahsc.org/
Sonoma County Task Force For the Homeless
http://www.sonomacountyhomeless.org/
San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless
http://www.rtfhsd.org/
Seattle/King County Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.homelessinfo.org/
Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.mnhomelesscoalition.org/
Florida Coalition on the Homeless
http://www.fchonline.org/
Metro Atlanta Task Force For The Homeless
http://www.homelesstaskforce.org/
Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
http://www.centralfloridahomeless.org/
Chattanooga Homeless Coalition
http://www.homelesscoalition.org/
Coalition for the Homeless (NYC)
http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/
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