Homelessness San Diego; Photo credit Michael McConnell
By Stan Levin / San Diego Veterans for Peace
They are here, by the hundreds, by the thousands, the dispossessed among us.
People having little in the way of the niceties of a comfortable existence
That equates with the concept of “Home”.
Many wear all the clothing they own, on their backs, day and night.
Some push their collection of meager possessions around in a shopping cart they have found
Or stolen, ahead of them in their endless wanderings
To nowhere in particular.
Their days are twenty-five hours.
Some arrived here hours ago, and some have occupied and survived the street for years …. even a decade … Incredibly, even more.
They make do with no bed other than a piece of cardboard
or ragged blanket isolating themselves from the concrete of the sidewalk or the tarmac of the street. Increasingly, tent communities are springing up,
Marginally better living.
No tub to bathe or shower in.
No toilet for nighttime relief
No sink No fridge No couch No car No washing machine.
Imagine that!
Wheelchairs aplenty
Teeth … not so much
Some panhandle “for a living”,
Others collect recyclables to sell,
Almost all make use of available charitable offerings.
They are down in their luck, but, make no mistake,
They are not stupid.
They are all genders, all races, the very old and frail, and the very young children.
Many are veterans of war, and show their scars. For what?
(But that is a story for another day)
Some are out on parole. Some cannot find work, lacking sale-able skills.
Some are educated, some are not. Some are healthy
Most are not.
They suffer, in common
Numerous physical, emotional and social ills.
They are burdened by a disproportional percentage of people struggling with PTSD, alcohol and drug addictions, paranoia, schizophrenia, dementia, depression, mental instability, or incapacitation by common or uncommon disease.
Victims of abuse, violence and rape …abound on the street.
These unfortunate brothers and sisters are broke, hungry, cold, fearful, abandoned.
They often smell bad of human chemical compounds.
They are devastatingly vulnerable and fragile … even those appearing strong.
(Be reminded it is not our place to pass judgment on them, not at all productive
beyond letting us off the hook, nor is it any of our business how people have managed to get themselves into such a sorry fix )
They are human beings, having worth, no less than the rest of us,
In some ways superior in their caring and sharing and looking out for each other.
Like so many species of forest animals, they are being inexorably
Squeezed out of their habitat
Into the shadows.
Creating more room to construct more pricey high-rise digs.
Accommodating, in the main, the immeasurably more fortunate among us,
Many of whom would rather the homeless would just disappear out of their sight,
Because they and their very presence are disgusting and scary.
Many newbies,
(I speculate),
are themselves new arrivals to the city, resourceful, buying up the neighborhood,
Providing obscene profits for builders, marketers and investors,
Adding pressure to the existing finite resources and to an already reeling environment.
(But that, too, is a story for another day, not to be belabored here)
Sidewalk occupants present an embarrassment to this segment’s tribal sensitivities,
Of this I harbor little doubt.
There is considerably more to know of the homeless dilemma
And much for the so inclined to empathize with, and show charity towards.
And for those willing
To shoulder the burden of dealing with the problem.
But, in summary, this is who the street people are.
And we San Diego Veterans for Peace are trying to lend a hand,
Doing whatever we might to alleviate the group suffering
To bring an end to what we perceive as an
Unacceptable
Abominable
Affront
To humanity.
I submit Homelessness in San Diego must be ended.
Peace.
Editor Note: Information on San Diego Veterans for Peace sleeping bag distribution program to our homeless residents: Expanding the Veteran Sleeping Bag Distribution Program in San Diego Compassion as a Radical Act
Stan Levin
Latest posts by Stan Levin (see all)
- Golden Rule – Quest For Nuclear Disarmament - October 22, 2018
- Do Not Ever Question the Fuhrer’s Orders - June 15, 2018
- It Is My Fault | National Poetry Month - April 9, 2018
Beautifully written Stan. The VFP is a great organization; so glad that Bob was part of it.
Congratulations Stan on a heartfelt, passionate poem.I have read it often and I pick up something new each time I read it.
You speak with authority because I do know that every time you can you are literally out among the homeless distributing sleeping bags.
But you give them something much greater than the sleeping bag. You engage them in conversation and hug them and shake their hand. Your actions provides them with some much neede dignity even if it is a for a very short time.
Stan, I could not agree with you more! You have summed up the situation of the homeless in San Diego rather well. It would be great if some of our purported leaders could read this, and then take action to relieve the plight of these marginalized people. It is good to know that the homeless here have the assistance and support of The Veterans for Peace, especially since a large percentage of the homeless are Veterans. Thank you, Stan,5 on what you have set forth to be studied and acted upon.
Thank you. So many try to dehumanize these people. Out of fear and ignorance I guess. :(
The San Diego Veterans For Peace have been raising money, buying sleeping bags wholesale, and carefully providing them to the homeless downtown since December 2010. Almost 3,000 bags have been given out, one at a time, late at night, based on need. Illnesses have been prevented, comfort provided, and lives have been saved.
To donate so that Stan and others may continue to give bags out late at night, go to: http://www.SDVFP.org or send a check, made out to SDVFP to: SDVFP, 13805 Royal Melbourne Square, SD, CA 92128. All donors receive a card of thanks and a receipt for tax purposes as SDVFP is a 501-C-3 Veterans Educational Organization.
Thank you Stan. The seas of homeless in San Diego are fraught with horrors that most don’t see, hear or feel. How much longer can we look the other way?
Stan, you captured what many of us see and feel and know about our neighbors experiencing homelessness… but then there are so many more who cannot see, or feel, or know. Unfortunately they seem to be the ones with their hands on the power, their fingers on the purse-strings, making the cruel decisions to deal with this situation as if they are dealing with an infestation of vermin. All that the rest of us can do, is all we can do. I have admired Vets for Peace for many years, in your work with those less fortunate and your relentless stand for peace.
I live downtown and while I feel sorry for them. They should be relocated from the center of the city. You walk 2 blocks and get asked for money by 4 people. I sincerely feel bad for them. But there’s too many times where they’re so high on drugs or alcohol, I don’t feel safe walking to or from work. I had a guy high off of something, follow me for 3 blocks until I gave him a cigarette.
Last thing, I am not wealthy. I don’t live in one of the super plush high rises.
Hi Alex. Where should your homeless neighbors be relocated to? My City Heights community has homeless people. (The average household income on my street is around $30,000 a year).
Homeless people need a home, not relocated. And maybe sharing a cigarette, or the remains of lunch in a carry out box can be viewed as something we can do.
Hi Alex
For anyone driving around San Diego after 9PM, it’s obvious that our homeless crisis has turned into a humanitarian calamity. Add to that the latest outbreak of hepatitis A, and we are looking at the potential for this turning into a major health crisis soon. What’s necessary for the city to act, running sewers and a cholera outbreak? The health crisis comes because thousands of people have to relieve themselves with no bathroom facilities available. On top of that the homeless bed down fearful of being beaten or sexually assaulted, in the lawless encampments where they have to live.
A temporary solution is to move the homeless into a policed encampment at the Qualcomm parking lot where bathroom facilities are provided, porta-potties and washing stations at a minimum. Then put our public health people to work solving the many problems that these people endure. Doing nothing is not acceptable.
I have to agree with you, Dave. Homeless people would be marginally better off at negligible expense to taxpayers if they were given a place to pitch their tents along with port-a-potties and portable sanitation facilities. It should be located near transit, and they should be given free transit passes. There already are companies which give out free cell phones and free service so calling 911 for medical or security emergencies should be no big deal.
This is not a permanent solution. That should be permanent apartment style housing such as in the Housing First model. However, affordable, HUD provided housing is a will-o-the-wisp. Section 8 housing is a total failure. You wait decades for a voucher, and then many with vouchers cannot find landlords to take them.
From the non-homeless point of view, that is to say the average citizen, downtown San Diego should not be allowed to become one gigantic homeless camp.
Nothing we do is a permanent solution. We give them food, money for beer, or even warm clothing. All temporary relief. The long term solution requires that we work directly with the homeless and meet their needs on many fronts. To do otherwise is failing our own humanity.
For Stan!
I’ve read a lot. From Herrigans the other America to dozens of articles and rally’s on homelessness, Stan’s essay is the most passionate and truthful I’ve ever read! Ad multos annos Stan!
Stan,
Thank you for writing this. I wasn’t on the computer much the last couple of weeks so have just today read your article. It is as beautifully written as it it heart breaking. You have, I know, managed to make some of those who have read your words step into homelessness enough to understand the plight of those who our money based society tosses aside and shuns.
Homelessness is the result of extreme selfishness, indifference, and failed leadership. While many cities across this nation have arrived at creative solutions that demonstrate compassion and caring toward their homeless citizens, San Diego which smugly calls itself, “America’s Finest City”, to our shame does nothing.
San Diego Veterans for Peace continues it’s work to bring the homeless veterans and civilians alike some well deserved comfort and dignity. I am happy to be a member of SDVFP in the company of so many fine caring people such as yourself.
Thank you, everybody.
Stan