Reflections on “Smart Solutions” link to original post
December 7th, 2012The following was written by a HUFF activist, one of several who went to a Conference organized by Mayor Don Lane and others as described below. This was originally published on the Occupy Santa Cruz website.
After attending Saturday’s big show, “Smart Solutions to Homelessness: A Countywide Community Engagement Summit,” I gathered a smattering of feedback from “Occupy Folks” on how they felt about the event. Consensus seems to be, “It was not very useful.” We (tongue-in-cheek, but seriously) KNOW TOO MUCH.
I understand the need for governmental and non-profit entities to communicate with the public regarding their needs. WE KNOW that volunteers are needed for the befriending, mentoring, and support of people in distress. WE KNOW that material resources are needed to feed, shelter, and house people who are hungry and have nowhere safe to stay. WE KNOW that there is no “one size fits all solution to homelessness.” It is unfortunate that those who design the agendas of large meetings like this one are unable to withstand conflicting viewpoints about public policy priorities.
Here are a few “Smart Solutions” — my public policy priorities:
I understand the need for governmental and non-profit entities to communicate with the public regarding their needs. WE KNOW that volunteers are needed for the befriending, mentoring, and support of people in distress. WE KNOW that material resources are needed to feed, shelter, and house people who are hungry and have nowhere safe to stay. WE KNOW that there is no “one size fits all solution to homelessness.” It is unfortunate that those who design the agendas of large meetings like this one are unable to withstand conflicting viewpoints about public policy priorities.
Here are a few “Smart Solutions” — my public policy priorities:
- Decriminalization of “survival behaviors” such as sleeping at night, camping in your car, or using a blanket to keep warm
- Legalization of drugs, and, hand-in-hand, helping people to learn ways of coping with the emotional pain that can result in addictive behaviors
- Creating safe places to camp
- Subsidizing low-cost permanent housing
- Providing resources to mutual aid and self-help networks for material and emotional support of all people
- Supporting families so there will be fewer children put into foster care
- Transforming the economy so that there will be safe, environmentally sustainable, and meaningful work for everyone at a living wage
I despair over the lack of compassion actually expressed at the meeting, which seemed scant, aside from a “before and after” set of pictures of one homeless man who became permanently housed in Los Angeles. The “problem” that the “smart solutions” seem to be set to solve is “inefficient allocation of public resources.” So the work being done “to end homelessness” is framed in terms of money to be saved instead of lives to be saved.
At Saturday’s meeting I summarized a small exchange of perspectives between of five or six persons on the question, “What will the future look like without homelessness?” I said that there would be personal dignity, care for each other in community, and good feelings about everyone. I’m afraid that was the wrong question to ask. My question to you is, “What are you going to do about the reality of homelessness in our community right now?”
2 Responses to “Reflections on “Smart Solutions””
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Sylvia on December 7th, 2012 at 1:54 pm #
I’m glad for the opportunity to exchange about this. My reflections:
All the people I engaged with wanted to talk, a lot, not particularly about the issue that brought us all together. So I think the high attendance, because of or in spite of the rain, met a need for community, cooperation, acting together. I think the issue was arguably secondary, which doesn’t make the result any less valuable.
I heard much particularity, and little, maybe no, grand vision five years out. I heard a lot of buzz words and favorite themes, affordable housing, public spaces, safety, services … more of what we know (and what isn’t really working).
The simplification and harmonization suggested by the successful LA business model is compelling. I began to wonder about the strings that come with federal funding (I’d just learned about ALEC) and the consequences of public/private partnerships and how liberty and privatization mesh.
Occupy Sandy has done positive things. Here’s an idea for a local positive project – Occupy the Central Branch Public Library. HUFF had a flier about the Dec 3 library board meeting. Saturday I sat next to a Santa Cruz Public Library staff person – there are a lot of people who use the library as a daytime shelter, warmth, bathrooms, … Some of those people have trouble with rules and regulation and the library has hired a security person to patrol and be available. And is considering more limitations on behavior and appearance. I see an opportunity for Occupy Santa Cruz to organize itself, be visible, be available in shifts, reach out, provide personal support, find out what’s lacking in the available supports. -
TBSC members testified at 12/3 Board of Supervisors public comment, emphasizing the needles they found on the tracks and at the beach, and a couple of bodies, and noting they will be at the 12/17 city safety meeting. The group is focusing on drugs and needles. This could lead to demonizing many, painting all deviance with a broad ‘substance abuse’ brush. There are noisy federal initiatives about stopping abuse of prescription drugs, limiting the availability of pain relief medication … It seems a very harsh world, a world insistent on suffering.
Norse comment:
TBSC stands for Take Back Santa Cruz a group co-founded by newly elected Councilmember Pamela Constock, with a focus on community vigilante and police action against “illegal” behavior, particularly public drug use, “sketchy” characters in public places doing things like camping or panhandling, and random violence.