Army of the Housed

The real challenge we activists, who're trying to create long-lasting solutions face is, how to rally an army of people in the housed community?

I advocate for a Sanctuary Camp space that provides a safe, and clean community for people to sleep and keep some stuff.

You may expect that I have lots to say about it since I've been beating the bushes for more than 2 years with community forums, town hall meetings, video presentations etc. I attended HUFF meetings for more than a decade and have studied the issue from all sides. What I've seen is that homeless activism in Santa Cruz has driven the housed population away from compassion. The never-ending HUFFing of the issue has spoiled the warmth of even mild-mannered lefties, who've clung to all kinds of other social issues but have steered clear of homelessness. I attended every public meeting of Smart Solutions, and I was in a working group that helped to produce "All In: The Strategic Plan" just so that The Warming Center Program would be included in the verbiage. It is. I've met with nearly everyone there is to meet with.

In this moment, as HSC is being financially blind-sided, while "All In" is driving $ away from emergency shelters, when a Grand Jury report is recommending renewed focus on shelters, it is time for the community at large to band together. I've seen Steve Pleich driving Rabbi Phil Posner and Camp of Last Resort away from Santa Cruz Sanctuary Village for his own needs, rather than in service of people in need. I'm not filled with ego about the projects I advocate for, I'm dedicated to solutions that I've witnessed thriving in many other cities just like Santa Cruz. It takes a village; not to thumb its nose at local government, but to work for real solid solutions. The idea that "the city should do it" is uninformed. We "activists" have been doing that unsuccessfully for too long. When people were freezing outside, some of us activists realized that the city wasn't going to "do it" so WE had to. We established Warming Center Program. We didn’t protest, we built it.
What we need in the activist community is true coalition, not a hi-jacking of the long process we've been engaged in.

I'm saddened by what I see because I already know the ultimate outcome. We've seen it over and over. People who really need shelter will be faced with citations rather than support. The housed activists will spend most of their time at home, leaving those in need unprotected. It will set the movement back several steps and sour the greater community even more.

I will be there to videotape and to camp with my homeless brothers and sisters who I support and love, but I vote an emphatic "NO!" On this action and all that is going into it.