Swept Under the Rug: Homelessness in Sonoma County

Swept Under the Rug: Homelessness in Sonoma County
By Kristian Acevedo

Sonoma County has nearly 3,000 homeless and houseless individuals, which ranks near the top in per capita homeless in the country. With such a problem on the county's hands, one would think that there would be a massive collective push to try to solve this issue and get these people off of the streets and into the facilities that have the support they need.

Unfortunately it seems to be increasingly the opposite around here. While there are a few programs that genuinely care about the wellbeing and future of these displaced people, more often than not we see police sweeps and city measures that are passed simply with the designs of pushing these people elsewhere. The goal is to make them someone else's problem or to fix the eye sore, rather than tackle the true increasing humanitarian crisis that has gripped this county over the last decade. Rather than have thoughtful and honest answers to tough questions, city council members and mayors alike simply push the issue away or onto the police or city commissions that have no funding to make any impact. We continue to prioritize how we look to the world at the expense of people who need our help and support.