They See Us as Thieves or Addicts

Good morning San Jose! Hope my words find you well rested and in good spirits. If not, what I have to say may hurt. I came to your city about twenty-five years ago looking for a better life. I spent four years wandering your streets with no place where I could use a toilet or even bathe in safety.

I wanted so much to fit in, to have a place I could call home. That is something I have never known in my life. I was an orphan. Won't go into details at this time. Too painful. Life is hard when you are human. There is so much to be said and so much to be left alone. I spoke of being homeless one time. For me this is a cycle that I go through. I am now in my third cycle. The second one lasted two years. There is no light at the end of the tunnel unless someone is willing to step up and help me. You may ask why anyone should care. I care! There are others like me all about your town -- senior citizens without homes to live in.

There are many we cannot help because they are not willing to be helped. I have spent enough time on the streets to know that there are different groups of people. Unfortunately many of us are mentally ill, such as myself. We have no voice to speak with.

National minimum wage is about $850.00 per month. Monthly assistance allowed by the State of California for seniors and or disabled people is pegged to this rate. The State bases our income on a forty-hour work week at the national minimum wage. The minimum wage in the State of California is now $7.25 an hour. National minimum wage is at $5.15 an hour. California has never seen fit to base our assistance on the California economy. Someone is getting the shaft my friend and it is not the state of California. We, the senior people, need an answer as to why this has been permitted to happen to us. Seniors who are disabled and trying to survive on the miserly minimum income have been shut out of the housing market. The rent takes at least the amount of your benefits. Some places have a minimum income rule, which exceeds your income on disabilities. It is time to take a stand. To demand of the society in which we live that we be treated with the same level of dignity and respect as anyone else.

Are you thinking about Section Eight Housing? I have been trying to get on the list since 1977. I'm not there yet. It is like a raffle at the county fair. Luck of the draw. They pull your ticket and you win the right to live. If not, you remain condemned to suffer society's abuse. The general public does not care about who or what you are. They see seniors the same way they see a thief or an addict.

The homeless are a growing problem for us to solve. If we have the will to do so. We can't do it in an instant. It takes time and much thought to bring a plan together. I am willing to meet with anyone who is willing to take on this task.