A Publication of the Coalition on Homelessness
By Ava Cameron
Once upon a time, my Navajo people were a proud Indigenous community living on our ancestral lands, in present day Arizona and New Mexico. For years and generations, they had lived in harmony with the land, respecting and preserving its natural resources. However, as the world around them changed, the community found itself increasingly marginalized and pushed out of its traditional lands. With no power, political support or resources to fight back,
Research by TJ Johnston, Graphics by Gloria Fung
The cover art for this issue is a collage of painted works by Jaz Cameron, a street artist known for operating an open-air art gallery. You may have seen it, scotch taped to the rungs of a metal fence that runs under the freeway on Second Street between Harrison and Bryant streets in South of Market. You can find him there nearly every day, experimenting with his paints and creating something new for passersby to enjoy.
At Wood Street, a Bond No Bulldozer Can Destroy
Freeway
The sun was high, beating down mercilessly on the volunteers and advocates, as if to say, “I’m on their side, and we don’t want you here.” They, in this case, were the entire Oakland Police (OPD) force, and an endless parade of Department of Public Works (DPW) workers under the command of Oakland city administrators Harold Duffy and LaTonda Simmons.
What We’re Looking For as Prop C Funds Roll Out
BellaRoze Nelson
San Francisco is OUR home. No matter where we came from or how we ended up here, we are here. We are human, we too reminisce about the good old days, and wonder when the line between right and wrong got so hazy. The streets of San Francisco tell a brutal story of wealth, poverty and the pursuit of profit over the housing needs of human beings.
by Kenyota
Homelessness is an ever-present and ever-growing problem which seems to confound policymakers around our nation. Many believe that the current crisis facing America is one which can be easily solved through some magical stroke of a lawmaker’s pen or an elected official’s savvy decision making. However, it appears the more attention politicians have given to this issue, the greater the misunderstanding and social stigma. The best “solutions” only seem to exacerbate an already unpopular social crisis and increase a gulf of misunderstanding between those who have and those who have not.
By Johanna Elattar
Homelessness is a pressing issue affecting millions of individuals and families around the world. Among those affected by this crisis are homeless mothers who face unique challenges and struggles. Homeless mothers are often left with limited resources, inadequate support and difficult choices to make for themselves and their children.
Homeless mothers are often single parents, who have experienced traumatic events—such as domestic violence, job loss or mental illness—that have led to their homelessness.
By Jordan Davis
In March, I was in a Rules Committee meeting watching and commenting on appointments from both the mayor and Board of Supervisors to the new Homelessness Oversight Commission (HOC), a body that is purported to provide meaningful direction and oversight to the troubled Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH). I voted “no” on the charter amendment last year that created the HOC, because—unlike the recently established Sheriff’s Oversight Body,
by Ruthie Van Esso
I was homeless. I lived on the streets, and I lived in shelters. Currently I have a roof, but I am going to tell you why I am still homeless.
My biological father beat my mom for years; we escaped to an undisclosed domestic violence shelter for women and their kiddos. My mom remarried, to a wonderful man, and I had peace for some time. I went out into the world thinking I could be normal,
Story and photos by Yolanda Catzalco
Note from the editor of the People’s Tribune: The Wood Street Commons is what was recently left of a large long-established community of tents, home-made small dwellings, and vehicles, of originally 300 people, the largest of hundreds of encampments in the gentrifying East Bay city of Oakland, California. Under threat of eviction since last year, the Commons had gotten a restraining order against removal, but this was then lifted,
