So... did you hear about that fire last month?

Astonishing to me is how many people out there ignore the wisdom of the ages and seek to solve certain social issues by throwing massive, and I do mean MASSIVE, amounts of money (usually in the form of tax dollars) at problems. Now that we nearly 100 years of this kind of ridiculousness we should be able to look back and figure out that it never works...

Homelessness as an economic issue was created by the states and the federal government in the first place. No local community is going to end it. There are simply too many economic factors pushing the cost of living up and private sector wages down. More and more one has to have a government or tax-payer funded job in order to make ends meat which, consequently, drives the cost of living higher and private sector wages lower... It's a vicious cycle that won't be solved any time soon. 'Nuff said on that.

Homelessness as a social problem, however, is another matter entirely.

The largest single issue we have seen here in Livermore is the squalor one finds at most homeless encampments. Legislation has been issued by the city criminalizing homelessness as a result, but it still goes on. As I write this a pretty nasty one exists under the First Street Railway Overpass between Inman and Scott Street (the one near U-Haul). The objective of the legislation was to rid Livermore of such encampments especially along the Arroyos... but if you have a blanket, with intent to use it outside, you are a criminal under that law no matter where you are...

Two factions exist in Livermore: Those that want the homeless gone versus the homeless advocacy. Those that want the homeless gone seem to want the lot of us round up and shipped out of the town or even the county. Those amongst the advocacy want more services and a whole lot more money spent by government on the homeless especially for free housing. Neither will happen, and neither would have anywhere near the kind of results people hope for.

Over the course of the existence of this blog, I've documented a lot of cases where homeless people who, employed or not, avoid being a problem. These folks are darn near invisible to the rest of you. I know them because I have existed in that world. I understand how it is they survive and manage to keep under the radar.  Explaining the why of it would take volumes, but I did a blog on conduct to address the how.

I also know that when they are discovered to be homeless, they are lumped in with those abusing alcohol or methamphetamine and generally making a nuisance and a mess of themselves. It's not just the general population that does this, but those in homeless advocacy that do so. Everyone is the same, there is no distinction, you're homeless you get what you get along with the abusive thieving Meth-Addicted homeless guy who will beat you down with a shovel just for looking at him wrong...

Yes, Shower Nazi Doug, I did hear what happened... I hope you're okay...

It is incumbent upon those involved to recognize what it is they can and cannot change. The first steps were taken when the Livermore Homeless Refuge, Open Heart Kitchen and showers three days a week were implemented.

I have never been opposed to any of these operations. They are necessary in that they do, quite literally, save lives.

However, one must also recognize that these very same operations which are so necessary for the survival of many also allow those who are causing issues within our midsts to continue to do so.... Adam... Ray... Lenny... Mr. French... yes, I'm talking about you...

What I have been trying, and failing miserably, to communicate is this: there are certain standards of behaviour that cannot be tolerated by anyone, especially the advocacy, and one should not receive help without putting some form of effort in to repay the kindness.

The point is that none of these operations exist in a vacuum. For better of for worse what you do affects the community at large. Why is it that the homeless cannot perform some level of community service in order to receive help? Why is there such opposition to that idea?

Many of the homeless you will meet out and about, most of whom you would not recognize as homeless, are more than receptive to this idea. It could be as simple a thing as picking up cigarette butts in and around Livermore Parks... (or the Civic Centre Library, or the Civic Centre in general!)

Homelessness is a symptom of enormous socio-economic issues as well as personal issues. The larger issues are unsolvable on the local level. San Francisco is now housing some five thousand (formerly) homeless people in various places and, in each one of those places they bring their squalor and other problems right along with them. Places that house the (formerly) homeless are not the types of places one would want to go visit, assuming you could get though the door with so much accumulated garbage inside... yes it's that bad.

Locally it's' even worse.

Six homeless men were selected to be housed, reportedly by ABODE and the City''s Department of Human Services, though that is unconfirmed. One of them was put up at 975 Murrieta Blvd. (across from the Nob Hill Shopping Centre). I've known this one for years to have terrible problems with drugs and alcohol. He's usually not prone to violence but he has the occasional issue with it. He's been known to defecate outside the Livermore Public Library... that should be clue enough for many of you...

Well, in the wee hours of March 27, 2014 he started a fire. It gutted his taxpayer funded apartment as well as several others and left ten more people homeless (not counting this young man, he makes eleven). The report says that he attempted to extinguish it, however there seems to be more to that story. Apparently he fled the scene and returned later saying he had no idea what had happened even though he had third degree burns on one hand and his hair was burned off. Putting this man up unsupervised has proven to be a very temporary and very expensive solution... not to mention it resulted in ten more homeless people... the Red Cross put at least some of them up.

So, house six people, subtract one, and end up with ten homeless... net gain: negative five... The Housing First initiative has repeatedly failed to accomplish anything but spend massive amounts of public money.

Nobody locally or regionally is going to solve homelessness. It's here, it's going to stay with us unless there is a socio-economic sea-change. It would probably take a civil war for that to happen. Fortunately nobody alive is likely to see one of those around here.

Recognize, however, that while we cannot solve homelessness locally, we can go a very long way toward reducing the negative effects of homelessness on the community at large. In the process we can help those who are homeless cope with their circumstance and improve themselves. Standards of Behaviour and requiring some level of community service for help given will go a long way toward these ends.

I'll be at the meeting on April 30 at the Robert Livermore Community Centre.

The meeting is taking place at a very interesting point. The Livermore Homeless Refuge season ends on April 30 and it will be closed till November 1. That means that most if not all of those who use the refuge will be sleeping out of doors for the next six months. So all those issues that are going to be dealt with at the mayor's Homeless Summit will be experienced more so following that meeting than in the six months prior.

I was ambivalent about going till recently when someone posted a response to one of my old blogs asking me to attend. I'll report on what is said. I'll note anything interesting... I doubt any of the ideas above will even be mentioned... but I will be there...

In the meantime, I am in possession of a concealed blanket and am not afraid to use it.