Homelessness: What are we going to do about it? – Sonoma Sun

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Sonoma Valley Sun

It’s time for the City of Sonoma to accept its responsibility to its residents – those with homes, and those without – and decide it will be a part of the solution. 

By Rachel Hundley

Homelessness is on many minds these days. It’s not a new issue, even in Sonoma, but it has landed in the spotlight after a despicable crime on the bike path – and the hastily drawn conclusion that people become dangerous when they no longer have a home. If we want to start making generalizations, then a more telling statistic is the fact that most sexual assailants are young men… but I’m not here to make generalizations. I’m here to talk about our broken system that is causing an increasing number of people in Sonoma, Sonoma County, and California to become homeless.

Across the country, 17 out of every 10,000 people are homeless. In California, it is 39 out of every 10,000. This translates into at least 43 people for a city the size of Sonoma and almost 200 people in the Sonoma Valley area, and that’s on any given night. Homelessness is a product of our broken system, and it isn’t going anywhere.

The question, then, is what are we going to do about it?

First, we have to accept that Sonoma is not immune to homelessness. The most frequent causes of it in Sonoma County – loss of a job, argument with friend or family, alcohol or substance abuse, and eviction – happen here. As do the biggest obstacles to finding housing once lost – unaffordable rent and low wages.

There’s a common myth that floats around when the subject of homelessness comes up: “Those people aren’t from here.” This simply isn’t true. Talk to anyone who works or volunteers to provide struggling people in Sonoma with the basic necessities of food and a safe place to sleep, and they will tell you that two-thirds of the people they encounter are, in fact, from “here.”

Second, we have to be honest with ourselves. We have to be honest when we don’t really understand a problem. We have to be honest when our actions are being driven by fear. A lack of understanding combined with fear has led to the horrendous treatment of marginalized communities throughout our history, and the current attitudes towards “homeless people” (but more accurately, people who are homeless) seems to be moving in a similar direction.

Third, we have to decide we want to be a part of the solution. Homelessness is a complex and challenging issue. Beyond the initial cause of losing somewhere to live, the experience of homelessness reveals and creates additional obstacles. Lack of sleep. Malnutrition. Chronic pain. Dental, respiratory, and skin issues. Depression. Anxiety. Substance abuse. By ignoring the problem – not of the homeless of our community themselves but of the fact that it happens – we make the problem worse.

For a long time, the City of Sonoma took a back seat on this issue and relied on a network of small organizations to provide food and shelter. Two years ago, Councilmember Madolyn Agrimonti and I recognized we needed to do more, and we embarked on a successful mission to secure more county, state, and federal money for homelessness support services than Sonoma Valley has ever received.

Clearly, we must do more. It is time for the City of Sonoma to accept its responsibility to its residents – those with homes, and those without – and decide it will be a part of the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we certainly can do more.

It has seemed some of my colleagues were hell bent on dismantling our existing homelessness services in Sonoma without any plan or desire to substitute something better. 

I have outlined two proposed plans (see below) addressing our community’s immediate concerns about the Field of Dreams in the short term and partnering with either the county or the other cities in the county to create a regional strategy for addressing homelessness. Both plans (one highlighted here) call for the City of Sonoma to put its money where its mouth is and increase its financial investment.

Rachel Hundley is a member of the Sonoma City Council. R[email protected]

Compassionate Action Plan for Homelessness in Sonoma

Option A: City + County Collaboration

SHORT TERM

1. Working Group. Form working group of representatives from Field of Dreams, concerned parents, Sonoma Overnight Support, community members who are or have been homeless, police, and other interested parties to identify specific issues and propose solutions concerning operations of current homelessness services (e.g. safe parking program, day services at The Haven, winter overnight shelter) and Field of Dreams and other uses of nearby public and private property