A Potential Solution for Fullerton’s Homeless Crisis
Sometimes stuff pops up that you couldn’t possibly make up. The latest Fullerton Observer includes a piece co-authored by Curtis Gamble and Sankia Kennedy and features the headline I used, above.
To start off with I have to say I can’t think of two people less likely to come up with a potential solution for anything.
Poor Curtis Gamble is just a perpetually discombobulated fellow who takes an opportunity a couple times a month to polish his sense of self-importance at city council meetings, generally offering comments on things he knows nothing about. He presumes to advocate for the homeless, bus drivers, students, etc., etc., people who would probably just as soon forgo his representation. Co-author Saska Kennedy is thoroughly annoying too, although she, like her older sister, Sharon, is propelled by the ideological dogma of the self-righteous and sanctimonious left.
Their “article” presumes there is a homeless crisis in Fullerton. And it offers that homeless seniors represent 20% of this crisis. Their potential solution? Use the Rancho La Paz senior mobile home park as some sort of permanent housing for the homeless, moving them into trailers as they are vacated.
I can’t conceive of a worse idea: a village of homeless people assigned property, not their own, to live in and presumably maintain. Somehow the pathologies of homelessness – schizophrenia, drug abuse, living in filth would be rectified by mobile home park living. Cooking, cleaning, job hunting, health maintenance all self-performed by the newly housed, one concludes. Of course professional do gooders from Illumination Foundation (as a for instance) will be on hand to dispense “behavioral” admonitions and the necessary modalities.
The biggest unstated obstacle, and one that Curtis and Skansia work really hard to ignore is the fact that the mobile home park has an owner. When last I heard, that fellow is a real estate and numismatist named John Saunders who has been villainized by Fullerton Boohoo for raising rents on his ground leases and who, I believe, is highly unlikely to go along with Homeless Village. Well, maybe he would if the City were to reimburse him for rents and maintenance costs and policing of the village. That would cost a fortune.
The article fails to mention that typically land, not the mobile homes are owned by a guy like Saunders. A trailer wouldn’t be available unless purchased by somebody for the homeless purpose, or just abandoned by the owner.
Then there’s the issue of joint sovereignty. The south half of Rancho La Paz is in Anaheim, not Fullerton, so there’s that.
When I was done reading this nonsense I was left wondering its purpose. Is it just gratuitous virtue signaling? A Big Idea hatched by the disoriented Curtis Gamble and advertised by the Kennedy Sisters? Hard to say. But one thing is certain. The piece projects the typical lack of pragmatism that is the hallmark of the Homeless Industrial Complex, so maybe it has a chance – if politicians can be seen to be throwing money at a problem absent results.
Fullerton and Anaheim have already gone round and round on subsidizing rents or imposing rent control on Saunders’ property – with all of the attendant hand wringing that goes with this sort of thing.
This is a “solution” in search of another solution.
Agreed
I know! Let’s just take the Fullerton part and kick out the residents start with that obnoxious little yard gnome with the suspenders.
Agree
Saksia’s ignorance is oceanic. Poor Curtis Gamble: advocate for the discombobulated.
Kennedy sisters could possibly be homless at this point.
“I can’t conceive of a worse idea: a village of homeless people assigned property, not their own, to live in and presumably maintain.”
That’s because you’re a fucking moron with a desolate withered heath where your soul should be. The limits of your compassion and imagination are of interest to zero people in the world. Yet here you are publishing it.
Housing first is of course an obvious solution to homeless. It is a solution simply by definition. If you are housed, you are no longer homeless.
Does anyone believe that making someone not homeless is the end of everyone’s problems? No. You still need wraparound services. Anyone homeless likely doesn’t have vital documents in order, they may have substance abuse issues, they may have mental health issues they need help addressing.
But the common factor in all of the issues you can list with the homeless population: they are all hard if not impossible to address while the person is unhoused. Which is why “housing first” is a thing. But of course “housing first” is not “housing only.”
Straw man arguments are a fiends for Fullerton’s failure specialty.
As to ownership of the property… no shit sherlock. Short of human beings, someone owns everything you can see. No one is unaware of this. If it was to happen it would obviously be a business arrangement to acquire or lease the property.
Oh yeah: fuck you guys.
Good Lord you’re dumb. You are obviously propelled by the ideological dogma of the self-righteous and sanctimonious left.
Try being nicer. Even conservative dillholes can be nice.
Hogerhooter, Saksia, and Curtis Gamble. Now there’s a brain trust.
Be nicer says the man who just uttered “fuck you guys” to end his rant.
JRH = deluxe hypocrite
Typical bloviation. Jargon and mo’ money.
You really haven’t been paying attention to”housing first” for the last fifteen years.
Do yourself a favor and ask Curtis how his life turned around after getting a five figure check from the city.
Housing first doesn’t work for the chronically mentally ill or those struggling with addiction. Even if it did, condemning private property, aside from being wildly illegal in the proposed case, isn’t ethical when the private use of “low income housing” gets replaced by the exact same public use.
You are just so goddamn angry, John. You and Shana slurping from the same noodle bowl these days?
Hear
HEAR
The Homeless Ad Hoc committee was pre laden with homeless advocates.
Only one residential advocate.
Rusty Kennedy was the chair, completely disregarding me, as I would not sign the formal recommendations to city council.
Lalalalala
When EV Free was used as a homeless shelter, one of the homeless drug addicts roaming around, broke into a house, confronting a. woman in the shower.
Drug addicts and mentally ill have erratic. destructive behaviors.
Blah, blah, blah. You ignored all the practical reasons the idea is hare-brained. Making you a hare-brain. Typical boohoo.
The Angry Elf cannot stay silent.
I am sure that a request for govt incentives paid by us, the taxpayers, is next on the agenda for relocating transients to La Paz. And I’m sure Illumination Foundation has lots of investors who would be interested.
And what exactly are wraparound services anyway?
“And what exactly are wraparound services anyway?”
Type that exact sentence into a google.
How does THE advocate for the OCTA bus drivers, homeless, seniors, & veterans have time to pen an article for the Kennedy propaganda paper? ChatGPT must have ghost written it for him and the moron Saskia.
Poor Curtis didn’t write anything.
https://shorter.me/Hogerhuis
Please show a little class with your endevour if you can.
Housing First is a complete and total failure !
Housing does not cure mental illness nor drug addicts.
Everyone is “housing ready” , sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even criminal histories are not necessary to succeed in housing.
Tenants are not required to participate in services as a condition of tenancy.
They can continue their destructive behaviors, and invite friends over to participate.
Low barrier admission policies !
Supportive services are voluntary and not required.
The Homeless Industrial Complex is money in the pockets of non profits, faith organizations, builders, developers, attorneys, judges, ACLU, and city coffers.
Curtis why are you not working. I’m getting extremely tired of hearing from you. I remember when you said the homeless could purchase the Hunt Branch Library for homeless residents.
Everyone knows they are all subsidized with fed and state money.
This is BS
CROF
Concerned Residents Of Fullerton
Residential Advocates
Housing first not housing only, Marlene.
What do you call housing first when it fails, John?
I’d really like to know.
I’d also really like to know the success rate for “housing first” over the last five years.
Go flush again.
Housing First, was just another fad, nothing more than a slogan. A homeless unit costs $500,000 in Orange County. The City of Anaheim admitted this during the latest Disney deal.
$10,000,000 will get you 20 units. Hogrehous is a goddamn fool.
No programmatic prerequisites to housing first entry.
Such as , sobriety, drug or alcohol treatment, or agreeing to comply with a treatment regimen upon entry.
They are encouraged to continue their their destructive lifestyle.
A complete waste of money, and a total Catastrophe !
NO THANKS
CROF
Concerned Residents Of Fullerton
Residential Advocates
The problem is not housing. The problem is the human heart and mind.
The problem is mental illness and drug addiction.
Creating a health and safety crisis for all
Marlene, I completely agree with your statement. The escalating issues of mental illness and drug addiction are indeed creating a profound health and safety crisis that affects everyone. These challenges are not just personal struggles but are deeply intertwined with broader societal issues, impacting public safety, healthcare systems, and community cohesion. Addressing these problems requires a comprehensive approach that includes improved access to mental health services, addiction treatment programs, and community support systems. It’s crucial that we recognize the severity of these issues and commit to finding effective solutions that can mitigate their devastating impact on individuals and society as a whole. However, I don’t believe our federal, state, or local governments are capable of properly and successfully addressing this issue. This leaves it up to us, the people, to ensure that things are kept under control.
How ridiculous. The City has to solve the homeless problem?
Very sad all the homeless money California has received, but cannot account for.
I believe there are organizations that are calling for accountability….
Like I said before; non profits, builders, developers, attorneys, judges, ACLU, city coffers, faith organizations.
The Homeless Industrial Complex
Indeed. The County of Orange has spent untold tens/hundreds of millions into this morass and has NOTHING to show for it.
Like I said, the human heart and mind — where mental illness and drug addiction grow.
Federal and state money spent on homelessness is over 44 billion dollars in 7 years. Comprehensive audit found no improved outcome at all. Where did the 44 billion tax dollars go Saskia Kennedy? Or are you just too dumb or too delusional to ask? Stupid fraud.
That would sure feed a lot of hungry kids at school.
$44,000,000,000 or Hogerhuis goes into a goddamn conniption.
Liberal, indeed.
Good heavens. We all know the gov clown car has no rear view mirror.
There are already two proven, effective solutions to homelessness: work and prison.
I absolutely agree.
We can arrest ourselves out of homelessness !