Faces of Our Homeless, Facing Up to Death

» Star on 04.01.09 @ 04:12 AM

Everyday sees new homeless faces on the streets of my small California city. I guess if I was homeless, I’d want to come here too. The weather is mild and the tourists are generous.

Me? I’m blessed. I have a job (for now) and a place to stay (for now). But for how long? Statistics show that most are only a couple of paychecks away from homelessness. And with the current state of the economy, it’s only getting worse. It seems the rich are getting richer, while the poor and homeless are getting younger.

I’m a photographer who is trying to change the world, starting with my community. And you can help:

http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/starla/homeless-in-america-a-womens-plight/

Thank you for your vote!

ps. Thank you for all YOU do for our friends without homes

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» Andy Gault on 04.01.09 @ 05:27 AM

The more beds we approve the more homeless we will attract.  Enough is really enough. They are an eyesore and they really offend most people as well as our tourists.  And yes, this is a tourist town. I have had guests visit Santa Barbara and have had them accosted by some drunken types on State St.
How nice it must be to live in Santa Barbara and not pay taxes or be responsible members of our community.
Thank you ACLU for your part in this mess.

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» Me on 04.01.09 @ 06:59 AM

“Life goes on for the living” I kinda like that non-statement…can I use it?

Actually what we are witnessing as an increase in homelessness is the destruction of the middle class by liberal politicians taxing and spending us to provide for the “poor” which we seem to be importing from the third world.  Nobody helps the middle class when they hit financial crisis, because they aren’t poor enough to qualify for bailouts and assistance. They have jobs after all and cars and homes. You have to reach bottom before getting help. So - you either go up, or you go down. Most likely down if you aren’t already up in this economy. Stop government taxing and spending! Close the borders and stop importing poverty! The middle class can’t support it anymore! Without the middle class the poor get poorer and no longer have opportunities or a chance. Their numbers increase as the middle class evaporates and goes bankrupt.

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» Mike Foley on 04.01.09 @ 08:51 AM

Lara - you did an absolutely amazing job on this project.  You are incredibley talented.

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» Art on 04.01.09 @ 02:39 PM

There is no doubt that the number of homeless people, vagrants, beggars, whatever you chose to call them, are increasing significantly. They can’t all be local Santa Barbara city folk who have lost their job and their home.
Not all but many choose the beggar lifestyle. Some simply will not avail themselves of programs such as at Casa Esperanza to work themselves back into a job and a home.
I agree with Andy Gault that the mild climate and the City’s reputation for being soft on homeless and begging are attractors and enough is enough. I don’t agree with him that the number of city-funded beds is the attraction as many of those beds come with strings attached - no alcohol, no drugs, must be in a rehab program, etc. and the people that we see begging are mostly not the ones in those programs.
Yesterday I walked 2 blocks in mid-State Street from a parking lot to an appointment and passed 10 people begging and/or sleeping in the street. That’s just not right!

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» An Analogy on 04.01.09 @ 06:30 PM

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed.
What a beauty of a bird feeder it was, as I filled it lovingly with seed.
Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the
continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio; above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile; the chairs, the table; ...everywhere!
Then some of the birds turned aggressive and demand more even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.
And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder, squawked and screamed at all hours and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
Maybe we need to take down the bird feeder…....

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» Clu on 04.01.09 @ 07:49 PM

It’s easy to pretend that all SB’s homeless come from somewhere else, but the plain truth is that these are poor Santa Barbarans, mostly old and disabled but increasingly working adults, who cannot afford to live in their own town anymore.

Even the frightened individuals posting here, resentful that they are struggling to pay mortgages and bills, don’t get it. They’re next. And should they move to Bakersfield (or wherever it is homeless Santa Barbarans are being told to move these days) just because someone who is lucky enough to still have a home says so?

Further, what of homeless people in Bakersfield?  Should they move to Susanville?

Please. That’s just crazy. People don’t leave their roots and families just to go someplace where there is a shelter; there are shelters everywhere. Snap out of it. Do some research.

This has been winding up to this point for decades and our society chose to ignore it, and to instead criminalize poverty and only extend compassion and help to the occasional family with young children showing up on the streets…while the majority are vilified, criminalized, abused,killed, and thrown in jail.

In articles and letters I wrote in 1984 (how ironic!) I said then that this situation is going to get much worse before it gets better…if in fact it ever does get better.

We are now reaping the results of our failed legislation and poverty pimp social programs which refuse to recognize that a person earning $8.00 an hour or on a fixed income simply cannot survive. Turning our back on our own residents (and like it or not, they are ours) fixes nothing.

Until people are able to afford safe, clean and decent housing on their incomes, this situation will continue to get worse.

“me n andy”...grow up and get over yourselves. And be grateful you have anything at all in this economy.

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» Kathleen Baushke on 04.02.09 @ 03:46 AM

I am the ED of Transition House, Santa Barbara’s homeless shelter for families with children. We keep careful statistics on the population we serve, and year after year, over 90 percent come from Santa Barbara County. Those who come from elsewhere usually have a connection in Santa Barbara—parents or siblings who live here, they came here for a promised job, or for some other reasonable purpose.

Not once in my 16 years of involvement with the homeless in Santa Barbara have I ever met anyone who came to Santa Barbara because they were attracted to our “nice shelters.” Nor have I ever met a homeless person who truly chose to be homeless. If that is what you are told, you have to ask yourself, what was their alternative?

The people living on our streets are our neighbors, our brothers and sisters. They are our tragedy. They are our responsibility.

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» Loved the Analogy on 04.03.09 @ 03:22 PM

Great Analogy, “An Analogy”. That was the best thing I’ve read all week - I couldn’t agree more. Santa Barbara celebrates the bums. The community needs to take it upon themselves to solve the problem since it’s clear that no one else will. Stop giving them money and food and they will go away.

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» JAX on 04.05.09 @ 09:15 AM

The increase in deaths, mostly from natural causes such as illness and injury or from substance abuse (or both) are a likely result of the fact THERE ARE MORE SO-CALLED “HOMELESS” here in Santa Barbaras of late. (actually these are the sub-culture of “homeless” street people).

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» People need help out of poverty on 04.12.09 @ 03:53 PM

The business owners and corporations should make sure to pay a living wage. The disabled and the mentally ill should be taken care of by all of us. Such a thing can happen to anyone. Everyone needs help sometimes.

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