Homeless In Paradise

Since we moved to San Diego almost 10 years ago, we have thought of this area as paradise. Not so for everyone. The number of homeless in San Diego is over 8,500 and growing. Not every homeless person is pushing a shopping cart or carrying plastic bags with all of their belongings. They are not all haggard, drunk and dirty. There are many commonalities. Alcohol, drug addiction and mental illness are common in this population. Single men make up the largest group of homeless, but there are many families, and minorities are overrepresented. Then there are the veterans. This group, both male and female, is growing all the time. As I said, they're not all pushing shopping carts and talking to themselves. Some are families, living out of their car, or single men and women living in tunnels near freeways. Abandoned houses are also places the homeless can stay dry and relatively warm. There are shelters too, but most of them are on a first come, first come basis, and the person wanting shelter must line up early in the day if they want to get a bed for the night.

So what are we, as a society, to do? I moved here from Los Angeles, where there are over 25,000 homeless living in all parts of the city. It's not uncommon to see tents under freeways, just minutes from multi million dollar homes. It's a city of the haves and the have nots. In Brentwood, where we lived for many years, homeless men "own" their specific corner. Right in front of Vicente Foods, a specialty grocery store on San Vicente where you are likely to see Angela Lansbury or Dustin Hoffman anyday of the week, there is a Vietnam Vet, passing out poems he's written about the war and life, with hopes of making a few dollars. He's been there everyday for over 15 years, and must make enough to survive. My son David used to manage Koo Koo Roo (chicken restaurant) on San Vicente. They had one man who owned the corner, and according to him, made over $200 pan handling in front of the restaurant.

I was walking down Coast Highway recently when a 65 year old woman in jeans and a t-shirt, backpack on her back, and maybe a dozen or so plastic bags filled with clothes balanced on each arm, walked past me. My heart went out to her. What should society do with her?

I've heard that millions of Americans are just one paycheck away from homelessness. An illness, car repair or any big expense can send many people into poverty. I don't know the answer, but I commend the thousands of volunteers in our community that work so hard to feed and shelter the poor.