Graphic Truths About Unhoused Humans

San Diego’s Variety of Poverty Mythology Exposed by Coleen Cusack

Note from Doug: Coleen Cusack is relentless in her advocacy on behalf of San Diego’s unhoused population. She represents individuals pro bono facing legal challenges in court. And she wins.

*** Google mail will only show part of this story. Click on “View Entire Message”***

There are many assumptions and half-truths about the most downtrodden of us all. The sad part of this is that people who ought to (and probably do) know better are repeating twisted and/or half-truths to justify policies and actions making the problem worse. 

Metaphorically speaking, every tent on the sidewalk looks like a nail to our hammer wielding gendarmes.  

On Saturday, Cusack published a comprehensive bit of truth telling on what used to be Twitter –now simply “X”- about the faulty assumptions behind local policies aimed at unhoused humans; how money is wasted on cruel and unusual punishments, and the futility of the current approach by elected officials and government agencies.

Since many people can’t be bothered with what can be a pointless online experience, I’ve reformatted all 38 parts of her account, along with the graphics she included. Consider it an exposition published in the graphics forward format popular in certain literary circles today. 

Coleen has already declared that she’s running to replace D3 Councilperson Stephen Whitburn, the vessel used by our executive leadership to introduce a supposed “ban” street encampments. (https://coleen4sd.com/)

I’m not ready to endorse anybody in next year’s political contests, but find the gumption to tell hard truths attractive. 

It’s my opinion that any discussion related to poverty in this country that does not include fundamental truths about the economy is a pointless exercise. We’re being propagandized to express our frustrations in life at everybody but the fat cats responsible for pain and misery in every corner of society.

***Here we go… By Coleen Cusack

Criminalizing homeless persons for being homeless is futile, expensive, counter-productive and cruel. First, I will address the futility:

EVERY study has shown criminalization won't end homelessness. Instead, it makes homelessness longer, more traumatic and ensures some will never escape homelessness. 

We pay 73.15 police officers $24,469,812 a year to hand tickets to 6500 homeless people who have no shot at fitting inside the 1,784 shelter beds. (NOTE: image is a few months old; we're now down to 1748 shelter beds). Issuing tickets won't make 6500 people fit in 1748 beds.

We are taking on more water on a sinking ship than we are bailing out. Police, through criminalization add water to the boat that housing specialists are frantically trying to bail out and keep from sinking.

Criminalization is also expensive; we pay a premium to be cruel. Compassionate options of housing and education are far cheaper.

For the cost to house one homeless person in jail for a year, ($94K) we could house three persons paying market rate rent ($29K). With that same money, we could fund scholarships for two persons to attend SDSU ($44K). 

Police are not housing homeless people but perpetuating homelessness through criminalization. We need to readjust our spending priorities. Homelessness is a policy choice. 

We also lose federal funding by criminalizing homeless persons. Federal government doesn't want to waste their money handing it to a city that is making homelessness worse by criminalizing. We need those federal dollars if we're going to end homelessness.

With awards totaling more than $2 billion, HUD funding is the largest single source of funding cities receive to address homelessness. We lose out on this funding source we need to end homelessness by criminalizing.

Imagine how better we could spend the money we pay the police to criminalize. This would also free up those officers to address violent crime and respond to calls about actual criminals. Win, win! 

Criminalization is counter-productive. This contributes to its futility and expense. 

BEST EVIDENCE informs us that criminalizing homelessness only makes it harder for people to find housing, perpetuating the problem and increasing the cost to taxpayers. Indeed, there have been no studies that have ever found differently. It is smart to follow best evidence

Jail is one of the leading causes of homelessness. Arresting people who are struggling to improve their situation entrenches them further in homelessness. It's a vicious cycle. 

Criminalization is also cruel and unjust. This should be reason in and of itself to discontinue the practice, regardless of it's futility, counter-productiveness and expense.

SDPD has a racial profiling problem that has persisted without remediation and has gotten worse. This is partly why SDPD cannot attract quality recruits. No one wants to take a job and immediately have their reputation plummet because of reputation of department.

Systemic and institutional racism already contributes to the homelessness of racial minorities. Targeting this population for criminalization compounds the racial inequities

But if police were being fair, we'd see white homeless persons and black homeless persons arrested at rates proportionate to their population in the homeless community. But even when criminalizing, police target Black homeless persons more than White homeless persons. 

Criminalization is yet another tool for police to target racial minorities for enforcement. 

Remember: Police have been given permission by the courts and their employers to lie. The only time they cannot lie is if under oath or when talking to an internal affairs investigator. For this reason, they make terrible social workers, a task where trust is paramount. 

SDPD Officer Colin Governski framed a homeless man for a crime that never happened, lying under oath three times. The body worn camera eventually exonerated the homeless man. See the video and read the testimony here:  https://voiceofsandiego.org/2017/08/01/body-cam-footage-shows-cop-gave-false-testimony-in-homeless-case/

This man was arrested for overnight camping in Balboa Park when he admitted to police he had covered his head with cardboard to stay dry while it was raining. 

When we went to court, I asked for discovery. The city refused. The court ordered discovery be produced, but again the city refused. The case was dismissed because the prosecutor didn't want to turn over to the man they were prosecuting the evidence they had against him. 

The city appealed, contending the city shouldn't have to provide the homeless person evidence before trial. The appellate court found city's position ludicrous in this opinion: People v. Matthew Houser (2022) 78 http://Cal.App.5th Supp. 1. https://casetext.com/case/people-v-houser-23

After the opinion was issued, the California District Attorney's Office petitioned the California Supreme Court to have opinion depublished. This would make it easier for city attorney to continue refusing to provide discovery to the homeless persons the police arrest. 

Criminalization results in increased deaths among the homeless population whose life expectancy is already 20 years shy of the life expectancy of a person who has housing. 

Criminalization has contributed to the staggering increase of deaths among the homeless population in San Diego.

Politicians tell you homeless persons are mentally ill drug users as a way to excuse their own failures to shelter and house persons experiencing homelessness. Don't let them get away with this lie. 

The most recent Point-in-Time count of the homeless, 28% of unsheltered persons and 18% of persons in shelter suffered serious mental illness. Only 21% of unsheltered persons and 13 percent of persons in shelter have substance use disorder. 

The most recent Point-in-Time count documented the rise of unsheltered seniors. There are only 60 bridge shelter beds available for seniors and these aren't available until the senior is first matched with housing. That could take years. 

It's not surprising most people believe this as politicians have been lying about this fact for years, in an effort to excuse the politicians failures to shelter and house homeless persons as they promised they would to get elected. 

Homeless persons suffering from substance abuse and serious mental illness are the more visible homeless as because of their struggles they do not concern themselves with hiding from view. Remember, the visible homeless are but a fraction of the actual homeless population. 

Overwhelming majority of homeless persons in California are from California and became homeless renting or homeowning in California.

Disabled persons, caretaker companions, and persons unable to manage their activities of daily living (i.e. persons who suffer from incontinence) are "KNOWN GAPS IN THE SYSTEM," for whom the city funds no shelter beds.

Only 30% of those seeking shelter beds are placed into shelter beds. The City turned away 3,238 homeless humans seeking shelter over a 103-day period.

In #SanDiego, shelter beds are only available for less than 3 hours each day before they are full. Only about 55 of the 1784 beds are available in any given day.

It is cruel and fiscally irresponsible to pay police $24,469,812 a year to force people into shelters, when there aren't enough shelter beds for those seeking shelter and the beds fill up in three hours without any help from police. 

Where will they go? If we represented each homeless person as 1 ml of water, the 2000 ml container represents the city funded shelter offerings while the homeless persons are represented by 1.7 gallons of water. Clearly, the water will not fit in the funded shelter beds. 

Criminalization is futile, expensive, counter-productive and cruel. Criminalization will not end homelessness. With kindness, compassion and a trauma-informed understanding, we can and we must permanently house all homeless humans. Only then will we end homelessness.