June 24, 2013, 05:00 AM By Brendan Bartholomew Daily Journal
Pacifica’s homeless count has increased by a staggering 900 percent.
According to a new report from the Pacifica Resource Center, the number
of homeless people counted in Pacifica has risen from just seven
individuals in 2007, to 150 in 2013. However, the report’s authors have
not dropped this bombshell without offering solutions.
The report was co-written by Anita Rees, Pacifica Resource Center
executive director, and Sheila Katz, Sonoma State University sociology
professor. They believe it’s possible to find housing for all 150
homeless individuals over the next few years. In the short term, they
advocate the creation of rotating “warming centers” which would be
hosted by local churches to keep homeless people warm and dry this
winter. They’re also calling for the creation of the Pacifica Homeless
Response Team, a task force of citizens and public servants, which would
work to find new solutions to the problem.
The most common myth about homeless Pacificans is that there
aren’t any, Rees said, because the town’s hidden homeless work hard to
stay hidden.
“In general, folks who are homeless try to stay under the radar as much as possible,” she said.
Pacifica’s most visible homeless person is a man named Danny, who
declined to give his last name. He’s a fixture next to the Quik Stop on
Crespi Drive, where passing motorists are accustomed to seeing him
every day. When asked how he wound up on the streets, he said, “I just
started walking.”
“When people think of the homeless in town, they think of Danny,”
said Rees, “They say, ‘Oh yeah, we have two homeless people in
Pacifica.’ They’re thinking of Danny and another gentleman who stays in
the back of the valley.”
Danny is atypical, Rees said. Many homeless are the working poor,
who use a variety of strategies to keep up appearances, she said,
adding that some maintain local gym memberships to use the showers.
Another myth about Pacifica’s homeless is that they’re just
passing through. Most homeless Pacificans actually have deep ties to the
community, she said.
In that respect, Danny is not atypical. He graduated from Terra
Nova High School in 1970 and played in a local rock band. Those who
remember him from the old days describe him as a brilliant guitarist.
He disagrees, however, and said he’s “just a regular one.”
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Submitted by Brendan Bartholomew
