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Creative source

Rhetorical situation:

Writer: Darryl Holmes

Text/Subject: A poem about homelessness, capturing the heartache, struggle and perseverance of those who find themselves living on the streets

Audience: General US population

Context: Experiences of a homeless person

Holmes, Darryl. “Lost in the Streets.” Medium, Medium, 7 Feb. 2023, medium.com/@darrylholmes82/lost-in-the-streets-31017a595698.

Summary: The poem weaves a narrative of a soul adrift in the unforgiving streets, finding nowhere to call home. It speaks of a heart that continues to beat, though burdened by the weight of losing its dwelling, a mind filled with the haunting echoes of woe, and a life that persists in solitude. The verses poetically personify the elements – rain, wind, and cold – as metaphors for the formidable challenges faced by those without shelter, amplifying the harshness of their daily existence.

The poem artfully contrasts past moments of joy with the current struggles, highlighting the stark absence of warmth, soothing voices, and guiding companionship. Through the vivid imagery, it emphasizes the profound impact of homelessness on individuals who once laughed, dreamed, and sang, only to find themselves whispering mournful tunes in the silence of the streets. Despite the hardships, the verses celebrate the resilience of those navigating homelessness, expressing courage and maintaining hope for a brighter tomorrow.

The concluding lines carry a powerful call to action, urging readers not to overlook the homeless but rather to extend love, shelter, and sustenance. The poem passionately advocates for the acknowledgment of the worth and preciousness of every soul on the street, compelling society to recognize its shared responsibility in offering support and alleviating the profound struggles faced by those experiencing homelessness. In its lyrical verses, the poem becomes a plea for compassion, empathy, and tangible efforts to bring solace to those living on the margins of society.

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A Poem on Homelessness and Hope

Image by DALL·E 2

This is poem I wrote about homelessness, capturing the heartache, struggle and perseverance of those who find themselves living on the streets. This poem is not just a reflection of the current state of homelessness, but a call to action to support those who are in need and to bring hope into their lives. It is a tribute to the courage, strength, and dignity of the homeless, reminding us all of the importance of compassion and empathy in our world.

This poem serves as a reminder that every life is valuable and deserves our attention and care. May it inspire us to be more empathetic and to work towards creating a world where everyone has a place to call home. May we never forget that behind every homeless person is a story, a heart, and a soul worth fighting for.

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This is poem I wrote about homelessness, capturing the heartache, struggle and perseverance of those who find themselves living on the streets. This poem is not just a reflection of the current state...

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Creative source

Rhetorical situation:

Writer: Aaron Hill

Text/Subject: A poem about the writer's personal experiences of being homeless

Audience: General US population

Context: Experiences of a homeless person

“Just Do What You Can: A Poem on the Challenges of Being Homeless.” Pallet Shelter, palletshelter.com/blog/a-poem-on-the-challenges-of-being-homeless/. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.

Summary: The author reflects on the harsh realities of homelessness, describing the extremes of weather and the challenges of finding shelter during holidays. The narrator expresses feelings of loneliness, noting a reluctance to trust people. The closure of libraries adds to the struggle of finding a place to sleep, facing issues of private and public property. Navigating bureaucracy is portrayed as a challenging and empathy-lacking process, questioning the lack of compassion for people in need. The hardships are likened to historical periods such as the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, emphasizing the cyclical nature of economic recessions. The narrator draws from personal experience, recounting a time when a stranger's unexpected kindness, offering boots and a pizza gift card, restored their faith in humanity. The narrative concludes with a call for empathy and a reminder that small acts of kindness, like a smile or offering assistance, can make a significant impact in the lives of those facing homelessness. The author encourages readers to do what they can to help, citing a personal experience as proof that individuals have the power to restore faith in humanity through simple acts of compassion.

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Just Do What You Can: A poem on the challenges of being homeless - Pallet Shelter

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Elevating the voices of people with lived experience with homelessness, recovery, and incarceration is integral to Pallet's mission.

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Write a paragraph on ways we can get more people to acknowledge the constant increase in homelessness, and how we can help lower the the number of unhoused people

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(done)California homeless population grew by 22,000 over pandemic

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(done)California homeless population grew by 22,000 over pandemic

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Informational source

Rhetorical situation:

Writer: MANUELA TOBIAS

Text/Subject: An article that describes how homelessness has increased drastically over the pandemic

Audience: General US population

Context: Rise in homelessness

Tobias, Manuela. “California Homeless Population Grew by 22,000 over Pandemic.” CalMatters, 6 Oct. 2022, calmatters.org/housing/2022/10/california-homeless-crisis-latinos/.

Summary: California's first statewide snapshot of homelessness since the pandemic reveals a significant increase, with at least 22,500 more people experiencing homelessness over the past three years, bringing the total to 173,800. The rise is attributed to the pandemic-induced drops in earnings and a worsening housing affordability crisis. Despite a 15% growth in homelessness, attributed partly to pandemic safety nets, the issue worsened for the state's Latino population. Critics note the state's spending of over $14 billion on homelessness, while advocates argue that the response is only beginning. The creation of over 14,000 shelter beds between 2019 and 2021 is acknowledged, but the lack of permanent, affordable housing remains a critical challenge. The unsheltered count, reflecting those in tents, cars, and unfit spaces, grew by about 7% between 2019 and 2022, reaching 116,600 people. Concerns about the accuracy of the counts arise, especially regarding unsheltered individuals, as they depend on volunteers' observations on a given winter's night every other year. Technical glitches and the Omicron variant's impact also affected the counts. Detailed local reports highlight a troubling trend: while Black people continue to be overrepresented among the homeless, there's a significant increase in homelessness among Latinos, particularly in Los Angeles, where the homeless Latino population spiked by 26%. Preliminary nationwide figures are expected to be released in December, contributing to determining federal funding allocation. The data underscores the urgency of addressing the housing crisis, particularly among marginalized communities disproportionately affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic.

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The latest point-in-time count of California's homeless population shows that it increased at roughly the same pace as previous years, although it appears to have disproportionately affected Latinos. Experts say homelessness interventions are paying off but "the inflow is killing us."

The first statewide snapshot of California's homelessness crisis since the pandemic hit reveals that the number of people without a stable place to call home increased by at least 22,500 over the past three years, to 173,800.

That's based on a CalMatters analysis of the federal government's point-in-time count, a biennial headcount of people sleeping on the streets and in shelters tallied by California cities and counties earlier this year for the first time since 2019.

Homelessness experts mostly attribute the rise to precipitous drops in earnings during the pandemic among Californians already teetering on the edge. They also point to a worsening housing affordability crisis that is decades in the making.

"We have to solve this rotting core in the center of California, which is that we are a million units short of housing for extremely low-income workers," said Margot Kushel, director of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.

While homelessness grew by 15%, roughly the same pace as in recent years - something experts credit to pandemic-era safety nets like rental assistance, eviction moratoria and stimulus checks - the data also indicates the problem has gotten worse for the state's Latino population.

Critics are quick to point out the state is spending more than $14 billion on homelessness. But advocates say its response is just now beginning.

"​​The price tag is bigger now," said Tomiquia Moss, founder and chief executive of All Home, a San Francisco-based homeless policy organization. "Meanwhile, the inflow is killing us."

The numbers show the state's investment in shelters is bearing fruit. California created more than 14,000 shelter beds between 2019 and 2021, federal data shows. And local organizations reported this year the number of people staying in emergency and longer-stay shelters ballooned by nearly the same amount, from 42,800 to 57,200 people - a 33% increase since 2019.

But there still isn't nearly enough permanent, affordable housing to bring people indoors for good.

"Most people, most politicians, when they talk about homelessness, it's, 'We're going to build X number of shelters.' It's shelter, shelter, shelter," said Christopher Weare, president of the Center for Homeless Inquiries. "Well, all of this construction of shelters doesn't really change the scope of the problem."

Meanwhile, the unsheltered count, or the number of people staying in tents, tarps, cars and other spaces unfit for human habitation, grew by about 7% between 2019 and 2022, to 116,600 people. That's a bump, but perhaps not reflective of the growing palpability of the crisis that dominates local headlines, political debates and neighborhood discussions.

Can we trust the numbers?

Not completely.

The unsheltered numbers are collected by volunteers every other year on a given winter's night, and depend largely on their untrained eyes. That means people who are couch-surfing, crouched in less visible spots, or staying in cars without telltale signs of habitation go undetected. The sheltered counts, collected by service providers, are more accurate.

The accuracy of the tallies depends largely on how many people show up to count. When local agencies rallied volunteers in the early months of the year, the Omicron variant was still tearing through the state. Technical glitches in apps used to count people also threw things off: The unsheltered count in Venice, a postcard example of homelessness in Los Angeles, inexplicably dropped from 509 people in 2019 to 0 amid reports of user errors and poor internet connection.

"I was surprised that the increase wasn't larger across the state," said Arturo Baiocchi, an assistant professor of social work at California State University, Sacramento. "Communities reported many more vehicles that are being used for shelter, and larger encampments, and that didn't necessarily correlate with a larger unsheltered count. For me, I'm going to wait until 2023 before I feel pretty confident about what's going on across the state."

Baiocchi, who helped conduct Saramento's point-in-time count, documented a startling 67% jump, or an additional 3,700 people experiencing homelessness in the city and county since 2019.

While far from perfect, the count offers the only statewide look at unsheltered homelessness in California, particularly among people who aren't enrolled in services and therefore overlooked by their tracking metrics. The federal government also takes it seriously: The numbers help determine how much funding flows where.

The feds expect to release their report on the national tally to Congress in early- to mid-December, which gives them time to iron out the kinks presented by the mish-mash of local methodologies. The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state housing department declined to comment on the data, citing pending final results.

Latino homelessness on the rise

More detailed local reports reveal a troubling trend. While Black people continue to be overrepresented on the street, more and more Latinos are falling into homelessness.

The city and county of Los Angeles, for example, saw its total homeless population rise by 4% from 2020 to 69,000 people, an increase of 2,700 people. But its homeless Latino population spiked by 26%, or nearly 6,000 folks. Los Angeles is home to 40% of the state's homeless population and is seen by experts as a bellwether for homelessness in the state.

Latinos were long on the economic brink before being disproportionately sickened, killed and economically devastated by the pandemic, said Melissa Chinchilla, health services specialist and associate investigator at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute.

"I think for a long time, the Latino advocates in homeless services felt that the numbers were actually not reflective of how bad the situation was or how high the need was," Chinchilla said.

When state and local governments implemented pandemic programs to help people stay afloat, many Latinos were shut out, she said. Some people paid under the table, like house cleaners or field workers, may have struggled to qualify for unemployment insurance, while others with informal leases or language barriers ran up against similar problems with rental assistance.

And while California had laws to guard against eviction during the pandemic, undocumented immigrants were less likely to use them because of their precarious legal status. Plus, thousands of people got evicted during the pandemic anyway.

"My daughter keeps her room clean and she thinks she owns the room for ever and ever. It's not even like a (full) room but it's her side, you know?"
Juana Velasquez, tiny home resident

As those safety nets dissolve, experts worry the trend could play out at scale.

"Is (the rise in Latino homelessness) a harbinger of what increases could look like in the broader population, as some of these pandemic relief measures fade away? As eviction restrictions are rolled back?" said Alex Visotzky, senior California Policy Fellow at the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Latinos might be especially leery of turning to the government for help, too, said Juana Velasquez, a single mother of three born to Mexican parents in San José, California. She asked to be identified by her birth name to protect her family's identity.

"Hispanic families, my family for example, they're like stuck in the past," she said.

Velasquez said she was furloughed by her retail job when the pandemic hit and could no longer afford to pay the room she had been renting following a divorce. She and her three young kids bounced from their car, relatives' couches and motels for about a year, making them the type of homeless family most likely to go unnoticed by official metrics.

Last summer, they landed a spot in a gated community of tiny homes funded by the city of San José. The spot is not permanent, but instead defined as transitional housing, a form of shelter. Velasquez recognizes the two-bedroom, 235-square-foot tiny home is not a long-term solution, but calls it a stepping stone as she lingers on multiple waitlists for low-income apartments.

"My unit is nice and clean, it's colored white," she said. "It makes it relaxing. My daughter keeps her room clean and she thinks she owns the room for ever and ever. It's not even like a (full) room but it's her side, you know?" she said.

She peppers descriptions of the tiny home with words like safety, security, doors and locks.

"Nobody can walk into my house, just barge in and kind of hurt us," Velasquez said. "I come from a divorce. That left me a lot of black holes. But somehow I patched them up and now we have security."

'The housing doesn't exist'

Experts attribute the impressive bump in shelter capacity to Project Roomkey, Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature program to shelter people most vulnerable to the virus in underutilized hotel and motel rooms during the pandemic. The state secured more than 16,000 rooms at the program's height in August 2020, which has dwindled to about 5,000 beds, according to the state Department of Social Services.

"The governor deserves a lot of credit," said Weare, from the Center for Homeless Inquiries. "They mobilized. The problem is that that's over."

Project Homekey, Newsom's longer-term initiative to convert hotels, motels and office buildings, is expected to create more than 12,000 interim and permanent homeless housing units in the next few years.

Shana Funderburk, who goes by her middle name, Sunshine, stayed in a Project Roomkey unit in Sacramento when the count was carried out in February. But after they shut down her motel this spring, the 52-year-old woman who has been homeless for more than 11 years went back to the street.

"The protocol is to get us into a shelter and then I guess somebody picks up the ball from there, and then they help you get housing, or something," she said. "It just seems like we're being thrown into shelters and then forgotten."

About a fifth, or 12,000 of more than 55,000 people who left Project Roomkey, graduated to permanent housing, while about 9,000 people returned to the street, according to the state Department of Social Services. The majority of participants moved to either congregate shelter, temporary housing, institutions or unknown destinations.

"It just seems like we're being thrown into shelters and then forgotten."
Shana Funderburk, former project roomkey resident

Funderburk is now staying in what the city refers to as safe grounds, city-sanctioned camps where people get meals, security and services, like mental health counseling. Her tent is lined up against a chain-link fence, which makes her feel like a zoo exhibit as she brushes her teeth in the morning.

"I'm sure it's not good for the folks that have to drive by and see that and it's not exactly comforting for us either," she said.

But the case workers - her "Jiminy Crickets" - keep her motivated to treat her PTSD and other health issues and search for housing. Funderburk hopes she can eventually move into an apartment, mainly so she can help other people get indoors. That dream remains elusive.

"It's multiple-year waitlists. It's having a voucher and you can't find a place and you have to file extensions," said Kaylee Hrisoulas, a local social worker who works with Funderburk. "It's deposits that are just so high. The housing doesn't exist. That prolongs how long people have to be out here."

more on housing

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California homeless population grew by 22,000 over pandemic

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The number of homeless people in California increased at roughly the same pace as previous years. It appears to have disproportionately affected Latinos.

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A New Study Paints a Different Picture of Homelessness in California

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A New Study Paints a Different Picture of Homelessness in California

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Informational source

Rhetorical situation:

Writer: Aidan Gardiner

Text/Subject: An article that describes how homelessness has increased and how we are able to slowly combat this problem

Audience: General US population

Context: Rise in homelessness

Gardiner, Aidan. “A New Study Paints a Different Picture of Homelessness in California.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 June 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/us/california-homelessness-study.html.

Summary: A recent study conducted by the University of California, San Francisco challenges common myths about homelessness in California, revealing a more nuanced reality. The research, led by Dr. Margot Kushel, Director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, portrays individuals who were working and living in poverty in the state until unforeseen circumstances led to them losing their homes. This loss triggers a devastating cascade effect, impacting their health, mental well-being, and substance use, creating what Dr. Kushel calls a "personal doom loop." California, grappling with severe income inequality, high living costs, and a shortage of affordable housing, currently has over 171,000 homeless individuals, comprising 30% of the national total. The study highlights that these individuals tend to be older than average and are disproportionately likely to be Black or Native American. Dr. Kushel underscores the problem as a result of the toxic combination of deep poverty and exorbitant housing costs, emphasizing the state's lack of housing for its impoverished population. The research focused on eight diverse counties, both rural and urban, surveying 3,200 adults and conducting in-depth interviews with 365 participants. Many interviewees revealed that they had temporarily avoided homelessness by doubling up with friends or family, only to have those arrangements disintegrate. Most interviewees expressed their lack of awareness regarding impending homelessness until just days before it occurred. The study also shed light on the inadequate support systems, with participants expressing a lack of knowledge about available assistance. The majority of those interviewed expressed a desire for permanent housing and disclosed that a modest increase of $300 per month could have prevented their descent into homelessness and facilitated their recovery. The research team collaborated with individuals who had experienced homelessness, such as Claudine Sipili, ensuring a respectful and dignified approach to data collection. Sipili, who went through a year of homelessness following a divorce, emphasized the importance of humanizing the study data to inspire systemic improvements for those experiencing homelessness.

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A New Study Paints a Different Picture of Homelessness in California

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Researchers found that homeless people in California were often living in poverty within the state, until they suddenly lost their home.

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(done)Bay Area’s homelessness crisis inspires wave of artistic expression

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(done)Bay Area’s homelessness crisis inspires wave of artistic expression

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Creative source

Rhetorical situation:

Writer: MARISA KENDALL

Text/Subject: A story about how people would use art to bring people together and shed light on the homeless issue

Audience: General US population

Context: Experiences of a homeless person expressed through art

Kendall, Marisa. “Art from Encampments: Bay Area’s Homelessness Crisis Inspires Wave of Artistic Expression.” Red Bluff Daily News, Red Bluff Daily News, 23 Mar. 2023, www.redbluffdailynews.com/2023/03/23/art-from-the-encampments-bay-areas-homelessness-crisis-inspires-wave-of-artistic-expression/.

Summary: In response to the dire conditions in Bay Area homeless encampments, a surprising form of resilience emerges through art. With over 30,000 unhoused residents and limited progress in addressing homelessness, art becomes a vital outlet for those living in encampments. Murals and plays offer both uplifting and gut-wrenching insights into their experiences. Anita De Asis Miralle, of Cardboard and Concrete, highlights art's unique power to engage and educate. Block parties with music, free food, and mural painting serve to bring together housed and unhoused neighbors while sharing information about the rights of those without homes. In another instance, Poor Magazine stages a play, "Crushing Wheelchairs," exclusively written and acted by homeless individuals. Participants find catharsis, viewing art as a form of healing and medicine. Homelessness even reaches prestigious venues like Davies Symphony Hall, where the San Francisco Symphony performs a piece inspired by the complexities of the shelter system, incorporating the voices of those who have experienced homelessness. Despite the transience of street art, activists adapt by creating movable pieces on tarps and canvases. In West Oakland, residents of a homeless encampment produce a web series, "The Lowdown on Wood Street," challenging misconceptions about unhoused individuals. Another avenue for storytelling comes through the documentary "We R Here," offering an intimate view of daily life for unhoused individuals, filmed on Android phones.

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There's nothing beautiful about homelessness.

Or is there?

Amid the heartbreaking conditions of the Bay Area's homeless encampments, those with little recourse are fighting their despair by creating works of art. The results can be uplifting - like the celebratory murals painted to cheer up residents of tent clusters and cars turned into homes. Other times - like a recent play that dramatized Caltrans workers kicking unhoused residents out of a camp - they're gut-wrenching.

With more than 30,000 unhoused residents in the Bay Area and little visible progress toward stemming the homelessness crisis, those who live or have lived in encampments, and those who work with people who do, describe this artistic expression as vital. For some, it provides a way to heal from the trauma of life on the streets. For others, it's an opportunity to tell their stories and teach the world what it's like to live in their shoes.

"Art has a way of involving people and engaging people and educating people in ways that other ways can't," said Anita De Asis Miralle of Cardboard and Concrete, an Oakland collective of homeless artists. Miralle, who goes by "Needa Bee," hosts block parties at encampments with music, free food and mural painting as a way to get housed and unhoused neighbors together, and to share information about the rights of those without homes.

Poor Magazine, a local grassroots arts and media organization, recently put on "Crushing Wheelchairs," a new play. The two performances in Oakland and San Francisco, which followed the lives of several characters as they became homeless and fought for survival on the street, were written and acted exclusively by homeless and formerly homeless people. At the Oakland show, a sold-out house of about 80 people watched actors portraying Caltrans workers grab a wheelchair from an encampment and throw it into a dumpster while its distraught owner - a disabled woman named Reggi - screamed "can't you see I can't walk?" The scene then flashed forward to a younger, ambulatory Reggi coming home from her shift as a construction worker to find the locks changed on her apartment. Evicted without notice, she became increasingly, painfully upset until finally the police came. The scene ended with the police pulling a gun on her.

"Aunti" Frances Moore, who played Reggi, was once homeless herself and now helps feed Oaklanders in need. To her, the play was cathartic.

"It's medicine," she said. "Art is medicine."

Poor Magazine has additional performances planned in Vallejo and Los Angeles. They hope to turn the show into a film.

The experiences of unhoused residents even have made it as far as San Francisco's prestigious Davies Symphony Hall, where the San Francisco Symphony recently performed a piece titled "Emergency Shelter Intake Form." The program by composer Gabriel Kahane, which is being performed all over the country, was inspired by the cold and complex bureaucracy of the shelter and affordable housing system. Vocalists sing questions straight from a real shelter intake form, interspersed with scathing, poetic critiques of the system. Kahane includes people who have been homeless in each production, including the two San Francisco performances last month.

The chaotic nature of life on the street can make any attempt at artistic expression fleeting. Miralle and her fellow unhoused activists have built several clandestine tiny home villages and covered them with murals, but the art was always destroyed when the structures were inevitably torn down. So they started painting on tarps and canvases that could be moved whenever a camp was cleared. In early 2022, they started hosting the block parties.

Then, in November, several of Cardboard and Concrete's vehicles - including the RV where Miralle slept and a box truck they used as a studio - were destroyed in a fire. The parties, and the art, stopped. But Miralle hopes to restart the project within the next few months.

In West Oakland, residents of a large homeless encampment on Wood Street are filming a web series, "The Lowdown on Wood Street" - essentially their take on the nightly news. Anchors sit behind a hand-made desk and share news from the camp, while correspondents give viewers a tour of the encampment and talk about how devastating it is when the city clears a camp and scatters its residents. They produced their first episode this year with help from Journalism + Design, a media program at The New School, but recent rains - and threats of an upcoming eviction by the city - stalled Episode Two.

John Janosko, who lives at the camp and co-anchors the show, said his goal is to change the misconception that all unhoused people are lazy, alcoholics or drug addicts.

"It's a thriving community with a lot of things that we want to do," he said. "We want to make sure that the positive narrative is put out there."

Unhoused residents in the Bay Area recently got a chance to tell their stories in a slightly different form through the screening of the documentary "We R Here." Filmmaker Kyung Lee gave Android phones to three people and asked them to film their day-to-day lives. She then edited the footage, without inserting her own commentary, and the result is an unusually personal account. Viewers follow James "DJ Nyce" Goodwin, who lives out of his car in San Leandro, as he stops by his aunt's home for a shower, admires a sunset over San Francisco Bay and argues with a city worker threatening to trash his belongings. They watch Billy Pearce and his wife lose their dogs and their RV, and end up in a tent.

"I wanted people to see exactly what we go through," Pearce said in an interview. "That it's not easy to be outside."

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Art from encampments: Bay Area's homelessness crisis inspires wave of artistic expression

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From cheerful murals, to a gut-wrenching play, to a news show shot from an encampment, works of art are springing from the Bay Area's homeless communities.