Homeless Families in San Diego

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, more than 580,000 persons in America were homeless as of January 2020. California has the most homeless residents with 161,548. (NPR, 2021)

The number of people seeking help this year, especially single mothers, increased dramatically, according to shelter officials in 15 states. Waitlists have occasionally increased by two or three times in a short period. ( National Alliance to End Homelessness)

We're in a really insecure situation right now since the cost of living is increasing so quickly due to the price of gas, food, and rent that more people are losing their ability to afford a place to live. Homelessness has historically affected those who are going through difficult circumstances due to a job loss, are facing unanticipated medical costs, or are managing chronic health problems. Shelters are saying that this time around, they are seeing an increase in families that are still able to maintain secure, even well-paying employment but are having trouble finding a place to live. (Bhattarai and Siegel, 2022)

About 30% of homeless people are adults and kids living in households. For the first time since 2010, families were still experiencing homelessness in 2020. An estimated 55,739 family households, or 171,575 persons in families, were counted as homeless one night in January 2020. There were about 16,667 families residing in vehicles, on public streets, or in other unsuitable locations.(National Alliance to End Homelessness)

Families suffering homelessness increased by 56% from 2020 according to the Point-In-Time census. There are probably many families in our neighborhoods that are struggling financially or experiencing homelessness as a result of the pandemic.(DeVries, 2022)

Families who are experiencing homelessness are similar to other low-income households. With incomes that fall well short of what is necessary to pay for housing, both may struggle. In fact, families frequently turn to homeless service groups for help as a result of some form of shock to this precarious situation, such as a loss of employment or work hours, dispute with the relatives they are living with, an unforeseen expense, or domestic abuse. Families with homeless members are typically young, have young children, and are led by a single mother with limited education (National Alliance to End Homelessness)

Many San Diego residents and families , who are homeless, spend the night in their car as a result of the city's housing issue. Although it has been forbidden to live in a car in the city for a while, this may soon change. Now, individuals can sleep in safe nighttime parking lots. (City News Service, 2022)

Jim Vargas, is the president and chief executive officer of Father Joe's Villages, which is one of San Diego's top providers of aid for the homeless. Vargas stated that, ”Issues could become worse as the cost of living rises.” Demand for affordable homes and all-inclusive services in San Diego has never been higher. Rapid inflation, rising rent, and the high cost of housing have all contributed to the County of San Diego's escalating homelessness issue. (City News Service, 2022)

Children who experience homelessness often have significant effects on their development, schooling, health, and sense of safety. Fortunately, research has found that children are remarkably resilient and that the differences between low-income children who were homeless and those who were not usually disappear in the years after a homeless episode. However, research has indicated that homeless children have more emotional and behavioral problems than children from low-income households. Homeless children also have a higher likelihood of experiencing more serious health issues, and are more likely to experience family separations. They are also more likely to move around more in school, repeat a grade, be expelled or drop out, and perform worse academically. (National Alliance to End Homelessness)

Some promise can be found in the "community school" strategy, which many San Diego area schools can swiftly embrace to help more students achieve academic achievement.

A community school, according to the American Federation of Teachers, is an institution of higher learning that successfully combines student support, extracurricular activities, a progressive curriculum, involvement of caregivers, and social practices that are meant to promote resilience and healing in students who have experienced a variety of life traumas, such as poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, or drug abuse at home. (DeVries, 2022)

In San Diego, The Monarch School has been serving the community as a local school for many years. The majority of homeless kids at Monarch arrive with a sense of being invisible. In addition to several problems with their physical, mental, and emotional well-being as a result of their extremely challenging circumstances, they are bearing a great burden of home instability.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic, educational institutions across the state have made an effort to offer counseling and other support services to children whose families were facing severe challenges. They are aware of how crucial it is to behave in this way because resources are frequently scarce in public schools and social support for pupils at school plays a vital part in helping them develop the resilience they need to overcome these challenges.

The community school approach is effective. According to research by The Learning Policy Institute, when families of students have access to stabilizing services through their school, such as food support, housing aid, financial literacy training, and mental health counseling, both their academic performance and emotional well-being improve. (DeVries, 2022)

The "community school" model offers some hope because it can be quickly implemented by numerous schools in the San Diego area to support the academic success of more kids.

We need to fight for the expansion of this idea in San Diego schools, and that fight starts with our school administrators and teachers. (DeVries, 2022)

References:

Bhattarai, A. Siegel, R. 2022. Inflation is Making Homelessness Worse. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/07/03/inflation-homeless-rent-housing/

Homelessness in San Diego County Spikes at Least 10% Since 2020, Annual Count Finds. City News Service. 2022

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/homelessness-in-san-diego-county-spikes-at-least-10-s ince-2020-annual-count-finds/

DeVries, Afira. 2022. San Diego Kids and Families Are Suffering, But New Community Schools Can Help. Times of San Diego. https://timesofsandiego.com/opinion/2022/08/10/san-diego-kids-and-families-are-su ffering-but-new-community-schools-can-help/

HUD: Growth of Homelessness During 2020 Was Devastating, Even Before The Pandemic. 2021. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978244891/hud-growth-of-homelessness-during-2020-was-deva stating-even-before-the-pandemic

National Alliance to End Homelessness.

https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/who-experiences-homelessness/children-a nd-families/

The Rise of Political Violence

Did you go out and vote? The midterm elections for the year 2022 took place on November 8th. For the past couple months we have watched politicians on both sides go out to promote themselves or their side of the political spectrum. The midterm election usually goes in favor of the party that didn’t win the presidency in the previous election. This election, we did not see this. Everyone was expecting a “Red Wave” but instead democrats gained a seat in the Senate and republicans took over the House. The republicans, especially ones nominated by Trump, are problematic.

According to Amy Gardner of the Washington Post, nearly 300 republicans who sought office this November deny or have questioned the results of the 2020 election (Gardner, 2022). To this day we still have republicans denying that Joe Biden won the 2020 election against Donald Trump. These election deniers go on the news and talk about “irregularities” in voting when they are down or expected to lose. Certain republicans refuse to accept any outcome in which they lose. For example, during an interview with Dana Bush on CNN, Bush asked Arizona republican candidate Kari Lake, “Will you accept the results of your election in November,”. Lake responded with “I’m going to win the election and I will accept that result,”.

Republicans like Lake, enforce that our elections are not safe and secure. They enforce the idea that democrats cheat and steal elections. These lies and the spread of misinformation, only get republican voters riled up. This includes the MAGA crowd and other white supremacist groups. We saw how violent they could be on January 6th during the insurrection. Though now we are seeing political violence escalate during the midterm season.

The social issue of political violence can be defined as violence that is perpetrated in order to achieve political goals. A recent example of a threat of violence is from Robert Sptizer of The Conversation where he writes how a couple in Mesa, Arizona, was dropping off their ballots on Oct. 21, 2022 when they saw two people carrying guns and dressed in tactical gear. They were hanging out near the Maricopa County drop box. Another example is when the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino spoke about multiple occasions where “armed and masked individuals” associated with the group Clean Elections USA had gathered at drop boxes in the county.

These groups are gathering around ballot drop boxes because of the lies they were fed. They do not trust mail in voting and want to make sure that there are no irregularities. This has resulted in multiple incidents of armed people near ballot drop boxes intimidating voters. If I pulled up to my local ballot box and someone was wearing tactical gear, masked, and held a weapon I would immediately turn around and try to avoid confrontation. This voter intimidation by the right is a form of coercion.

A more clear example of political violence is the attack on Paul Pelosi last month. In the middle of the night, David DePape woke up Paul Pelosi because he was looking for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. DePape was on a mission to take out political

leaders. With him, he had zip ties and a hammer. Paul Pelosi was able to call the police but was still struck unconscious by DePape. He was fueled to commit violence by conspiracy theories from the right. Even after the attack, major right wingers continued to question the legitimacy of the attack. But how do we make it stop?

People get passionate when they receive information from their political leaders and other sources of news. As mentioned earlier, this midterm election is filled with election deniers who lie to their base. These republicans build distrust in our election system which leads to voter intimidation at the ballot box. We need to hold these people accountable for spreading misinformation. If you spread conspiracy theories and lies, there needs to be consequences. We got to see this with Alex Jones. According to the Associated Press, “Jurors ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Wednesday to pay nearly $1 billion to Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ relatives and an FBI agent, who said he turned their loss and trauma into years of torment by promoting the lie that the rampage was a hoax,”. Alex Jones on his show InfoWars was constantly questioning the validity of the Sandy Hook shooting. Thankfully recently he had a trial and is now being held accountable for his actions. During the trail he did continue to lie but the judge wasn’t having any of it. Now Alex Jones argues he doesn’t have the money. This shows that your lies and the political violence you cause does catch up to you at some point.

Though I do not think we have situations like this happen enough. Powerful organizations like Fox News and The Daily Wire continue to get support from businesses and are funded well. In social media environments, there needs to be more awareness and people restricted. There is the argument that freedom of speech is being trampled on but speech should not cause harm. An example of this was when Trump was banned from Twitter due to all the lies he spread. Getting major leaders off platforms that influence a large population is also helpful to the fight against political violence.

The most important thing you can do is be aware. It is imperative to view your sources of information and make sure they are factual. This isn’t always easy but there are credible sources out there that won’t feed you lies and conspiracy theories. I hope you voted, no matter what side you are on, all voices need to be heard. We need to promote people we can trust, especially during this highly violent time. With the right people in office, more people will be held accountable for political violence.

They Don’t See Us: The Invisible Hidden in Plain Sight

How often have you seen our unhoused neighbors lining up the streets of our cities? What are the thoughts that fill your mind in those moments? How confident are you that you know what our unhoused neighbors were feeling? Do you think to yourself how they may have ended up there? Being unhoused is a significant social issue in our society, and attitudes toward it vary across the board. People’s opinions on the causes and importance of this problem are unequivocal, but discussions on this issue rarely attract the attention that it deserves. And, if the issue does garner public discourse, it is usually to blame the individuals and their life “choices”. This problem exists in our society, and we must solve it because it threatens people's well-being and safety. So, let us delve into the issue of homelessness, its causes, and possible solutions to this problem, and explore what the concept of sociological imagination has to do with it.

Living unhoused can mean people living without adequate, affordable shelter. Sometimes a person can be unhoused even if they have temporary shelter. However, if we consider this issue more globally, it is one of the most significant problems of humanity, consisting of the inability to provide housing for swaths of people on the planet and caused by various reasons of global, regional, and local inequities. Being unhoused means being cut off from one's family, social groups, and community organizations, and losing one's sense of belonging to society. Despite this phenomenon's long history, its research history is short and began in the 1980s. Perhaps this is the reason why this issue is so relevant in the modern world.

Although being unhoused is often considered an individual problem, it is vital to understand that it is a widespread social phenomenon. After all, we often discover that the roots of many social problems are connected to broader social and historical circumstances. According to Mills & Gitlin (2000), sociological imagination is the understanding of the larger historical and societal context of existing problems enabling us to observe how people frequently develop mistaken awareness of their social standing due to the chaos of their daily experience. Using this approach, we can avoid many stereotypes and thought errors and finally discover that being unhoused is not a problem of a few dozen people sleeping on your street but hundreds of thousands of destroyed lives.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (2022), there were 580,466 homeless individuals in the US in January 2020, both on the streets and in shelters. Homelessness poses a colossal threat both to those who do not have a home and to the whole of society. Loss of housing adversely affects people's physical and mental health and leads to the growth of alcoholism and drug addiction. Other problems include inadequate medical care, dangerous sexual behavior, violence, exposure to unsafe shelters, increased crime and gendered violence, and the marginalization of people affected by living unhoused. The longer people remain unhoused, the greater their trauma and the lower their chances of re-socialization. The economic inequality and the acuteness of the perception of poverty are increasing, as well as the share of the economically inactive working-age population. In addition, people suffering from homelessness significantly contribute to the spread of infectious diseases. This problem devastates the country’s human capital and ignoring it only worsens its scope and consequences.

It is widely believed that the only reason for being unhoused is people's unwillingness to work or addiction, which is why they lose everything. Shinn and Khadduri (2020) explored this complex issue in their book “In the midst of plenty: Homelessness and what to do about it” and discovered that this perception is far from reality, and in fact, most Americans have a significant chance of becoming homeless. Researchers have observed a significant increase in the problem with the onset of crisis times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. First, homelessness signals a growing increase in economic inequality and uneven distribution of economic benefits in society. Stagnant wages, rising unemployment, inflation, lack of affordable housing, and racial and gender-based discrimination are the most significant prerequisites for losing a home.

No matter how difficult it is to admit, the problem of homelessness is not sufficiently addressed in our society and requires urgent action. The organization of shelters is not a universal solution, because they only temporarily eliminate hunger and improve the level of care for the unhoused. In addition, these places are not safe from discrimination and violence. Such a complex social issue requires comprehensive solutions in many areas, including economic reforms, social assistance, media work, etc. Further, addressing the root causes of homelessness by providing people with wages that cover more than living paycheck to paycheck, universal healthcare, access to subsidies, and safe, affordable housing choices can prevent people from becoming unhoused in the first place. Most people are one crisis away from becoming unhoused themselves. Socialization will eliminate vulnerability and promote the well-being of homeless people and the community. Care and protection are vital for our neighbors, so let us give to them while advocating for their rightful, dignified place in society.

References

Mills, C. W., & Gitlin, T. (2000). The sociological imagination. Oxford University Press.

National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2022, September 27). State of Homelessness: 2022 edition. Retrieved November 7, 2022, from https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness/

Shinn, M., & Khadduri, J. (2020). In the midst of plenty: Homelessness and what to do about it. John Wiley & Sons.

Too busy to live

It seems we are constantly busy, from meetings to doctor appointments, to workouts, to grocery shopping. Our lives are jam-packed with things that keep us busy. It has gotten to the point where I personally feel that I am not living my life well unless I am busy. It has begun to become a battle of who’s doing more and more importantly who looks like they are doing more. According to a survey from Ladders, they broke down that the average American gets about 26 minutes of free time a week. (Headley, C. W. (2019, October 14))

The hustle and bustle of staying busy has infiltrated our culture more severely than it may seem. Naturally, our bodies require rest which conincides with our natural schedule of our circadian rhythms; however, we have gotten further and further away from those roots. Technology plays a significant role in the disruption of our built-in rhythmic clock. It has opened the door for society to constantly be buzzing day or night. I find it hard to sometimes even sit down and watch TV, my mind will flutter with tasks I need to complete and disturb me from finding momentary peace with a relaxing activity. The difficulty of focusing on or simply enjoying one task at a time because of the saturation of noise from technology and the general busyness of life is what can lead to “sensory overload” according to an article from Charlene Johnson. As the duration of one’s focus drains, one’s productivity follows a similar downhill slope. The concept of multitasking which we will discuss in more depth shortly, has become a trap in which we buy into the idea that by doing more things at once, we will accomplish more throughout our days, weeks, and ultimately lives. However, what is now being discovered is the sensory overload that accompanies “multitasking” and the deficit in productivity that will often follow. (Chalene Johnson Official Site. (2020))

I have realized that it has become harder and harder to find an “off switch”. Even if we can find an off switch for our work/office life, our personal life is often just as hard, if not more so to turn off. With bills to pay, cleaning to be done, and phone calls to catch up on, life’s busyness seems to be constantly weighing over me. Talking to my close friends and family I have gathered that for them as well, even if they happen to be someone who gets all the tasks done for both their personal and professional lives, they are still trying to fit in the “fun” and “relaxing” parts of life that are somehow supposed to be incorporated into the chaos.

James Hewitt, in a paper, that talks specifically about this “off switch”, introduces the concept of “rumination”. Rumination is the action of constantly mulling over a problem, worry, or situation, often involving one’s work, without the ability to detach from that said situation. With that thought jumbling its way around in our minds, it makes it difficult to clearly focus or enjoy anything else. Hewitt makes the distinction that thinking about work can sometimes be helpful and productive, however, in the case of rumination, a solution is never found and the unproductivity only increases. He stresses the importance of learning how to detach from work, finding the clarity between rumination and problem-solving, and ultimately mastering the art of “switching off”.(Kuenemann, C. (2021, July 14))

As time has passed I have truly begun to ponder on this pattern of busyness and have found it helpful to focus on productivity rather than busyness. One of the first techniques I have discovered and one that has been proven to be helpful is to stop multitasking. According to an article by Forbes, multitasking is extremely harmful to not just your productivity, but to your brain. The article states ‘’ Research also shows that, in addition to slowing you down, multitasking lowers your IQ” (Bradberry, T. (2022, October 12))

Another reason multiple tasking is detrimental is that it takes us away from being present. If we are switching from task to task and texting our boss back while reading an email, and eating lunch we are slowly stretching ourselves to the max. We have to stop spreading ourselves so thin and instead sit back and do one thing at a time. It’s important to remember that getting one thing done is better than none and furthermore if all tasks don't get accomplished the world will keep spinning.

Headley, C. W. (2019, October 14). Survey: The average American has less than half an hour of free time per week. Ladders. Retrieved November 2022, from https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/the-daily-task-americans-are-neglecting-the-most

Why technology makes it more difficult to focus. Chalene Johnson Official Site. (2020, March 9). Retrieved November 2022, from https://www.chalenejohnson.com/why-technology-makes-it-more-difficult-to-focus/

Kuenemann, C. (2021, July 14). Why is it so hard to switch off? J Hewitt Performance. Retrieved November 2022, from https://jameshewittperformance.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-switch-off/

Bradberry, T. (2022, October 12). Multitasking damages your brain and career, new studies suggest. Forbes. Retrieved November 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/10/08/multitasking-damages-your-brain -and-career-new-studies-suggest/?sh=4658d98656ee

The Price of Health

To be healthy in America, you must have money. The high cost of health insurance is negatively affecting a majority of our citizens, even with the Affordable Healthcare Act, we are still leaving many Americans behind. According to the article, Americans with Healthcare Costs, “About half of U.S. adults say they have difficulty affording health care costs” (Montero, et al. 2022) People are not seeking medical help when needed, leading to worsening conditions, high-cost emergency room visits and even death.

Medication cost is also a great concern, most insurance companies have separated healthcare cost and medication cost, meaning people have to pay for separate plans to be covered for both. Then of course the cost of medication itself in this country is astronomical. According to Bloomberg, “Americans spend more on prescription drugs -- average costs are about $1,300 per person per year -- than anyone else in the world. The median launch price of a new drug in the US in 2021 was $180,000 for a year’s supply” (Bloomberg 2022). Drug companies in this country hold a lot of power which makes it easy for them to set high prices and receive enormous profits.

During the COVID-19 pandemic a majority of insurance companies waved COVID-19 related fees. That was appreciated by those who have insurance, but it as it turns out, it was not a free gift as Insurance premiums are rising because of it. In the article, Why Are Americans Paying More for Healthcare, they state, “The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the trend in rising healthcare costs. In 2020, the year-over-year increase in national healthcare costs as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) was over 2 percentage points — the largest increase since 1960” (Peterson 2022). People with insurance are now paying for the COVID-19 waivers that were given over the last three years and those without insurance who needed COVID-19 related care (aside from vaccines and government issued tests) racked up hefty health care bills.

The best way, but by far the most difficult, would be for America to implement a universal healthcare plan. Other countries are having much success with Universal healthcare and are medically taking care of all of their citizens. As the World Bank website states, “Universal health coverage (UHC) is about ensuring that people have access to the health care they need without suffering financial hardship” (UHC 2022). Unfortunately, taking care of its people is not high enough on America’s priority list, or at least not a high priority to those who have the majority of power.

We would have a much healthier country, literally and figuratively, if we had a healthcare system that didn’t leave anybody behind. Our homeless population desperately needs medical and mental health care, but there are not enough systems put into place to take care of them. I believe a universal healthcare system could possibly prevent homelessness in many cases. If people can get the medical/mental help they need before they reach the point of having no choice but to live on the street, it could be avoided altogether.

Healthcare has always been a major topic in government and there have been strides to make things better, but we are still so far off from having a fair health care system, it is still a privilege and not a right. The American College of Physicians puts it in perspective, “our country’s current pluralistic system without universal healthcare coverage is unacceptable and puts us behind other countries” (Tanne, 2007). The college offers a solution of a single payer plan and a pluralistic system, but the problem isn’t a lack of solutions, the problem is getting the solutions enacted into law. The underdogs (the middle class and below) need to be louder than the top dogs (the ruling class) in order to be heard enough to make changes. A major movement may help people be heard, but people have been shouting about America’s broken healthcare systems for decades and it has been falling on deaf ears, powerful deaf ears. The best way to get things done in government is to have enough people in government seats that will vote for a universal health care system, which means the best thing we can do is vote.