Government must provide housing for all

Latest

Homelessness on Market Street in the Tenderloin, one of the areas with the highest concentration of homeless people in San Francisco. This is a common sight in the neighborhood. PHOTO/DIEGO CUPOLO
Homelessness on Market Street in the Tenderloin, one of the areas with the highest concentration of homeless people in San Francisco. This is a common sight in the neighborhood.
PHOTO/DIEGO CUPOLO

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — On my walks along Mission Street in the predominantly Latino neighborhood of San Francisco, I find many homeless people who live on the streets. Some are Latinos, African Americans, Anglo Americans, Asians, Filipinos, and Native Americans. Some are young, and some are old.
These people don’t choose to be homeless. Those that sleep on the streets sometimes protest with Occupy, San Fr3ancisco. They protest wealth inequality in the U.S. and in the world.
There are some homeless who get money from the government, but it is not enough to pay for SROs (Single Room Occupancy) rooms in the Tenderloin, the poorest area in San Francisco. Those hotels have one shower per floor and maybe 30 to 50 rooms per floor.
There aren’t enough beds in the shelters. Also, some say shelters are infested with lice, bed bugs, and infectious, contagious diseases like Tuberculosis; it’s the same in the SROs.
The homeless sleep on the streets at night when suddenly the Department of Public Works (DPW) turns on the water hoses and douses them with water. It gets worse when DPW then washes sidewalks with chemicals, mostly bleach and Pine Sol which causes dangerous reaction to the health of the homeless. One Occupy woman was hospitalized with stomach pains. Another Occupy woman who was pregnant lost her baby.
How can a person sleep in the streets, and wake up and either go to work or look for work in the morning? It’s mind-boggling.
It is time to demand the U.S. government provide housing for all, even though people don’t have income and/or don’t have legal immigration papers, nor have enough money for housing.
Don’t turn your back on the people that have nothing to lose but their chains that tie them to the streets.
Housing for all, regardless of money or immigration status!

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Mamdani’s NY Campaign Electrifies Those Seeking a Better Life

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has struck a nerve by voicing the demands of those who are struggling to survive as the cost of living continues to rise.

Another Big Beautiful Betrayal for Rural America

You slash Medicaid, you’re swinging an axe at the heart of our rural hospitals, community clinics, doctors and nurses — and every family that depends on a job for a living. It’s not too late to raise hell.

ICE Terror Campaign Threatens Us All

Several recent Facebook reels show how ICE is ramping up its campaign of terror against immigrants, citizens and protestors alike as the effort to create a police state continues and resistance grows. One creator speaks to the significance of Haitians now being targeted.

Medicaid Defenders in Wheelchairs Arrested Ahead of Senate Budget Vote

Over 60 people, including grandmas in wheelchairs, were arrested in the U.S. Senate Rotunda in a nonviolent protest against cuts like Medicaid and the SNAP food program in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Budget Bill.”

Zohran Mamdani Delivers Stunning Blow to ‘Billionaire-Backed Status Quo’ in NYC

New York City proved that a movement powered by hope, courage, and working class people can beat the money of billionaires.

More from the People's Tribune