{"id":5389,"date":"2017-06-29T15:38:39","date_gmt":"2017-06-29T22:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=5389"},"modified":"2017-06-29T15:40:26","modified_gmt":"2017-06-29T22:40:26","slug":"homelessness-fault-american-greatness-oaklandinstitute-org","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/06\/29\/homelessness-fault-american-greatness-oaklandinstitute-org\/","title":{"rendered":"HOMELESSNESS: THE FAULT IN &#8220;AMERICAN GREATNESS&#8221; (oaklandinstitute.org)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-body row\">\n<section id=\"homelessness-intro\" class=\"article-section node node-longform-article-section node-promoted view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<div class=\"article-content large-7 small-12 columns\">\n<header class=\"article-hero\">\n<div class=\"header-title-container row\">\n<div class=\"large-7 medium-7 large-offset-5 medium-offset-5 columns\">\n<p>Across Oakland and Berkeley, tent camps are sprouting near BART tracks and underpasses. As rents skyrocket in the Bay Area, California working class communities are disproportionately affected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body row\">\n<ul class=\"links inline\">\n<li class=\"addtoany first\"><span id=\"\" class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_24 a2a_target addtoany_list\"><a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/#facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span class=\"a2a_label\">Facebook<\/span><\/a> <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/#twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span class=\"a2a_label\">Twitter<\/span><\/a> <a class=\"a2a_button_linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/#linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span class=\"a2a_label\">LinkedIn<\/span><\/a> <a class=\"a2a_button_whatsapp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/#whatsapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span class=\"a2a_label\">WhatsApp<\/span><\/a> <a class=\"a2a_dd addtoany_share_save\" href=\"https:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oaklandinstitute.org%2Fhomelessness-fault-american-greatness&amp;title=Homelessness%3A%20The%20Fault%20in%20%22American%20Greatness%22\"><span class=\"a2a_label\">Share<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section id=\"homelessness-intro\" class=\"article-section node node-longform-article-section node-promoted view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<div class=\"article-content large-7 small-12 columns\">\n<div class=\"article-special-intro\">\n<p>Documenting economic inequality and homelessness in California\u2019s Bay Area, this photo essay, by photojournalist Rucha Chitnis, gives faces and voices to the people behind the numbers. The article shines light on homelessness, the impact of poverty on people with disabilities, and the criminalization of the poor\u2014three significant issues in the US that Trump\u2019s proposed budget will have a devastating impact on. The essay makes it clear that low-income and disabled community members will not see their dreams unleashed by Mr. Trump\u2019s new financial plan. The budget will \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d for the already rich, while devastating the rest. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/introduction-homelessness-fault-american-greatness\">Read the introduction.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brett Schnaper arrived in Berkeley when he was 17 years old. He became homeless at the age of 54. \u201cI have osteoarthritis, and my nerves are dying. I couldn\u2019t pay my rent and became homeless,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cIf I don\u2019t find adequate housing, I will probably wind up in a wheelchair. If I spend another winter out on the streets, I will probably die.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pull-left\"><p>\u201cThe city is hiring professionals with book knowledge, who have not lived a life on the streets. I have ten years on the streets\u2014a PhD in poverty,\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Michael Zint, founder, \u201cFirst They Came for the Homeless\u201d encampment protest<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Schnaper is part of \u201cFirst They Came for the Homeless\u201d encampment protest. \u00a0Most members of this encampment community have a disability. \u00a0Their agenda is clear: to become the visible faces of homelessness by setting up tents in the heart of the city to bring attention to the crisis of affordable housing. \u201cHomeless people can solve their own problems, because this is our lived experience. The city is hiring professionals with book knowledge, who have not lived a life on the streets. I have ten years on the streets\u2014a PhD in poverty,\u201d said Michael Zint, the founder of the encampment protest.<\/p>\n<p>Zint says their camp has been raided over 15 times since October 2016, often before dawn when it is bitterly cold. Each time, their possessions are confiscated by the police, including tents and blankets. \u00a0The encampment protestors are demanding the city of Berkeley sanction an area for a responsibly-run tent city, where the rules would be designed by the homeless to live safely without the threat of eviction. \u201cThis is the very first step for our stability. Tents save lives. Then we are requesting the city to set up tiny homes or container homes, which are not expensive, and finally move the homeless into affordable housing, which will take years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"article-aside article-media\">\n<figure><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"0\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=49rlmS2c&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=49rlmS2c&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/401\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=9h7R0AhW&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=9h7R0AhW&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/401\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=toU_Xb9T&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=toU_Xb9T&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/401\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=l-nR0aPj&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-1_0.jpg?itok=l-nR0aPj&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/401\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-1_0.jpg?timestamp=1497379813\" alt=\"Advocates for the homeless held a vigil on the steps of Berkeley&amp;rsquo;s City Council for Laura Jadwin, a horticulturist who died homeless on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, near Berkeley High School. &amp;ldquo;There&amp;rsquo;s a terror of dying poor, and a terror of dying alone. We are here to say her life mattered,&amp;rdquo; said one woman at the vigil.\" \/><\/picture><\/a><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"1\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=qMHMwl2I&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=qMHMwl2I&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/374\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=nFAYPNrl&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=nFAYPNrl&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/374\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=LYZd2kSe&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=LYZd2kSe&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/374\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=bKBeqEOu&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-2_0.jpg?itok=bKBeqEOu&amp;timestamp=1497379813 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/374\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-2_0.jpg?timestamp=1497379813\" alt=\"&amp;ldquo;Many people have their first experience with homelessness in their 50s in Oakland,&amp;rdquo; said Janny Castillo. &amp;ldquo;Each of their stories and journeys are unique.&amp;rdquo; \" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption>Top: Advocates for the homeless held a vigil on the steps of Berkeley\u2019s City Council for Laura Jadwin, a horticulturist who died homeless on Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, near Berkeley High School. \u201cThere\u2019s a terror of dying poor, and a terror of dying alone. We are here to say her life mattered,\u201d said one woman at the vigil.Bottom: \u201cMany people have their first experience with homelessness in their 50s in Oakland,\u201d said Janny Castillo. \u201cEach of their stories and journeys are unique.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"homelessness-section-two\" class=\"article-section node node-longform-article-section node-promoted view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"section-hero\"><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"2\"><picture title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/longform_section_hero\/public\/photo-3_0.jpg?itok=707EPFJb&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1200w\" sizes=\"1200w\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-3_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380406\" alt=\"&amp;ldquo;Everyone deserves a home,&amp;rdquo; said a four-year-old girl at the Citywide Homeless People&amp;rsquo;s Assembly outside San Francisco&amp;rsquo;s City Hall to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. According to St. Mary&amp;rsquo;s Center &amp;ldquo;more than one quarter of all children in Oakland live in households with annual incomes under $23,000, the highest poverty rate in the Bay Area.&amp;rdquo;\" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-field-caption\">Everyone deserves a home,\u201d said a four-year-old girl at the Citywide Homeless People\u2019s Assembly outside San Francisco\u2019s City Hall to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. According to a 2014 report by the National Center on Family Homelessness, California is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.air.org\/sites\/default\/files\/downloads\/report\/Americas-Youngest-Outcasts-Child-Homelessness-Nov2014.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">third worst state<\/a> for child homelessness, with over half a million children affected.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-content large-7 small-12 columns\">\n<h2>\u201cThis is re-segregation in the guise of gentrification\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Across Oakland and Berkeley, tent camps are sprouting near BART tracks and underpasses. As rents skyrocket in San Francisco and Oakland, working class communities are disproportionately affected. \u201cThis is re-segregation in the guise of gentrification,\u201d said Janny Castillo, Seniors for Hope and Justice Coordinator at <a href=\"http:\/\/stmaryscenter.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">St. Mary\u2019s Center<\/a>, a nonprofit that serves at-risk seniors and preschoolers in Oakland. \u201cWe have lost a large percentage of people of color, who can\u2019t afford to live in a city where they have had deep roots for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the face of a narrative of Make America Great Again and a new presidency, advocacy groups for the homeless believe that they continue to fight a system that has a long history and legacy of criminalizing the poor and the homeless. \u00a0\u201cWe have been fighting these battles for over 50 years. Whether it is Trump or Governor Brown, we are against a wall that doesn\u2019t care for the poor. \u00a0We are still fighting for civil rights and anti-poverty programs,\u201d said Castillo.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pull-left\"><p>\u201cPoor people didn\u2019t create homelessness. The federal government did. And now homeless people are being sent to jail for simply existing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Paul Boden, Executive Director of WRAP<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s important to us now is that America does not forget again,\u201d said Joe Wilson at the Citywide Homeless People\u2019s Assembly outside San Francisco\u2019s City Hall to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. \u201cPeople put their lives and livelihoods on the line for our rights. So many lives are still not considered worthy. In this struggle, every voice matters. We have to stay woke and be strong,\u201d said Wilson, who is a program manager at Hospitality House, a community center in the Tenderloin. \u00a0Joe was homeless over 30 years ago, and found shelter at Hospitality House. \u00a0He spent the next several years as a social justice advocate and returned to Hospitality House as a program manager. \u00a0Last year, he shared <a href=\"http:\/\/hospitalityhouse.org\/homelessness-doesnt-end-journey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">his moving story<\/a> in the San Francisco Chronicle titled, Homelessness Doesn\u2019t Have to Be the End of the Journey.<\/p>\n<p>Castillo concurs. \u201cHomelessness is a condition. It doesn\u2019t define who you are,\u201d she said. Castillo has emerged as a powerful community organizer and an advocate for homeless seniors and attributes her lived experience as a driver for her activism. \u00a0\u201cI was a single mother of three and was homeless for nine years. Boona Cheema of <a href=\"https:\/\/self-sufficiency.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency<\/a> took me in, and I was able to get back on my feet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"article-aside article-media\">\n<figure><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"3\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=Oynb3ekU&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=Oynb3ekU&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=EEXa-PEu&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=EEXa-PEu&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=s1Nr5cxp&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=s1Nr5cxp&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=nbvYaj4b&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-4_0.jpg?itok=nbvYaj4b&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-4_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380406\" alt=\"Most members of the First They Came for the Homeless encampment protest in Berkeley are disabled. &amp;ldquo;The moment people see me with my sleeping bag on the streets, I become a non-person in their eyes,&amp;rdquo; said Brett Schnaper, a member of the encampment. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s such a delight to be seen.&amp;rdquo;\" \/><\/picture><\/a><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"4\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=JHZN0-zA&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=JHZN0-zA&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=WvyyZUtf&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=WvyyZUtf&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=EKDx77P3&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=EKDx77P3&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=qvIV65tp&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-5_0.jpg?itok=qvIV65tp&amp;timestamp=1497380406 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-5_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380406\" alt=\"J.C. Orten makes his morning run serving the homeless in downtown Berkeley. He picks up their mail, gives medicines, and manages their money as their representative payee. &amp;ldquo;The greatest gift you can give is a gift of self,&amp;rdquo; he said.\" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption>Top: Most members of the First They Came for the Homeless encampment protest in Berkeley are disabled. \u201cThe moment people see me with my sleeping bag on the streets, I become a non-person in their eyes,\u201d said Brett Schnaper, a member of the encampment. \u201cIt\u2019s such a delight to be seen.\u201dBottom: J.C. Orten makes his morning run serving the homeless in downtown Berkeley. He picks up their mail, gives medicines, and manages their money as their representative payee. \u201cThe greatest gift you can give is a gift of self,\u201d he said.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"criminalizing-homelessness\" class=\"article-section node node-longform-article-section node-promoted view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"section-hero\"><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"5\"><picture title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/longform_section_hero\/public\/photo-6_0.jpg?itok=lqM0GdB3&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1200w\" sizes=\"1200w\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-6_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380519\" alt=\"Benny Whitfield, a 73-year-old senior, has been in recovery for eight years with support and services at St. Mary&amp;rsquo;s Center. &amp;ldquo;The Center is my family and community. I am here three times a week for my recovery meetings,&amp;rdquo; he said\" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-field-caption\">Benny Whitfield, a 73-year-old senior, has been in recovery for eight years with support and services at St. Mary\u2019s Center. \u201cThe Center is my family and community. I am here three times a week for my recovery meetings,\u201d he said.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-content large-7 small-12 columns\">\n<h2>\u201c Poor people are being criminalized simply for sleeping, sitting, or standing still.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wraphome.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Western Regional Advocacy Project<\/a> (WRAP), a coalition of social justice groups on the West Coast that works to expose and eliminate the root causes of homelessness and poverty, is spearheading a California Statewide Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign to decriminalize homelessness. Paul Boden, Executive Director of WRAP, contends that the US has a long history of criminalizing the poor, minority, and immigrant communities\u2014from the Jim Crow segregation laws to Operation Wetback in California and Arizona in the 1950s to remove undocumented Mexican immigrants to Sundown Towns that did not allow minorities to remain in the town after sunset.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"large-12 columns\"><a class=\"longform-image-modal\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-9.jpg\" alt=\"According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, nearly 10 percent of the adult homeless population is veterans. \u201cPoliticians need to be accountable to the poor. They need to educate themselves by spending time on the streets\u2014see how people survive and are treated. Spend a year on the concrete,\u201d said Arthur, a homeless veteran in downtown Berkeley.\" \/><\/a><figcaption>According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, nearly 10 percent of the adult homeless population is veterans. \u201cPoliticians need to be accountable to the poor. They need to educate themselves by spending time on the streets\u2014see how people survive and are treated. Spend a year on the concrete,\u201d said Arthur, a homeless veteran in downtown Berkeley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2010, WRAP surveyed 721 homeless people in California on their interactions with the police, private guards, and the criminal legal system. <a href=\"http:\/\/wraphome.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/California-SO-hbr-hbr-factsheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Their data<\/a> indicated that 79 percent of the illegal offenses targeting homeless people were for sleeping in a public space, with 56 percent of these people cited and 31 percent arrested. \u201cPoor people are being criminalized simply for sleeping, sitting, or standing still. Because of this, we wrote the Right to Rest Act,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Boden, who was homeless as a youth, credits Reaganomics for worsening homelessness, when dramatic cuts were made to federal spending for subsidized housing. Reagan also discarded Jimmy Carter\u2019s Mental Health Systems Act, which cut federal spending on services for the mentally ill, and thousands of beds in state-run mental hospitals were shut down. \u201cPoor people didn\u2019t create homelessness. The federal government did. And now homeless people are being sent to jail for simply existing,\u201d said Boden.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"article-aside article-media\">\n<figure><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"6\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=u8DYbrJ1&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=u8DYbrJ1&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/310\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=ELZBkVk7&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=ELZBkVk7&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/310\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=-Z7Vj21H&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=-Z7Vj21H&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/310\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=Wz-EzcWH&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-7_0.jpg?itok=Wz-EzcWH&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/310\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-7_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380519\" alt=\"Seniors and youth gather for a Sacred Storytelling Circle to share their intergenerational experiences and wisdom at St. Mary&amp;rsquo;s Center. As seniors share their stories, one youth remarked: &amp;ldquo;We mostly learn colonial history from a white man&amp;rsquo;s perspective in schools. I wish we learned more about Native communities and histories of other people of color.&amp;rdquo;\" \/><\/picture><\/a><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"7\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=ofh5ddYa&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=ofh5ddYa&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/332\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=LEs1elHl&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=LEs1elHl&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/332\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=46d_zHp3&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=46d_zHp3&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/332\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=yCtSqozu&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-8_0.jpg?itok=yCtSqozu&amp;timestamp=1497380519 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/332\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-8_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380519\" alt=\"&amp;ldquo;We have a long road ahead of us,&amp;rdquo; said Paul Boden at the Citywide Homeless People&amp;rsquo;s Assembly. &amp;ldquo;We have to stop the commodification of public housing and spaces for the interests of private developers and business entities.&amp;rdquo;\" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption>Top: Seniors and youth gather for a Sacred Storytelling Circle to share their intergenerational experiences and wisdom at St. Mary\u2019s Center. As seniors share their stories, one youth remarked: \u201cWe mostly learn colonial history from a white man\u2019s perspective in schools. I wish we learned more about Native communities and histories of other people of color.\u201dBottom: \u201cWe have a long road ahead of us,\u201d said Paul Boden at the Citywide Homeless People\u2019s Assembly. \u201cWe have to stop the commodification of public housing and spaces for the interests of private developers and business entities.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"affordable-housing-crisis\" class=\"article-section node node-longform-article-section node-promoted view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"section-hero\"><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"8\"><picture title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/longform_section_hero\/public\/photo-10_0.jpg?itok=bEGYPAHJ&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1200w\" sizes=\"1200w\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-10_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380636\" alt=\"&amp;ldquo;People didn&amp;rsquo;t create homelessness, but are blamed for it,&amp;rdquo; said Bilal Ali, organizer at the Coalition for the Homelessness, at the homeless people&amp;rsquo;s assembly. &amp;ldquo;We are not afraid of Donald Trump. We have to organize or die. People bring change.&amp;rdquo;\" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-field-caption\">\u201cPeople didn\u2019t create homelessness, but are blamed for it,\u201d said Bilal Ali, organizer at the Coalition for the Homelessness, at the homeless people\u2019s assembly. \u201cWe are not afraid of Donald Trump. We have to organize or die. People bring change.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"article-content large-7 small-12 columns\">\n<h2>\u201cHomelessness is caused by a severe shortage of affordable housing.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nlchp.org\/documents\/No_Safe_Place\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">survey of 187 cities<\/a> in 2014, 53 percent of cities prohibit sitting or lying down in particular public places. \u201cHomelessness is caused by a severe shortage of affordable housing. Over 12.8 percent of the nation\u2019s supply of low-income housing has been permanently lost since 2001, resulting in large part, from a decrease in funding for federally subsidized housing since the 1970s. The shortage of affordable housing is particularly difficult for extremely low-income renters who, in the wake of the foreclosure crisis, are competing for fewer and fewer affordable units,\u201d the report observed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"large-12 columns\"><a class=\"longform-image-modal\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-13.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cWe are homeless but not helpless,\u201d said Mike Lee, member of the First They Came for the Homeless Encampment. \u201cWe are the public face of a protest to demand change, so that people can talk to us and find out who we are.\u201d\" \/><\/a><figcaption>\u201cWe are homeless but not helpless,\u201d said Mike Lee, member of the First They Came for the Homeless Encampment. \u201cWe are the public face of a protest to demand change, so that people can talk to us and find out who we are.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe need to step up our responsibility. People need to realize that people on the sidewalk or tents are human beings with real values, who need to be recognized, not just tolerated,\u201d said J.C. Orten, founder of Night on the Streets Catholic Worker.<\/p>\n<p>Seniors at St. Mary\u2019s Center in West Oakland agree. Twenty of them gathered in December last year to share their vision for unconditional prosperity in Oakland as part of Alameda County\u2019s listening session for \u201cAll In: The New War on Poverty.\u201d On top of their list: affordable housing and dignity. \u201cWe need safe and secure housing,\u201d said Benny Whitfield, a 73-year-old senior, who was once homeless and lived by the railroad tracks in Oakland. \u201cSeniors need a community and space to gather to support each other emotionally and spiritually,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"article-aside article-media\">\n<figure><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"9\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=F7O-mym6&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=F7O-mym6&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/305\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=8hmTTBoN&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=8hmTTBoN&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/305\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=ei0hdN-g&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=ei0hdN-g&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/305\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=ljy96Ynt&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-11_0.jpg?itok=ljy96Ynt&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/305\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-11_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380636\" alt=\"Seniors gather at St. Mary&amp;rsquo;s Center to share their vision of Oakland&amp;rsquo;s development. &amp;ldquo;We need to create social justice programs with wellness intentions. We should think about how we can create a pool of resources with the seniors so they can engage and think about their own strengths,&amp;rdquo; said Castillo.\" \/><\/picture><\/a><a class=\"longform-gallery-image\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" data-open=\"longform-modal\" aria-controls=\"longform-modal\" aria-haspopup=\"true\" data-count=\"10\"><picture class=\"thumbnail\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=3FT2bEdE&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1440px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_x-large_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=3FT2bEdE&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=vTxIEZPS&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_large_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=vTxIEZPS&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=rrF9IgME&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_medium_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=rrF9IgME&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=u9xBKEvz&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 0px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/styles\/resp_breakpoints_theme_oakinstfound_small_1x\/public\/photo-12_0.jpg?itok=u9xBKEvz&amp;timestamp=1497380636 1x\" data-aspectratio=\"500\/333\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail lazyloaded\" title=\"Click image to open slideshow.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/sites\/oaklandinstitute.org\/files\/photo-12_0.jpg?timestamp=1497380636\" alt=\"Muslim and Eritrean immigrant communities in the East Bay head to Fruitvale to deliver hot meals and blankets for the homeless during the holidays. \" \/><\/picture><\/a><figcaption>Top: Seniors gather at St. Mary\u2019s Center to share their vision of Oakland\u2019s development. \u201cWe need to create social justice programs with wellness intentions. We should think about how we can create a pool of resources with the seniors so they can engage and think about their own strengths,\u201d said Castillo.Bottom: Muslim and Eritrean immigrant communities in the East Bay head to Fruitvale to deliver hot meals and blankets for the homeless during the holidays.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"article-additional-info large-7 columns end\">\n<hr \/>\n<h4>About the Author<\/h4>\n<p>Rucha Chitnis is a photojournalist, writer and founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awomanslens.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Changing the Narrative<\/a>, a storytelling project of women of color rising and raising their voices in the face of ecological and climate challenges and social inequities. Her stories and photo essays have appeared in <em>Yes! Magazine<\/em>, <em>National Geographic<\/em>, <em>Public Radio International<\/em>, <em>Truthout<\/em>, among other places. Rucha also consults as a storytelling strategist with philanthropic groups and nonprofits, elevating stories of hope and resilience on how frontline communities find pathways to transformative change.<\/p>\n<p>All Photos: Rucha Chitnis \u00a9 The Oakland Institute.<\/p>\n<p>Top Image: People gather to honor the lives of seniors, who lived and died on the streets at a Homeless Memorial in December 2016, at St. Mary&#8217;s Center.<\/p>\n<p>Full article at: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/homelessness-fault-american-greatness\">https:\/\/www.oaklandinstitute.org\/homelessness-fault-american-greatness<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across Oakland and Berkeley, tent camps are sprouting near BART tracks and underpasses. As rents skyrocket in the Bay Area, California working class communities are disproportionately affected. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Share Documenting economic inequality and homelessness in California\u2019s Bay Area, this photo essay, by photojournalist Rucha Chitnis, gives faces&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/06\/29\/homelessness-fault-american-greatness-oaklandinstitute-org\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5389"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5392,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5389\/revisions\/5392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}