Opinion: The faces of homelessness in SLT
By Nicole Zaborsky
Allow us to introduce Stan and Karen. Stan is a 20-year resident of South Lake Tahoe, college educated, a chef, articulate, friendly, and Christian. Karen is a local, grew up in Tahoe, and has a college degree and a professional career.
These are two of the many faces of homelessness in South Lake Tahoe.
We met Stan recently and had a chat about his particular situation. After the economic down-turn, Stan was laid off which led to him becoming homeless. Last year Stan secured a job at a local motel as a maintenance worker. A job that despite the low pay came with free housing and an opportunity to rebuild his life. Sadly the winter of 2014-15 did not produce heavy snowfall and the local motel did not possess the means to keep Stan on staff resulting in him becoming homeless once again. Stan inspired us with his determination as he continues to be motivated to find work and is utilizing employment leads and contacts to find a job.
Karen’s story is all too common within the homeless community. A medical catastrophe blindsided her. Following her health issue she lost her job and then her home. She currently lives in her car, and her health continues to decline. She told us that she is constantly on alert for her safety, which makes sleeping and rest a challenge.
Each homeless person has a unique story and includes people with college degrees, long-time locals, death of a primary income earner, and those with catastrophic medical conditions. Homelessness does not discriminate. Some formerly homeless locals include a lawyer, engineer, small business owner, religious leader, and a high school student.
How do people become homeless? According to the Housing Assistance Council, homelessness is primarily the result of poverty and a lack of affordable housing. Ending homelessness in a community like South Lake Tahoe requires jobs that pay a living wage, adequate income supports for those who cannot work, affordable housing, access to healthcare, and reliable transportation.
The California median monthly rent is $1,300. In order to afford this, an employee needs to make at least $25 per hour, or $52,000 per year (assuming they will spend no more than 30 percent of their income on rent). A worker who earns the minimum wage in California, $9/hour, will have to work 111 hours per week to have an income high enough to afford this rent.
Homelessness is often considered an urban problem, but homelessness and its underlying causes are challenges that communities of every size face. Due to the fact that South Lake Tahoe has no homeless shelters our homeless live in their cars or campers, with relatives in overcrowded or substandard housing, and are employed.
The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless will run a “warm room” for our homeless community throughout the 2015-16 assistance season and are accepting donations to fund its operation. Checks may be made payable to Live Violence Free (our fiscal sponsor), note “Warm Room” in the memo line, and mail donations to P.O. Box 13514, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.
We are also inviting volunteers for warm room setup and overnight staffing this season. Trainings will be Nov. 10th from 6-8:30pm and Nov. 18 from 10am-12:30pm. Email TahoeWarmRoom@gmail.com to register.
Nicole Zaborsky is a member of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless.
i am not without compassion for those with genuine need and who are seriously looking for work, but this is a slippery slope for slt. if you provide it they will come. more people living in the forest during the summer (fire danger), after using the warming facilities during the cold season: the ‘poverty with a view’ crowd. soon tax dollars will be requested as this becomes even more the norm. how bout moving to a warmer climate area with an economy less based on tourism?
I recently read that Maui (maybe all of Hawaii) has started a program to buy an airline ticket for homeless who can go back home (to live with a relative or someone who can provide them with shelter). Like Tahoe, Hawaii dreamers think they can survive with low/no pay and sleep on the beach. Some develop alcohol and/or drug problems, and the issue gets worse – and, they don’t want to stay in shelters because they can’t drink/drug there.
I don’t think one needs to make $25 per hour to afford housing… but it would be nice if a living wage of at least $15 per hour plus medical could replace the substandard wages offered in places like Tahoe. Rents have gone up, but “rooms” rent for $500 per month, and a studio/1-bedroom apt will rent for around $700 I think the ski resorts should be prohibited from hiring foreigners unless they absolutely cannot find US based personnel. There should be employment career strategies to build out careers & advancement for these workers, so they can continue to develop into sustainable employees. The employers should have a stricter requirement for retaining FULL-TIME employees, instead of cutting hours so they don’t have to pay for benefits.
Even El Dorado County pay for regular employees stinks! I think an Executive Assistant makes somewhere around $16 per hour and this is a skilled position. So, I guess my point is that the root of homelessness needs to be addressed. I too have compassion for those who have a genuine need.
South Shore can’t be everything to everybody. The winter typically flushes our town of those who choose to linger in the mountains without the means to stay comfortably. I just got back from Sacramento this weekend. Nice and warm, even in the evening, down there. I DO have a heart, but I also have a brain.
The worst place in the world to be homeless is in the mountains where it may snow at any time. But every winter they are here standing out in the weather.
This town is not for the homeless. Plain and simple. I like how they are now trying to persuade is with these heart breaking stories. These are NOT the norm. These 2 stories represent 1% of the homeless population. The other 99% are drug addicted free loaders who would love your tax dollars to fund their meth/booze/heroin habit. I suggest these homeless folks go somewhere more suited for them. These people are making a huge mistake and it will bite them in the butt.
HEY the one guy is Christian. How about you religious folks put your money where your mouth is and offer him a room? Didn’t think so.
As I was informed,The realtors were trying to find a house for the homeless, Did they find one now? where is this located at ?
Lib-please cite your sources regarding the !% vs. the 99%. Thanks.
let’s eminent domain, then convert (pun pun) that church on sierra blvd. into a homeless shelter, one that will inevitably morph into a regional beacon for con artists. (oh, it’s already one). probably can’t cuz some cults have special privileges…but they are christian.
If anyone concerned about this issue paid attention to what happened in Placerville when there was a media created free homeless camping area advertised far and wide and what that brought in and the tons of garbage brought in along with the usual violence/drugs/thefts/OD’s, etc. that went with it, they might be very less inclined to encourage this problem anywhere else. The welfare system provides more than ever these days and the Section 8 housing and shelter is included IF they go where this is. Staying in a high cost of living, cold weather resort town, is a very poor choice if unemployed and homeless. A free bus ticket or gas card to somewhere with services like shelter and warmth during winter is what the local welfare office should provide.
We should all be thankful that this story is not written about us. One major medical bill or losing your your job and you to could be out on the streets. The churches in this community do a lot for the homeless and the down and out. The best thing we can all do is to not look down on someone that it homeless because it could be you next.
It’s true that Hawaii, the island of Oahu in particular, has had a very liberal and lax attitude toward homelessness. They’ve allowed the homeless to pitch their tents and live pretty much anywhere they choose, and consequently, their number has exploded. There are areas of Waikiki and downtown where you can’t walk on the sidewalks because of the people sprawled everywhere. It’s become an enormous problem, the mayor recently declaring an emergency to deal with it. It’s ruining the experience for visitors and locals alike.
What you subsidize, you will get more of. Simple fact.
I have no problem helping people who WANT to get back on their feet and need a helping hand and think that is where this good intent should be directed. But I have a huge problem providing free food and shelter to individuals who choose panhandling/begging as their job and source of income and homelessness as their life-style choice. I lived in the Bay Area on the peninsula for many years and watched the proliferation of homelessness become a life-style made possible by well-meaning people providing food and shelter to all homeless individuals, and believe me that entire area attracted homeless individuals like a magnet, with many panhandlers being extremely aggressive.
I think panhandling/begging should be made illegal in the SLT City and County areas and actually on the entire south shore, and then it needs to be strictly enforced so as not to encourage the life-style choice homeless to this area. The opportunity for free food and shelter and to panhandle for a living will attract homeless individuals, and if people really want to help our local individuals wanting to get back on their feet then a way to do THAT needs to be identified. Isn’t that what churches are supposed to do—help the needy and direct them to resources?
This is absolutely a slippery slope and people better be careful what they wish for.
What the opinion author failed to define is the difference between those in-between jobs and in a temporary hardship who will be employed again and those who are unemployable that have chosen a transient homeless lifestyle of receiving welfare and/or SSI and panhandling for drugs/alcohol and extra money that the EBT card doesn’t cover. There should be drug testing and public work projects for all on welfare to keep their benefits and to keep them from panhandling. The massive shift of people to these programs, which is well hidden by the media, is a national emergency and adding up to threaten the entire economy.
Geez, the lack of empathy here is heartbreaking.
Lake Tahoe is not the place to be homeless, it gets cold n wet here peeps
You are so right ,Lisa.
This coalition is just putting the milk by the backdoor…If you build it, there gonna come and fill it up. How about a coalition for, GO TO SCHOOL, GET A JOB, BE A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF SOCIETY
Lisa. You will not find any empathy from some of these “bloggers” because they are not Homo Sapiens.
On any given night in America there are about 60,000 Homeless Vets looking for shelter.
Ugly is as ugly does….many in this community is ugly and does ugly just by simply existing…finger pointers and a holes, birds of a feather…
‘putting the milk by the backdoor’-you sir are a soulless pathetic excuse for a human being- I pity you
Cry…
Lack of empathy? Hardly. Most of the more conservative folks here will gladly help someone in need. We just don’t believe it’s good for anybody to encourage dependence and irresponsibility.
Some of you folks simply refuse to face reality. You’re like children who insist on believing in fairy tales. Time to grow up.
You can always count on wrongula to support the soulless and pathetic- it’s time to get help-sociopaths can be treated with some success
“Most of the more conservative folks here will gladly help someone in need. We just don’t believe it’s good for anybody to encourage dependence and irresponsibility.”
Diametrically opposed statements.
How very Christian of you. (Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.)
This country has turned into another Russia, corrupt to the core and refusal of wealth distribution.
The problem is in perspective. Open a job center instead of a homeless shelter for those seeking work. Those are not the chronic homeless. The others often need forced mental treatment which is nearly impossible to do. Help the rest by guiding them to where services are available. This is exactly what Placerville did to rid the town of the camp that the bad element was pouring into from all over and left the city with tons of garbage and a crime wave that has been reduced.
Dogzilla, you dont even live here, what the h el l do you care, except to constantly put people down, no matter who they are. You are just a mean heartless, yes ill say it, conservative something, not sure there is a name for it… maybe you should focus on wherever it is you dwell and let us here in SLT solve our own issues…..PLEAZZZZZZZE
Justice
You are taking for granted, mental health to the poor is not corrupt.
“Some of you folks simply refuse to face reality. You’re like children who insist on believing in fairy tales. Time to grow up.”
This transcends irony. I don’t know what to call it.
I DARE one of you who are crying for the homeless to take them into your home. If you have an extra couch go and tell the guy begging in front of Raley’s you have a place for him to stay. After all, I’m sure he’s done NOTHING to put himself in that position right? I’m sure he just needs a “warming room” to get off drugs, address his mental health issues, get an education, secure and hold a job etc. RIIIIIIIGGGGGHHHT.
It’s funny the people against this can cite facts and articulate why this is not a good idea. The homeless advocates can only come up with, “Geez! You guys are being such meanies!”.
Hypocrites I tell ya.
Why would anyone expect someone who is not trained in addressing the diverse issues surrounding homelessness(a professional) to just ‘take them into their homes’, unless they either really weren’t interested in addressing the causes and effects involved, or they just plain have no concept of the issue, or they just don’t care. That’s like asking the mail delivery person to perform surgery. Or thinking a reality show megalomaniac can govern the nation(yeah, trust that whacko with the launch codes). Homelessness is a national, state and local problem, and needs to be addressed as such. Sorry Lib, your clueless comment doesn’t have any basis in reality, and it doesn’t make any sense except to enforce ignorance.
Hmmmm: once again you’re displaying your clueless ignorance and arrogance. Professional? Yeah. The “live violence free” volunteers are totally “professional homeless fixer uppers”. I feel sorry for anyone who has to know you personally. Your comments are ALWAYS assanine and devoid of credibility or cohesiveness. Your opinion doesn’t count. you’re fired!
Liburude ,You are Insane.Sick, Pervert,Waco,You need help.
Liberude everyone’s opinion counts. That’s how we come to solutions that solve the ill’s in our society. Just because some people don’t agree with others opinions and solutions doesn’t give them the right to call them names and tell them they don’t count. I don’t agree with your idea that to solve the homeless problem is to run them out of your town. I will agree that you have the right to this opinion. It’s just the rude and nasty way you say these things I think is wrong.
Yet you call me names in your post. That’s because you’re a HYPOCRITE. Homeless people don’t belong in a high mountain town. Plain and simple. You can argue, but you’ll just be wrong.
Assanine is spelled ‘asinine’, for those who are concerned with truth and accuracy. Spelling words incorrectly, especially when you are trying to tell everyone how stupid I am doesn’t help you to come across as intelligent, careful or credible.
Isn’t ‘you’re fired’ Trump’s tagline? How clever.
Just like the gunophiles who trumpet the cause of ‘more guns or nothing at all’ yet won’t accept any consideration of limiting access or reform, your posting attempts to obscure the issues swirling around homelessness and mental health by reducing it to “…These 2 stories represent 1% of the homeless population. The other 99% are drug addicted free loaders who would love your tax dollars to fund their meth/booze/heroin habit”, which is nothing more than a judgmental opinion that doesn’t take economy, politics or access to mental health care into consideration.
So please, prove me wrong. Cite(Snicker snort) the sources for your claim by providing a link to the site(hyuck yuck) your numbers come from. Do you and ‘snowplease’ ‘conveniently’ make your statistics up, somehow thinking no-one will fact-check them?
Liberude homeless people may not belong in mountain towns but they are here and we have to deal that fact. Just telling them to go away isn’t going to work.It’s dumping our problems on someone else.Just because you say someone else is wrong doesn’t make you right. It only means we have different opinions on the matter. You complain about someone calling you names when you have not written one comment that I can remember when you didn’t call someone a name. Who is the hypocrite now?
We should build a homeless shelter in Bel Air or Beverly Hills maybe Incline Village. These areas have much more money to dedicate to the issue.
People save their entire life to visit Lake Tahoe. Why should we help bums stay here for free?
Because not everyone that is homeless is a “bum” …
Hmmm: I know how to spell. Look at the first 3 letters I wrote. It was a (clever and awesome) play on words.
Tent Cities in America: A Pacific Coast Report (2010)- Read up. It’s all there girl.
Anything else I can do for you? Now my question to you HMMMM is why do you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong? Be gone peasant. Tis MY kingdom.
Karen: You spelled my name wrong babycakes. ;)
Liberule calling people names again. But if you call him a name it hurts his feelings.and you are the bad person. Liberule did you notice right after you stated that you were going to be Trumps running mate he dropped to second in the polls.
Swing and a miss, Lib. The fourth letter is the giveaway. Weak try. Still think you’re a jerk, but the ‘faces of meth’ comment is funny.
Hmmm: the fourth letter is part of the pun too. Sheesh. You’re not getting it still. Oh well.
The bums will always lose! You hear me lebowski!?
Lib is dancing to a psych-med induced fiddler no-one else hears and is seriously disconnected from ‘reality’…
“Now my question to you HMMMM is why do you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong? Be gone peasant. Tis MY kingdom.”
This is weird because I was responding to Lib’s insult.
Liberule, Finally someone with a brain.
What one person living here is paying $1300 a month for just their rent or their part of rent with roommates in this town. Give me a break. If you can afford that rent you either own your own business, or have one of the 300 jobs that pay enough in South Lake Tahoe.
Tahoe is not a place for rehabilitation or a place where
Poverty with a View is the common saying.
I will Do something for this Town and the Homeless, Mentally ill, ,Drug addicted Losers in this town.
I will Rent a bus and give you a free trip out of Tahoe.
Straight down to San Fran where the liberals can take care of you and be happy to do it.
Im sure that 99% of the residents in this town would be happy to do the same
Liberude lives in a fantasy world all his own completely out of touch with reality. Constantly making statements and threats that he can’t back up. I don’t think any thing he has ever said about himself is true. He is just a Cyber Troll that gets his thrills by insulting people.
My thoughts: why are you on my jock so hard? I’m NEVER talking to you. Kick rocks fatty. Threats? now you’re a liar too. If you ever wanna have a chat in person lemme know girl.
Hey Kae, remember hoe ‘BitterClinger’ was censured for the ‘over the top rude nastiness’ and just plain untruths for a while, and has since been much more ‘appropriate’ in the tone of his comments?
Perhaps ‘Liberule’ needs a timeout too.