Sacramento Homeless blog

Photo from the march that appeared with Indybay article. The Safe Ground March which ended with a rally in César Chávez Park drew hundreds of participants in the event and citizen listeners at the park where spokespeople plead for the rights of area homeless folk. The following words were posted at the SHOC [Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee] wikispace, today, on a page that featured many photos taken during the march and at the Chávez Park rally: “Safe Ground March photos. March was held December [23], 2008. It started at Loaves & Fishes and ended at César Chávez Park. Marchers marched around the park at the beginning and end of march. There was anywhere from 200 to 300 people in attendance at the rally.” By this reporter’s count, as the rally got underway, there were one-hundred people on the elevated concrete area at the park, standing behind an early speaker, and another hundred people on the lawn, listening. Many of the people, behind the speaker and on the lawn, were ...

On average a homeless person’s life is 36% shorter than a housed person’s life. To memorialize homeless people who have lived on the mean streets and have died in the past year, the National Coalition for the Homeless [NCH] has sponsored National Homeless Person's Memorial Day since 1990. This year, National Heath Care for the Homeless Council [NHCHC] will join NCH as a co-sponsor for the holiday and events that will take place nationwide. The date for the memorial day, this year, is December 21st. Every year Homeless Persons' Memorial Day is on the date of the winter solstice , when daylight is at its minimum and night lasts the longest. The leading causes of death for homeless people are preventable and treatable. Regrettably, well documented barriers block homeless persons’ access to health care. Life is both tough and short out on the streets. According to a study in Los Angeles county , done between January 2000 and May 2007, being homeless drastically reduces one'...