Upcoming Events

May 10, 2010
Saffron Strand’s First Annual Spring Conference, Richmond, CA:
“Bridges Out of Homelessness: Vocations, Health, and Housing”

The growing crisis of homelessness is breaching the traditional stop-gap solutions. The ongoing recession worsens the situation day by day, generating more homeless persons at a faster rate than already stressed public housing and emergency shelter programs can accommodate. Taxpayers can no longer afford to first house the homeless, then hope they eventually will return to housing in the private sector. There are alternatives, new solutions that do not depend upon first housing the homeless. This first annual conference on new, non-housing solutions to homelessness in the Bay Area includes an opening plenary session, workshops, informal roundtable discussions, employment and services fair, personal care and wellness spa, and evening banquet and entertainment.

When you feed good and look good, you’re ready to work: Learning, training, skills building, job seeking, job keeping! That’s the idea behind the Saffron Strand Wellness Fair which brings together Saffron Strand members, homeless persons who are not yet members, and our volunteers who provide professional personal care and wellness services, including haircuts, manicures, pedicures, therapeutic massage and other services. For more information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

CHALLENGE

Contra Costa County has an urgent and growing problem with homelessness, especially in the West County area. Current county and municipal programs for homeless residents address basic needs such as food and shelter, but cannot provide subsidized housing for everyone. Also, the “Housing First” approach adopted at the county level does not work to reduce the rising demand for homeless housing. Rather, it reinforces dependence and encourages those who already are served by the homeless system to remain in the system. Those who are homeless, but outside the system, have the same needs, but often they must do without homeless services and remain on the streets or find other temporary, unhealthy, or otherwise risky accommodations.

RAMIFICATIONS

The challenge of Contra Costa County’s homeless problem is not going away. It is getting worse and business-as-usual approaches are not likely to succeed in the future any better than they have in the past. New federal funding for homeless prevention does not directly target those already in dire need.

The problem is large in 2009 and likely to grow larger in 2010. Meanwhile, county officials continue to use their 2004 estimate of 15,000 county residents who experience homelessness sometime during the year. They still estimate that 5,000 in the county sleep on streets, in vehicles, or temporarily in shelters or homes of relatives or friends. They acknowledge that nearly half of the county’s homeless are in West County. The ongoing recession is increasing the county’s homeless population dramatically, which county officials have yet to tally for 2009 or project for 2010. They note that the homeless suffer higher rates of domestic and criminal violence, HIV and AIDS, physical disabilities, and early death. Also, at least a third of homeless persons have mental health problems, often compounded by substance abuse problems.

The cost of homelessness to Contra Costa taxpayers is high and growing. About 20% of the homeless are jailed at least once per year and many use expensive public emergency services or are hospitalized at public expense. More than 100 government and community-based non-profit organizations already provide services to the Contra Costa homeless population. However, only Saffron Strand offers new solutions that do not depend upon the Housing First approach in order to succeed.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of Saffron Strand is to reduce homelessness in Contra Costa County, especially in the West County area. Through Saffron Strand, we focus exclusively on providing new opportunities for homeless people to build job and social skills so they can achieve and sustain gainful employment and economic independence. We recruit homeless persons as members whose volunteer work is required for operation of the organization. We offer membership without charge to homeless people of every origin and background to realize their individual potential. We maintain a place of respect where members can participate with dignity during the work day to expand their work skills, develop their individual talents, seek and find outside employment, and increase their capacity for cooperation and community involvement.

POTENTIAL

Despite very low income, more than 75% of homeless persons have a high school diploma or GED and many have college, university, and advanced degrees. Also, more than 15% of homeless persons are employed by others and many have their own legal, income-generating enterprises. Saffron Strand recognizes their huge potential. Often, by resolving just a few of their most critical challenges, homeless people can start or re-start a career, find gainful employment, achieve economic independence, establish homes, support families, participate in our communities, and improve our society.

Saffron Strand survey research conducted at West County community events during 2009 indicates that the continuum of care serving the homeless population is incomplete. There is a common theme among all the homeless in expressing their needs: They seek wellness, dignity, self-esteem, and affirmation from others of their value and attractiveness as individuals. Therefore, homeless persons are likely to respond more positively to services that are not specifically “tailored” for homeless people. Most homeless people do not desire to remain homeless. Their state of homelessness is acutely distressing and they are seeking a different, better life. Moreover, as survey respondents indicated to us, homeless people are almost unanimous in their willingness to work without pay in order to learn job and social skills, even though many have been unemployed for long periods -- in some cases for many years.

Thus the potential is great for Saffron Strand to offer social and vocational skills training focused on upward economic mobility, supporting attributes of economic independence, including wellness and preferred personal appearance. Saffron Strand can help the homeless look upward to new possibilities in themselves and their lifestyles, not sideways to maintain their status quo on the streets, or downward into increasingly poor health and probable early death. Saffron Strand sees and serves the potential in people.

Some local residents insist that there always have been homeless people in Contra Costa County. They note that the homeless have sheltered under bridges, camped out on vacant land, and lived in our midst, mostly unnoticed and without problem. It just happens that we notice them more now because of the economic recession. But today there are more people in every stage of homelessness everywhere in the county. They are especially obvious in West County where shelters are full, soup kitchens are busy, and the demand for homeless services exceeds the supply. The recession keeps reminding us that many more Contra Costa residents are on the verge of homelessness: One lost job away, one illness, one family emergency, and then they are homeless, too.

We know that Saffron Strand’s new solutions for the homeless are urgently needed in Contra Costa County. Our services are not redundant. Our services are needed now, as Contra Costa’s homeless persons insist as they survive on the streets without Housing First.

Saffron Strand operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. Your contribution is totally tax-deductible. Please help now: See Support

Thank you!