OPINION

Homelessness and Addiction: A California Crisis

By Marcel Gemme

Homelessness is nothing new to the Golden State. When people discuss major cities like San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles, homelessness often arises as a topic of discussion. And with this topic comes a dilemma and debate over the best way to address what everyone agrees is a challenging issue. But what isn't emerging is a workable solution. And perhaps that's because the causes of homelessness are often misunderstood or ignored. Many people mistakenly believe that homelessness is a choice. Sadly, this couldn't be further from the truth. If homelessness were a choice, ending it would be as simple as getting those who struggle to "decide" not to be homeless anymore. Yet, most of those who are homeless don't want to be homeless. They just don't have the means to get out of the hole they've fallen into. And they often struggle with mental health issues like substance abuse. According to a report published by the National Coalition for the Homeless, in 2003 it was estimated that 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol, and another 26% abused drugs. Substance abuse can cause homelessness, and two-thirds of homeless people report that drugs or alcohol were a major reason for their being homeless. When we examine the state's housing market, drug problem, and lack of adequate mental health and substance abuse resources, it may not be that surprising to discover that one-quarter of the country's homeless population lives in California. That's roughly 160,000 people. In Sacramento, where the homeless population was over 5,500 people at the last census in 2019, even the homeless are shocked to see how fast the problem is now growing. There's been a visible explo-

sion in California's homeless population and drug problems since the pandemic began. According to addicted.org, in 2020, the drug overdose rate in California jumped by 20%. Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid making its way west, accounted for 36% of those deaths. And many of those deaths were among adolescents. The link between homelessness and substance abuse isn't new. When most people picture the homeless of America, they usually conjure images of a middle-aged man, complete with a brown paper bag concealing cheap but strong booze. Yet, 40% of the homeless population in the U.S. is comprised of people under the age of 18, and many of them abuse opioids like fentanyl. California alone accounts for one-third of all unaccompanied homeless youth nationally. To make matters worse, the fastest-growing segment of America’s homeless population is women and families with children. Not that anyone is more deserving of help than another, but these recent changes, which include the demographic of the homeless population, may be part of the reason why cities like Sacramento have become embroiled in conflict over what to do about the issue of homelessness. Local governments have been throwing billions at the problem of homelessness for years, even financing housing in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country, but the issue has been stubbornly resistant. But now, it's become so bad that many business leaders, neighborhood groups and the general voters have become angry and impatient. They want something to be done about the visible issue filling public spaces and spilling out onto the streets. One approach that's quickly becoming less popular is to continue focusing more resources on the mentally ill, including treating substance use disorder and other mental health problems. Another approach, which has recently been employed in other parts of the country that have historically accommodated the homeless, involves local officials forcing people to accept housing to get them off the streets. Those who decline the offer of an available bed, of which there are none currently, would no longer be allowed to live in public places. This proposal, which is highly popular with the public, comes before voters this November. In Portland, Oregon, officials recently completed sweeps of the I-5 corridor, where they removed homeless camps and forced out those who were sheltering. And in LA, the city council recently used new laws to ban "camping" in 54 locations. Many historically Democratic cities, where the homeless have long been tolerated and even aided, are now changing course and forcing them out. But in each of these cities where the homeless have been dislocated, the problem hasn't become how to keep them out. It's what to do with them now? In Sacramento, there are less than 3,000 emergency shelter beds available to temporarily house the homeless, all of which are nearly filled each night. Since 2019, the number of homeless in the city has been estimated to be well over 10,000 people. Nobody wants to see the homeless, yet no one knows where else they should go. And if officials are going to demand they accept housing, then housing needs to be provided and that costs money. This problem we're witnessing today has resulted from a lack of effective action. The growing homeless problem has long been forced into the shadows. And any time it's become too visible, people have wanted the blight removed. But "somewhere else" is inevitably someplace where the homeless aren’t wanted, and the problem just continues. If we were effectively treating the causes of homelessness, the problem would improve. Providing temporary shelter helps and is vital, but it doesn't end homelessness. It's a band-aid, much like how needle exchanges and safe injection sites save lives, but don’t improve addiction. It pushes the problem further down the road for another day, or another person to handle. We're tackling the wrong problems, and we're not even solving them. The homeless need shelter and aid, but these temporary measures are only opening the door. We must then face the people in front of us and help them effectively with quality drug and alcohol treatment programs and other needed mental health services. If we can help people solve the problems that make people homeless in the first place, we'll start to see a decline in the homeless population. And not from fentanyl overdoses. Rehabilitation gives someone their life back, and the homeless need that more than anything.

Marcel Gemme is a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist, DATS, that has been helping people struggling with substance abuse for over 20 years. His primary focus is threefold: education, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Saturday, Sept. 10th 9am – 3pm

FREE ADMISSION BBQ RAFFLES VENDORS

8025 W. Manchester Ave Playa del Rey, 90293

Info: 818.441.3488

A portion of the proceeds to benefit Veterans, children with disabilities and community outreach.