No matter where you live, where you work or which college you attend, they’re always there: the man sitting outside My Friend Joe’s asking for spare change when you grab your morning coffee, the woman taking a sponge bath in the women’s bathroom in the Bertolini center, the guy in your math class who’s been living out of his car, waiting for his FAFSA check to arrive.
Homelessness on college campuses has become a growing problem during the recession, and SRJC’S campus isn’t immune. Homelessness in Sonoma County alone is already an issue. The 2011 Sonoma County Homeless Census & Survey Comprehensive Report counted 4,539 homeless people living in Sonoma County, an approximate 28 percent increase from the 2009 census report.
Robert (known to his friends as “New York”) is an older gentleman who has been living homeless in SRJC’s campus neighborhood for almost 20 years. Although he spends most of his time at and around campus, the only communication he has with the JC is through the SRJC police, with whom he has regular chats. “They [the students] don’t bother me and I don’t bother them,”he said.
“I saved up a bunch of money to come here, but I didn’t save up enough, so I live in my car,” said SRJC student Michael Kurrels. “I just had to kind of find sneaky places to sleep every night, because it’s not legal to sleep in your car. Now that I have more friends I’ve started sleeping in friends’ driveways and such.”
Homelessness is an unavoidable issue that stares us straight in the face everyday. Whether it is students who don’t receive financial help from their families and spend their nights surfing friends’ couches or older homeless people who prefer the atmosphere of a small college campus to the unfriendly streets of larger cities, it’s an issue that is often ignored and regarded as “unpleasant,” yet there is no denying its existence.
“Usually I just tell my friends, most of them are curious about it. “I saved up a bunch of money to come here, but I didn’t save up enough, so I live in my car,” said SRJC student Michael Kurrels. “I just had to kind of find sneaky places to sleep every night, because it’s not legal to sleep in your car. Now that I have more friends I’ve started sleeping in friends’ driveways and such.” A common misconception is that if you’re homeless, you have no money. I seem to have more money than a lot of my friends here [who are not homeless]. I’ll end up paying for my friend’s meals. You don’t get extra aid but you can delcare yourself as an independent student. You have to prove that your homeless. Basically you have to go to a homeless shelter, so I did this and then the counseling lady said I didn’t qualify because I was still on speaking terms with my parents., even thought they live 400 miles away.
People view homelessness as something which is certainly a bad thing. It needn’t be. (Of course, i am better off than many homeless. Having a car gives me a big advantage.) I haven’t been as happy as i am now in a long time. And i don’t think having an apartment would make me any happier.
It also seems to suprise people that i’m homeless largely by choice. And because this has been my choice, i don’t want anyone to feel bad for me.
Feel free to quote me if you want to. (I am writing this on the barnes and noble’s nook on display)
