“Nobody asks us”: Stories from the Joe Rodota Trail

Among the homeless residents of the Joe Rodota Trail are a variety of characters; there’s the bike fixer, the guitar player, the runner and the lounger. And among those 260 residents, each their own character, are Zayin and Aurora, who are believed to be the youngest on the trail.  Zayin, 20, and Aurora, 18, live with their two pit bulls, Hitler aka "Hitty" and Fawn, in a tent made of tarps and r...

Imagine you’re settling down for a night’s rest after a long day. Your body aches. A foul stench permeates your tent. You’re yearning for a moment of peace. “VROOM!” roars a semi as it barrels down Highway 12. “CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!” screams a helicopter as it flies overhead. The Joe Rodota trail is well publicized as a dirty, unsanitary, unforgivable place, one with a lifestyle...

Protesters from the North Bay Socialists of America coupled with Sonoma County bureaucracy and the realities on the trail brought plans to remove residents of the Joe Rodota Trail Jan. 29 to a screeching halt.  When armed officers of the Santa Rosa Police Department and Sonoma County Parks and Recreation began marching down the trail to scout and establish a preliminary presence, protesters on...

Sonoma County authorities and nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul are nearing completion of 60 temporary homes and a support system for the most vulnerable homeless living along the Joe Rodota Trail, according to officials who opened the site for media tours last week.  The homes were built on an empty lot at what is now called Los Guilicos Village, the site of the former Los Guilicos Juvenile Detenti...

Nikki and Bailey have known each other for four years, and they are best friends. Bailey showed up on Nikki’s doorstep while she was living in the Midwest, and Nikki has taken care of her ever since. After moving in together, they road-tripped cross country to California. Now they live together on the Joe Rodota Trail. It’s common for two people to move west in search of new opportunity, but w...

On the Joe Rodota trail, a strong shelter makes all the difference in the world. In Sonoma County’s largest unofficial homeless encampment, there are dozens of different styles of shelter. Though the primary goal is to build a safe and comfortable structure, residents’ creativity shines through in the ways they decorate and design their homes.  Most people on the trail employ a similar strategy. They create ...

I went down to the homeless encampment on the Joe Rodota Trail yesterday and handed out a case of candy bars. It was a good excuse to get out of the house and do something worthwhile for a change. I talked in-depth to one couple and got to see firsthand how people are living there. It was a dirty, smelly, grim experience — except for the smiles and the conversation. And, yes, the smiles and conver...

The City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma are failing their homeless residents, again. Despite the “hunger for change” and a community that is “on board and invested in solutions,” as described by Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, efforts to improve the conditions of the county’s poorest have fallen short. After millions of dollars and strong commitments from the region’s leaders, only ...

Three years ago, feeling despondent, Tina, 50, planned to dress in black and walk in front of a semi truck that night. Fate intervened when a friend found a stray Chihuahua and gave it to her, saying, “You need it as much as it needs you.” She named her Little Momma because the dog barked after Tina whenever she left her tent. Tina, who has been homeless on and off for 27 years, now lives on ...

Steve, 33, is an addict. He says he’s tried AA but “doing crystal meth helped me stop drinking.” He has been to a couple of informational meetings about what to do about the Joe Rodota trail, but feels that no one cares about the homeless or listens to them. Steve hates the idea of living in a pod at Los Guilicos Juvenile Justice Center because it will take away the freedom he and people...

Seth Hagedon, 58, walks up to strangers, puts his arm over the shoulder, and begins telling jokes. “What do you do with a cow with no legs?...Ground beef!” His outgoing demeanor becomes less surprising as he shares some of his life with us, from going to kindergarten with Eddie and Alex Van Halen in Holland to having a brother, Ian, who raced sports bikes in the famous Isle of Man TT races. ...

Chayo Avarez is not homeless, but spends enough time along the trail that residents recognize her. Wearing gloves and galoshes, Alvaro spends hours searching for pennies, with each coin tallying toward one prayer she’ll say for the homeless. “See how dirty that penny is?” she asked. “But it’s still worth something. That’s what God says about all his children.”