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Saturday, June 3, 2023 Volume: 31, Issue: 46
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New Times / CommunityThe Homeless Project
At New Times, we believe that homelessness is not a problem that can be attacked with money or plans. When we think of homelessness, we don't think of statistics; we think of people. We think of people who've had problems in their lives, and they all have a story to tell. We believe that common sense is the only way we'll ever come close to ending homelessness. This is our common-sense approach, and these are their stories. 
Mike MastersMike Masters moved from Indiana to California with “visions of palm trees and girls in bikinis.” He left his hometown and headed west because he was getting in too much trouble back there, he said. Once on the West Coast, Masters started working as a truck driver. He began work in Los Angeles, then moved to Bakersfield before landing on the Central Coast about two years ago. For a while, things were good. He was wor... 
Brian Lee"It all fell apart for different reasons.” 
Isabell Hope GarciaIsabell Hope Garcia has suffered greatly because of her condition. “Believe me, if there was a way for me to get out of my own skin, there’s times I really would,” she said. Garcia has type 1 bipolar disorder, a condition that has made it difficult for her to hold down a residence or a job. At a recent interview, she said she was camping for the first time in San Luis Obispo after getting kicked out of a semi-... 
Will LongfellowWhat would really help Will and Ginet Longfellow in the short term is to have a home for their two chihuahuas and their pug. For the couple, who’ve been married about four years, they just need “to get out of the damn shelter,” Ginet said. In the long-term, they’d like to “find something steady.” The couple met in Montana, where Ginet grew up. Will is actually local and met Ginet whil... 
Ginet LongfellowWhat would really help Will and Ginet Longfellow in the short term is to have a home for their two chihuahuas and their pug. Sherry PhillipsIt all started in Yucca Valley. The job market was dismal, so Sherry Phillips decided to go back to school, study phlebotomy, and find work drawing blood for medical testing. She and her daughter couldn’t afford their own apartment, so they split the rent with a roommate. Savannah SmithIf you passed Savannah Smith on the street, you might think she’s just another punk kid. 
Dane SenserAt age 56, Dane Senser believed he had finally found his dream job. While working at the Manse on Marsh in San Luis Obispo, Senser was offered a six-month job at a resort on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. 
Barbara WalkerAs Barbara Walker tells it, she’s got it a lot better than many of her homeless friends in San Luis Obispo County. In fact, Walker said, she’s technically not even homeless. 
Richard NunezRichard Nunez is a smiley, affable guy who gives two-handed handshakes before he pulls you in for a hug. 
James McAuleyGenerally, James McAuley calls the streets home. He’s currently staying at the local homeless shelter, and says he frequents the Prado Day Center most mornings for breakfast. McAuley is no stranger to sleeping outdoors; as a younger man, he was prone to sleeping outside in frigid temperatures, often despite a wad of cash in his pocket. But things change after six decades on the planet. 
Ricky LangRicky Lang’s fall from fully employed family man to homelessness was more literal than most. Six years ago, the professional painter took a 70-foot tumble from a tall building that put him in the hospital for an extended stay and multiple surgeries.“I was away from the family for so long and on so mu... 
Brex Owen (pictured) and Velma HuntFollowing a brief four-day stint living at Sunny Acres, Velma Hunt and Brex Owen were told they’d have to leave when a judge ordered Dan De Vaul, proprietor of the sober-living facility, to clear the residents off his property.Owen remembers it as evening, and Hunt recalls it as morning when De Vaul returned to the ranch and essenti... 
David MarshallIt's rare to find someone as versatile as David Marshall. A native Pennsylvanian, Marshall has been everything from a county worker to an ice cream truck driver. He admits that at 73 it’s hard to find the motivation to search for full-time employment, but his age hasn’t stopped him from searching for an opportunity to prove himself. “I know I haven’t been working as much... 
Robert JacksonThe older you get, the harder it is to get back on your feet,” Robert Jackson lamented. Jackson was released from prison in February of this year and has been on the streets since he got out. He had never been homeless in his life, but a week after his release, with nowhere else to go, he turned up in the local homeless shelter. But he said he caught bronchitis during his brief stay there. Since then, he has preferred to live on ... 
James ColemanJames Coleman likes to talk. Fortunately for his listeners, he’s acquired the gift of charming gab. Even when he's clearly talking nonsense, you can't help but smile and enjoy the show. He hails from Somerville, just outside Boston, and when he gets going his home brogue tumbles out. Coleman is a jack-of-all-trades. He has a part-time mo... 
Angalina CoferMost people would contend that living in a shelter, as a single adult, is difficult. Now imagine trying to raise three children in that environment. This is what Angalina Cofer, 26, faces every day. Cofer and her children have been living in the overflow section at a shelter ... 
Phyllis Hamilton-DomicoIf you ask Phyllis Hamilton-Damico where she’s staying, she’ll give you the cross-streets to wherever she pitched her small tent the night before.Hamilton-Damico hasn’t always lived like this. She had a family years ago, but that dynamic came to a stressful end, and now she’s on her... 
Vanessa SmithShe lived in a comfortable apartment and never had to worry about hunger. Her son was in school, her boyfriend had a good job, and she finally had the time and freedom to pursue a job that made her happy. It didn’t feel like the brink of homelessness. 
Kevin StittKevin Stitt hasn’t let circumstance get in the way of his determination. He’s been living in a North County shelter for some months and is using public transportation to get around. Despite these facts, upon request, he will reach into his backpack and pull out two large, full binders of personal background in... 
Theresa CinagliaMoving hundreds of miles to a new city is seldom a smooth transition. Theresa Cinaglia, who moved to San Luis Obispo from Northern California about five months ago to support her niece and niece’s daughter, is stuck in ... 
David BurkWhen he was 15 and living in Ventura, David Burk said, his parents gave him an ultimatum: He could have either his family or the drugs. “I told them, ‘Drugs are my family,’” Burk remembered.<... 
Bruce KoppFrom the way Bruce Kopp tells his life story, he’s been on the move ever since he could move. 
Allen OliphantAllen Oliphant had a nice, steady gig fixing up old houses. An investor would buy run-down properties and let Oliphant, a jack of all trades, live on site while he worked to refurbish each place before moving on to the next. After that set-up e... 
Susan PerezFor Susan Perez, finding work has always been difficult. She dropped out of school decades ago, when she was in just 7th grade. The work she could find was physically demanding, but she was happy to have it.For a while, she provided in-home care for a retired officer from Atascadero State Hospital. He suffe... 
Megan SamuelMegan Samuel has a lot to look forward to. She said she’s 38 weeks pregnant with her first daughter, Mykenzie. It’s a time when a lot of women are finishing up touches on the nursery and settling into the idea of having a new little person around the house. But for Sa... 
Ronald DieringerRonald Dieringer said he was on his own at just five hours old, and spent 18 years bouncing through group homes. When he legally became an adult, he joined the Navy and was eventually deployed to Iraq for the first Gulf War, he said. His best friend was shot in the head and killed before his eyes, and Dieringer chokes back tears when he recalls ... 
Ayla OrtizA SLO County native, Ayla Ortiz has been homeless for two years. She said she and her mom were living with Ortiz’s grandmother, but when she passed away, the family lost the house. Since then, Ayla and her 3-year-old son have been bouncing between the homes of friends and family, and local shelters. Sometimes, however, there isn’t a place for both of t... 
Jason Pimentel“I’m glad I’m going through this, to be honest with you,” Jason Pimentel leveled with a New TimesRead More 
Guinevere and Crystal SimkoNinety-six days before New Times spoke with Guinevere and Crystal Simko, the mother and daughter were evicted from their San Luis Obispo County home. Ten days after that, they were rear-ended in a car accident, considerably worsening their financial situation. Guinevere, a laser machinist by trade, also suffers from hearing loss. Not long before our interview, Guinevere's hearing aid had broken, and she had difficulty understanding peo... |
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