California is home to roughly 187,000 unhoused people. But for every homeless resident, there may be a concerned parent, sibling or offspring wondering where their loved one is, whether they’re in danger and how they’re getting along living on the streets.
Two concerned relatives saw their loved ones quoted in an October CalMatters article and reached out to our own Marisa Kendall for more information. Her story details how they were able to reunite with their relatives in Oakland.
Proponents of reuniting unhoused people with their friends or family say that while reunification does not always lead to someone becoming housed, it does have the potential to save lives when done with the proper support.
A small number of organizations offer reunification services, such as the San Francisco-based nonprofit Miracle Messages, which helps unhoused clients look for relatives. It also assists people track down homeless family members, and since 2017, the nonprofit has arranged more than 115 of these kinds of reunions. LifeMoves, another nonprofit, also offers reunification services across 17 of its Silicon Valley homeless shelters.
Ashanti Terrell’s father has had a long history of being homeless throughout most of her childhood. Last fall Terrell received a call from a social worker informing her that her father, Ashby Dancy, was in a Texas hospital after trying to make his way to Atlanta, where she was living at the time, to visit her. But after Terrell made early arrangements and called the hospital back, Dancy was gone and no one knew where he went.
Terrell packed up her belongings in Atlanta and moved to the Bay Area to find her father. While looking him up on Google, she came across his name in CalMatters’ story about homeless voting.
Terrell found and began meeting with Dancy after that, checking in on him and offering food during her visits. In April she brought her 7-year-old son along so he could meet his grandfather for the first time.
- Terrell, to her father during their meeting: “I just wanted to let you know that I’m here. As soon as I get myself together, I’m going to help you out.”
Read more about the emotional reunions. If you’ve lost touch with a loved one you suspect is living on the street, read our guide to potentially find and help them.
California’s housing crisis, explained: CalMatters has detailed looks at why housing is so expensive in California and why homelessness is so persistent. Now, there’s a lesson-plan-ready version of these explainers and other information — especially made for teachers, libraries and community groups — as part of the CalMatters for Learning initiative, with Spanish translations.
Other Stories You Should Know
Feds freeze green money
As part of President Donald Trump’s objective to take back $20 billion in climate and green energy funding, the administration has frozen $250 million in grants to a nonprofit that helps furnish electric trucks at two major Southern California ports, writes CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo.
Under former President Joe Biden, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund awarded grants to nonprofits, banks and other groups. That included $250 million to Climate United, which offers affordable leases for electric trucks to small fleets and individual truckers serving the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. For years, communities living near the ports face noxious fumes from trucks traveling through the ports.
But that money, which would have funded about 500 electric trucks, has been frozen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In March Lee Zeldin, the agency’s administrator, said the green energy grant program was “riddled with self-dealing and wasteful spending.”
Climate groups have sued over the frozen cash, arguing that the federal agency and the bank that holds the money, Citibank, are illegally withholding money Congress had already appropriated.
You’re not the only one fighting against your HOA
For two Republican state lawmakers, the battle against homeowners associations isn’t over.
Last week a bill that would have required California’s roughly 50,000 private homeowners associations, or HOAs, to be more transparent with their decisions and meeting agendas failed its first committee hearing.
The bill was authored by GOP Assemblymember Carl DeMaio of San Diego, but due to a scheduling conflict with a radio-hosting gig, his colleague Assemblymember Joe Patterson of Rocklin presented the measure at the hearing.
Patterson has gripes with his own HOA: He said his HOA demanded he add more landscaping bark around his home, which he did, and that his HOA sent notice that it disapproved of his son’s basketball hoop. Patterson said the “sheer harassment” he receives from his HOA is why he has a large black flag in his legislative office that reads “Defund the HOA.”
Four other Democratic lawmakers voted with Patterson to advance the bill, including the committee’s chairperson, but that wasn’t enough to pass. DeMaio said he would support Patterson’s plan to reintroduce the bill next year.
And lastly: Salmon season shutdown
The state’s commercial salmon fishing season is closed for the third straight year due to collapsing Chinook populations. CalMatters’ Alastair Bland and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on what the shutdown means for coastal communities and the salmon species as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Gov. Gavin Newsom touts that California’s latest artificial intelligence endeavor will make it more efficient, but the state’s poor record of implementing information technology warrants skepticism.
California Voices deputy editor Denise Amos: California’s Dream for All loan program did little to ease the state’s colossal housing crunch, but the state must nonetheless remain in the business of encouraging homeownership.
Other things worth your time:
Trump order seeks to end in-state tuition for undocumented college students // San Francisco Chronicle
Trump’s nominee for CBP commissioner faces questions about CA border death // The San Diego Union-Tribune
CA discipline law keeps Black, Latino kids in class. Trump says it’s illegal // Los Angeles Times
CA Republicans secured funding for local projects. Where did it go? // The Sacramento Bee
CA’s US senators revive effort to ban assault weapons // The Orange County Register
Bill to slash rooftop solar incentives weakened by Assembly committee // Los Angeles Times
Bill banning deals that hide police misconduct, prompted by Chronicle investigation, clears hurdle // San Francisco Chronicle
Fresno area faces $45M in DOGE funding cuts. We compiled a list of what’s at risk // The Fresno Bee
Investigators finish fire test in Pacific Palisades as search for cause of blaze continues // Los Angeles Times
