HOMES: Riverside is providing homes for the homeless to get people off the streets.
By Kate DiGuglielmo, Staff Writer
According to the Riverside Government, as of 2019, the population of homeless people in Riverside has increased by 21% leading to more people on the streets and in the river bed. Riverside is a city which allows the homeless to roam and live freely with certain exceptions around schools or in parks. Not only is living without a home inconvenient, but it is also dangerous. For example, those who live in the riverbed put their lives at risk as three fires have already happened in just 2020. Although being homeless is not a choice, it needs to be fixed!
In order to improve the life of the homeless and to keep them safe, Riverside’s EOCH (Executive Oversight Committee on Homlessness) has decided to build shelters so the homeless can get their lives back together without worrying where they are going to sleep at night. The housing will have up to two people in a 64 square foot house. “I think we can all agree that 64 square feet with electricity, heat and access to a bathroom, is better than living in a storm drain,” says Mayor Bailey. The EOCH is continuing to try to get the shelters done as soon as possible, however they do not have a specific date planned regarding when they will be finished.
Constructing homeless shelters means Riverside will be a healthier and safer place for those who cannot support themselves. “I know homelessness is complicated, but this isn’t,” states Steven Borst, Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Preschool and Elementary, “Ask anyone who’s in a 4-by-4 tent, homeless, if they wouldn’t mind moving into safe 64-square-foot temporary housing. They would jump at the opportunity.”
These homes will only be a temporary fix for the people meant to stay in them,; however, the shelter should be able to support them enough to create a life for themselves. The houses will make a difference to those who live in them and will change lives. According to the PITC in 2017, there were 2,400 homeless people living in Riverside. Riverside has worked hard to improve this number by spending money, time, and work to build the shelters. There has been 3.45 million dollars spent on improving the homeless’s lives so far. Even though it’s a large amount of money, it will not be wasted. Many who were unable to before will find jobs, be able to afford food, and eventually be able to move out of their temporary home and afford their own. This movement will improve thousands of lives!