Nearly 1,900 are Homeless in Ventura County According to a February 2011 Survey

The Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition (www.vchhc.org) coordinated a count of homeless individuals in Ventura County in February 2011.

A person was considered homeless in the survey if he/she fell within the Department of Housing and Urban Development definition, residing in 1) places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks and abandoned buildings, 2) in an emergency shelter or 3) in transitional housing for homeless persons.

In its April 2011 report, the Coalition counted 1,872 homeless individuals, keeping in mind that the count understated the actual number due to the complexities involved. This was 3% higher than the prior year tally of 1,815. In 2009 the count was 2,193. Here are some details from the latest count:

• 88% were adults and 12% were children
• 6% of the adults counted were 62 or older
• 68% of the adults were men and 32% were women
• 157 families were counted, consisting of 396 people

Of the 1,872 reported homeless, 1427 answered the question of what city they slept in last night; 528 were in Oxnard, 445 were in Ventura, 178 in Simi Valley, 69 in unincorporated areas, 65 in Thousand Oaks, 45 in Santa Paula, 30 in Camarillo, 26 in Ojai, 15 in Port Hueneme, 9 in Fillmore, 6 in Moorpark and 11 in other cities.

The Coalition noted this count does not include people at risk of becoming homeless. In 2000, there were 42,000 households, consisting of about 130,000 people (20% of Ventura County at that time) whose households earned less than $25,000 per year. Additionally, 8%, or close to 64,000 Ventura County residents, were living below the poverty level*.

If you encounter someone in need, refer them to this list of Ventura County homeless shelters and hot meal providers.

* 2011 Poverty Guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services is $10,890 for a 1 person family, $14,710 for 2, $18,530 for 3, $22,350 for 4 and so on.

Homeless Prevention Rental Help Available to Ventura County Residents

Through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Ventura County Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) makes federal funds available to local residents who are homeless or about to be evicted. County and city government have joined efforts to operate HPRP, ensuring that eligible County residents receive help when they need it most.

Basic eligibility criteria includes:

• Homeless or facing eviction within 30 days
• Household income limit based on family size
• Financially able to maintain housing after rental assistance is received
• Ventura County resident and U.S. citizen or qualified resident alien
• Additional criteria and details at THIS LINK.

Eligible HPRP applicants may receive various types of assistance, including eviction prevention rental payment, rental deposit, short-term rental payment, credit counseling, utility deposit/payment, moving and storage costs and case management.

Case managers work closely with clients to develop and implement a service plan to ensure that they receive full benefits.  Through HPRP, clients are stabilized in housing and assisted comprehensively to help ensure that they do not face homelessness again.

Visit www.vchsa.org/hprp or call 805.385.8585 for additional information.

The Road to an Island of Solace - Guest Post by Lon Vennard

Guest writer Lon Vennard is currently homeless and out and about around the Conejo Valley. He has 25 years of work experience and is seeking odd jobs around town. But as you'll see below, Lon also has a talent for writing. His website is www.LonVennard.com.

Today after wrestling with the cold all night inside my van, I woke up tired at the crack of light.  I grow more and more impatient with my homelessness.  My tears again are a simple reminder that I’m still alive. My schedule will first take me to McDonald’s, where I will enjoy a dollar coffee, free Wi-Fi and where I’ll wait until I have to go to work.  I have little money, and less gasoline to keep my 4-wheel home moving.  My on-going battle with a head-cold has left me congested, and my energy level has yet to return to normal.

Lately the cold, wet weather has interfered with what work I am blessed with, and as a result at times I sometimes feel miserable.  In a number of stories that I’ve written recently, I’ve expressed a increasing level of unhappiness with my life, and my homelessness.  I’m reminded of Viggo Mortensen from the movie “The Road”, a post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible.  Like Viggo, I want a clear course but have no map that will lead me to any island of solace.

An older gentleman sitting a few tables away glances over, and kindly asks me “How are you doing today?”  I recognize him from my frequent visits to this McDonald’s.  I reply back by presenting my right hand, which shows him my damaged finger nails.  Addressing him with my hand as I did was my way to answer his question, and decrease the likelihood that the conversation would continue.  I have nothing against the old guy but I’m certainly not making any effort to win any new friends today.  My cuticles were torn, bloody and damaged, thus I would normally make a regular effort to hide them from the public; not today.  My

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Over 3.2 Million Californians Seek Food Assistance in the CalFresh Program

Guest writer Lon Vennard is currently homeless and out and about around the Conejo Valley. He has 25 years of work experience and is seeking odd jobs around town. But as you'll see below, Lon also has a talent for writing. His website is www.LonVennard.com.

The weather has improved, the rain has passed, it’s still cold but I’m pleased with a beautiful sunny day.  Additionally, mostly clear skies are forecast for next week, so I’ll be able to dry out and perhaps get some work done.  When you’re homeless, you should always be aware of the weather, and the forecast, which will always impact your living situation.  I chose to spend Friday night at a local, cheap hotel because the rain, winds, cold, and the local shelter I visited were unbearable.  Since dangerous, freezing weather was forecast for Friday, I first considered the local shelter to sleep at, but when I arrived it was already packed with homeless people.  Many were sicker than I, most clearly had hygiene issues and sleeping bags were already scattered across on the floor.  I was then reminded why so many people refuse to sleep in the shelters.  There’s no privacy, I’ll argue that some present an unhealthy environment, and a few homeless have told me that they prefer jail over the shelter.  Now I understand why.  Sadly, many homeless have no choice but to sleep in the shelters or brave the cold streets.  If you’re homeless and choose not to sleep at the shelters, you should at least take advantage of the free hot meals the shelters offer at many locations throughout greater Ventura County.

According to the California Department of Social Services, (CDSS), at the end of 2010, more than 3,200,000 Californians participated in the federally funded California CalFresh program.  The Calfresh program, formerly known as Food Stamps and federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can add healthy and nutritious food to your table, well of course, if you actually have a table.  The food stamp benefits are given to you in the form on an ATM type debit card that the state CalFresh program funds, typically once per month.  You then utilize the card and associated PIN number to pay for your groceries at your favorite grocery stores.  You may only purchase unprepared food products; no paper products, pet products, certainly no alcohol or tobacco products.  You also cannot purchase deli products that are already prepared or products that you may open and

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Panhandlers Are Usually Not Homeless

Guest writer Lon Vennard is currently homeless and out and about around the Conejo Valley. He has 25 years of work experience and is seeking odd jobs around town. But as you'll see below, Lon also has a talent for writing. Lon's website is www.LonVennard.com.

Panhandlers are Usually Not Homeless (By Lon Vennard)

Every day that passes, I again wish I was not a member of a growing group of Americans, known as the invisible homeless.  Today, as usual, I am presented with a unique, but not totally unexpected set of challenges, which are aggravated by my homelessness.  Beginning with my stress level, which is higher than usual today, sometimes resulting in heat flashes.  Then continuing on, I’ve been sneezing occasionally, with a frequent runny nose.  Those symptoms appear in conjunction with some nagging muscle aches, coupled with a feeling of weakness, both physically and mentally. Does that describe anything that you’ve dealt with?

Living homeless, I’ve also experienced a wide range of weather conditions, specifically wide temperature changes, relentless winds, seasonal circumstances and of course moisture.  On those days when I don’t have any work scheduled, “the silence”, which is simply a measure of the mental fatigue and depression, that I live with, is also an unfriendly complaint, exacerbated by my inconsistent sleeping habits.  As I’ve

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Living As One of The Invisible Homeless in Ventura County

Recently, thanks to J.P. Goreham of Conejo Valley Cares, I had the opportunity to meet Lon Vennard. Lon is about the same age as me, with two young kids. Looks and talks like most people I know. We met at a local Starbucks and his laptop was out, blending in with the crowd. But Lon is currently homeless.

Lon enjoys writing and that was well apparent when I first started reading his blog at www.lonvennard.com. He has much to say and says it in a very meticulous, detailed, engaging fashion. We spoke and agreed that CVG, from time to time, will share some of his thought-provoking work. Starting. Now.

The Invisible Homeless (By Lon Vennard)

I frequently post about my own personal experiences while living as one of the invisible homeless in America.  My blog posts on the subject of homelessness are therapeutic for me and allow me to share my day to day experiences and insight on what’s sadly a growing trend in America.  As I’ve written before, the stress on living homeless can be deafening at times, and sometimes overwhelming both physically or emotionally.  I also believe often my stress level is reflected in my writings with posts specific to my day to day activities.  However sometimes, my posts are simply more level headed, offering my insight on today’s social issues that may effect myself and many Americans.  Ultimately, I concluded that that whatever topic I write about, as long as I am true to the subject and my writing; that’s the best I could really hope to do.

When I finally become comfortable and settle into a unique style of my own, I will decide on what my blog is really going to be consistently about.  Clearly my name in on the blogs header and my life as an invisible homeless man in America has caught the interest of many people. I thought to myself, perhaps I’m not so invisible anymore.  It’s amazing, I’ve received so many positive and encouraging emails from absolute, complete strangers.  Furthermore, I’ve forged several new wonderful and inspiring relationships with local leaders, and re-discovered family members who are now following my blog more closely.

The most remarkable relationships that I’ve been blessed with so far while being homeless  have come from two people, that I’ve been so fortunate to re-discover.  One is my older sister, Debbie, who lives in Florida.  The second is my brothers ex-fiancee’ Tina, and my ne

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