by Jess Luoma When most people bring up "homeless people" to me as an advocate, typically I will hear some comment about the trash that "they" create or other statements about them "being dirty." Sadly, that comment is rooted in the first level of judgment that stops short of understanding. It's true, if you go to a homeless encampment and take a walk around the hillsides (never have? we'd love to take you out!) you will find trash. Probably a lot of trash. It's also true tha

by Jess Luoma In the sunny small town of Redding, California, hidden under creek bridges and oaky hillsides are nearly 1,000 homeless citizens camping within self-governed encampments or camping alone and in their cars. Considering the percentage growth in the last few years, this is a shocking number. In 2018 the number of unsheltered individuals was counted at 431 in all of Shasta County. The rise has cast Redding into an official city emergency crisis for unsheltered peopl