While acknowledging the magnitude and complexity of San Diego\u2019s homelessness problem, experts on the subject nonetheless recently concluded it\u2019s resolvable.<\/p>\n
A panel on \u201chumanizing homelessness,\u201d held at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park Feb. 25, included a mayoral aide, a Roman Catholic deacon, an artist, a police officer and a housing development consultant.<\/p>\n
Panelists were introduced to the capacity crowd by Alex Kreit, a lawyer and associate professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, who acted as moderator. Kreit first asked each panelist a few questions himself before opening the discussion up to audience queries.<\/p>\n Artist Neil Shigley, whose photography exhibit \u201cInvisible People\u201d that profiles the homeless is currently on exhibit at the history center, talked about the origin of his work.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2005, a man living on the street asked me to do his portrait,\u201d Shigley said, adding that it prompted him to do others.<\/p>\n Shigley said he never planned on the photographs becoming a series, but he became captivated by \u201ccapturing the incredible character\u201d of his subjects and said that doing the portraits humanized the homeless for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI realized these were real people with struggles and dreams, invisible people who\u2019d been ignored,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought if I could focus on each individual and channel the little information I knew about them into their likenesses, maybe I could touch a little bit on their human condition and make them visible.\u201d<\/p>\n Katherine Johnston, director of infrastructure and budget for Mayor Kevin Faulconer, said homelessness is high on the mayor\u2019s priority list and he believes in finding a solution.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a complex issue with a lot to do moving forward,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Deacon Jim Vargas, president\/CEO of Father Joe\u2019s Villages (FJV), a full-service homeless provider, said the nonprofit institution he manages works daily with the homeless population, whom he described as \u201cthe marginalized, the stigmatized and the disenfranchised.\u201d<\/p>\n Kris Kuntz, a senior associate at LeSar Development Consultants who works with the homeless and the city\u2019s housing policy, said he was pleased to have the opportunity to consult with FJV and other homeless providers, doing the \u201cgood work\u201d it takes to achieve social justice by helping to house people.<\/p>\n A spokesman for San Diego Police Department\u2019s Homeless Outreach Team, Sgt. Michael Stirk, said he was inspired by his family history to \u201chave a positive impact with homeless veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n Moderator Kreit asked panelists about the nature of San Diego\u2019s homeless, inquiring as to who they are and where they came from.<\/p>\n \u201cIt runs the full gamut from people with alcohol and substance abuse problems to the mentally ill and people who\u2019ve grown up in the foster care system who turn 18 and end up on the street because they have nowhere else to go,\u201d Stirk said, noting that many San Diegans are \u201conly a couple paychecks away\u201d from being on the street.<\/p>\n Panelists were asked if they believed in the \u201chousing first\u201d model trending in homeless care.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s housing first, but not housing only,\u201d Vargas said.<\/p>\n![\"humanizing-homelessness-001webtop\"](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/humanizing-homelessness-001webtop.jpg\")
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