Cherry Willow Apparel

The Supreme Court of the United States heard the case City of Grants Pass v. Johnson on April 22nd, 2024. A decision will be made by June 30th.  What is this case?  This case will essentially decide if cities have the right to criminalize homelessness. Currently, the rights of homeless citizens are protected under the Eighth Amendment based on the ruling of a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals in 2018.  In the 2018 decision of Martin v. the City of Boise, the panel of judges ruled that  "the Eighth Amendment prohibits the imposition of criminal penalties for sitting, sleeping, or lying outside on public property for homeless individuals who cannot obtain shelter." The city of Grants Pass Located in southern Oregon, about 2 hours south of Eugene and 5 hours north of Sacramento, it has a population of approximately 39,0000 people, including approximately 600 homeless people. The city is like many other cities in this country in that it does not have enough sh...

  Custom Donations We are looking to collect certain items to distribute to people experiencing homelessness in addition to what the shelters can provide. We aim to redistribute the excess already out there and not add to the waste so often generated by corporations in this country, particularly those in the fast fashion industry. Most people experiencing homelessness need clean clothes. Living on the street can be difficult, as can maintaining hygiene due to the lack of access to showers and laundry facilities. Any items donated will be distributed through local shelters and other outreach programs. Any blank apparel items we can print on will be printed with the Cherry Willow Apparel logo and given to local retailers to raise funds in their community. Winter clothing, especially in areas like Chicago and other midwest cities with large populations of people experiencing homelessness, is of enormous importance. Anything from thermal underwear to sweatshirts and jackets to gloves...

The Way Home     When it comes to dealing with homelessness in the United States, I would argue that we approach it in the wrong way, just like we do with many other problems in this country. That is because, in this country, we value money more than anything else. If the solution to the problem doesn't involve someone getting filthy rich, it won't likely be seen as a priority. The traditional method for addressing homelessness is to invest in creating shelters and beds for those impacted. Once people are in the shelters, we seek to provide individuals with resources to improve their standing in society and get a higher-paying job so they can afford to rent a place to live. This may sound like a good idea in theory, but there are better places to work on yourself than the shelter. There is virtually no privacy as you are constantly surrounded by people, most of whom have not chosen to be there. Tensions can get high, and sometimes things get physical, so finding space to work ...

                                            How did we get here? Have you ever asked yourself, “How did I get here?” I know I certainly have at times. Whether it was something as simple as zoning out while going somewhere or more of an in-depth question about how I ended up in a bad circumstance, this is a question that has come up in my life. When I look at the question, “How did we get to the current homeless crisis in the United States?” Through talking with people who have worked in the shelters, I came up with a conclusion of multiple factors. In my opinion, the primary driver is a capitalistic society that only values people for their ability to generate a profit for someone else. In a capitalistic society, to be employable, you have to serve a role that produces more value than what your employer is willing to pay you. That is how the employer mak...