Cherry Willow Apparel

     I read a great article by  Cynthia Griffith  a freelance writer dedicated to social justice and environmental issues. The article is linked  here  for your reference. In this article, Cynthia discusses the framing of the homeless problem when it is discussed by politicians. Her article cites a few specific examples, which I encourage you to read. In this post, I will discuss more societal misconceptions and how politicians and other government officials contribute to the disconnect.      Far too often, when discussing homelessness, political leaders seek to blame the people impacted rather than the actual problem, which is a lack of affordable housing.  Crime is a societal problem and occurs when there is a lack of opportunity and resources. Drug use is a mental health issue that has been around for many years but is more prevalent and visible in communities due to the housing crisis. By trying to associate homeless people with...

     Aggressive homeless encampment sweeps have begun in California following the Supreme Court ruling and Governor Newsom's executive order. You can read the article I am referring to  here . At 2:04 in the YouTube video linked here , the Mayor of San Francisco discusses her plan for the sweeps, which is quoted below.  "This is not just about cleaning and clearing because these are people and they gotta go somewhere but we are going to make them so uncomfortable on the streets of San Francisco that they have to take our offer. That really is the goal of what we are trying to accomplish"       If you are a fan of Game of Thrones you will recognize this quote from Jon Snow "everything before the word but is horseshit." I don't know if you have spent time on the streets of San Francisco, but I wouldn't use the word comfortable to describe them. It is evident to me that this approach, intentionally trying to make a vulnerable population of peopl...

     Governor Newson's executive order today, which more information can be found here , is going to have a severely negative impact on people experiencing homelessness. Living in a camp is already a stressful circumstance. Imagine getting a notice that you have 48 hours to pack up your belongings and go. Where are they supposed to go? Governor Newsom does not provide an answer. California only has around 71,000 transitional housing beds available, and there are currently over 180,000 people impacted by homelessness in the state. California has a higher population of people impacted by homelessness than any other state, with over 25% of the nation's total population affected by homelessness residing there.      This order does not acknowledge the primary driver of homelessness: a lack of affordable housing. With more institutional buyers purchasing single-family homes to rent out, this problem will only worsen. Before 2011, there were no examples of institu...

     I was involved in service work from a very young age. My parents believed wholeheartedly in giving back to people in our community. We would often volunteer for Church functions and would serve migrant workers who were traveling to our community. Although I did not fully understand as a kid, the sacrifice that the migrant workers make to support their families is incredibly admirable. When I originally founded Cherry Willow Apparel, I did not know exactly how I would contribute to the mission of ending homelessness. Still, I knew there was an ability to serve the people impacted. My experience in the business world made me confident in my ability to create value through apparel, as I have already done it successfully. Beyond that, I knew the mission was significant enough that I had to give it my all! Before I get into my career and what led me to start my own business, I want to give you a glimpse into my thinking and how I operate.        I...

      Currently, over 12,000 Community Housing and Homeless Shelters operate in the United States, according to this article  by Ibis World.  At the same time, the homeless population that these organizations exist to serve is at an all-time high of 653,104 people, according to HUD's annual point-in-time report. A lack of affordable housing plays a significant factor in causing this all time high. States and cities that have more expensive housing tend to have higher populations of people experiencing homelessness. Thiis commonal though as there are examples of cities that have done a good job getting people off the street twithmore expensive housing. In reading about how these cities have approached tackling the issue I noticed a common theme, collaboration.      In Topeka, Kansas housing coordinators and other local officials are bringing the community together to gather ideas from citizens, instead of relying exclusively on the local governme...

     I very much enjoy the peace and serenity I feel while biking. On my rides, I switch from listening to and absorbing nature to listening to music, audiobooks, or podcasts. Many people who are currently homeless use bikes as their primary form of transportation, and aside from my love of biking, I feel it is crucial to document and highlight what relying on a bicycle as your primary form of transportation looks like.  Before I plan the trip, I want to elaborate on the importance of going on a bike trip to raise awareness for homeless people. When a person is homeless, the primary mode of transportation they rely on is public transit. However, many cities and municipalities need reliable public transportation options. Once people who are homeless are on the street, this lack of transportation makes it even more difficult for them to find work due to the limited amount of places they can reasonably get to consistently. That leaves many people who are homeless to rel...

     People in  Evanston  who are homeless won't have any choice but to camp or try to get to a different part of the area where beds are available with Interfaith Action of Evanston's shelter program ending for the year. Many people may also turn to the public transit system to attempt to get some rest. When riding on the CTA buses and trains during college, I often encountered a homeless person sleeping. No one should be forced to sleep on a train or a bus as thousands of people use them daily. It is not safe, as some people harass and abuse homeless people, which is an awful site. I believe society's role is to support and empower individuals who cannot care for themselves. Yet our capitalistic society only values people if they can generate a profit for someone else. Many non-profits and church organizations are working to support people who are homeless, but it will require the entire community to get involved to solve the problem. We need to work with loca...

     Whenever I am looking for an article or a news story to write about for my weekly blog, there is always a supply out there. What I am always shocked by is the number of people who exclusively blame the people impacted by homelessness. This is the  article  I read this week, and there are many quotes from residents and business owners who claim to feel "empathy." Still, they are more concerned with how the homeless population is affecting them, their business, and their customers.     P eople experiencing homelessness are not the problem. The problem is we live in a society where stray dogs and cats receive more compassion and resources than people battling mental health or addiction.  The United States GDP is the largest in the world by  Ten Trillion dollars,  over 2nd highest nation's GDP (China), and is more than the 3rd-10th nations' GDP  combined.   With this wealth and resources, there is no reason why everyone living...

 Hostile Architecture is not a solution.      I was reading a News article from KTLA discussing how business owners were taking measures into their own hands by installing planters on the sidewalk to deter homeless encampments. LA has the 2nd highest amount of people impacted by homelessness in the US, with the most recent figures estimating over 75,000 people are homeless there. While I understand that having a bunch of tents set up in front of the business isn't ideal for the business owners or customers, installing planters isn't helping, nor is it a solution. Using hostile architecture to purposefully guide behavior is familiar to urban design. This style of architecture is designed to impact people who rely more heavily on public spaces, like people affected by homelessness. Think about any time you have been at a park and saw a bench with an armrest in the middle. Think of concrete ledges that are sloped or that have metal studs to prevent people from resting ...

 Biking from Sacramento to San Diego     Writing that title feels like a lot, but that is my plan.  According to HUD data , biking this route will allow me to stop in 6 of the 10 cities with the highest homeless population in the country . According to Google Maps, this route will take me 67 hours to ride and will cover 753 miles.  I will ride 50-100 miles daily and plan to knock the trip out in 10 days. This timeline allows me to prepare some rest days and account for a day or two with inclement weather.      One of the trip's main goals is to highlight what it is like to be a person who is homeless in this country. I will do this by interviewing as many homeless people as possible who would like to have an opportunity to tell their stories. Understanding how easy it can be to end up on the street is vital. According to a survey by payroll.org in 2023, 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. That's over a quarter of a billion people, Billion...

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...

  The System Is Broken My first experience volunteering came when I was in my youth. I was raised Catholic, and my mother was passionate about giving back and helping others. She came from a lower middle-class family where things were never easy, and she had a lot of responsibilities around the house and caring for her younger siblings from an early age. She was very involved in the Church and involved her two youngest sons (my brother & I) in her efforts. My first volunteering experience that I remember was serving food for migrant workers. If you are unfamiliar with migrant workers, they typically move to a new country or region to find work and save money to return to their families. Imagine the level of sacrifice that is required to move to an entirely new country just to find the opportunity to provide for your family, all the while not getting to see them or communicate with them outside of an occasional phone call or letter (before the days of cell phones & facetim...

  Numbers Don't Lie Homelessness in the US increased by 12% in 2023, reaching a total of 653,104 people on the streets or in shelters. The US has over 15 million unoccupied residences (either home or rental units). One solution I can think of would be to house the individuals experiencing homelessness in unoccupied homes and have the government guarantee the rent to the homeowners (similar to section 8). This policy would incentivize property owners to find tenants among the people experiencing homelessness for their unoccupied dwellings so they could start making some money in the form of rent from the government. Doing this would enable people who are homeless not to have to worry about finding shelter and how they will make it through today, and perhaps allow them to build a life for themselves from a stable foundation. In Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking Fast & Slow” he highlights the increase in happiness that an individual receives when their basic needs (food, shelter...

Biking California Biking is a passion of mine, and it's also one of the main ways that people who are homeless get around. My goal in biking and serving in shelters will be to illustrate and capture the conditions that hundreds of thousands of homeless people experience daily. I want to tell their stories and show people that almost anyone could find themselves on the streets. Often, the people who are homeless I encounter are some of the friendliest, most positive people I meet. Their ability to maintain positive attitudes despite their circumstances, leaving them with little reason to be, is inspiring! The idea to bike from Sacramento to San Diego, California, was inspired by one of my college friends who rollerbladed across the country to raise money for No Kid Hungry. At the time, I had no idea how he could do it, let alone think I could plan a trip like that myself. One thing I did know is that I was envious of his purpose and his freedom. He found a way to help many peo...