San Francisco needs help with the homeless.
It should be no surprise that San Francisco is struggling with the problem of chronic homelessness. It is a problem all over California.
I should know. I am one of them. I am a 60 year old tech worker that has struggled to find permanent, long term employment and affordable housing in Eureka, Los Angeles, Fresno, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and now in San Francisco. I know how hard it is. I have done it several times in my 32 years of living in California.
I should know. I am one of them. I am a 60 year old tech worker that has struggled to find permanent, long term employment and affordable housing in Eureka, Los Angeles, Fresno, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and now in San Francisco. I know how hard it is. I have done it several times in my 32 years of living in California.
One of the main problems trying to escape homelessness is getting stable, long term employment. Just getting enough money saved to afford even a minimal housing solution is almost impossible, but it can be done. Most of the solutions proposed require massive government funding to remove "tent cities" and to ultimately permanently house the homeless. I propose a private / public partnership that uses unoccupied urban land (vacant / parking lots) to grow Urban Aquaponic Gardens, employ homeless people, and give them a stable, safe place to sleep in a clean, sober, and productive environment.
Help me change the world one block at a time.
My concept is simple and elegant: Grow food that's 100% organic with no
pesticides, no fertilizers, and no GMOs. I have been a backyard
aquaponic designer / grower for over 2 years and have invested my money
in equipment, products and building materials. My goal is to design
zero-net energy, organic, aquaponic greenhouses that will be built on
parking lots and unused land in urban environments. This system allows
for the production of a variety of fruits and vegeatables as well as
fresh fish and shellfish. My hope is that these greenhouses will be
able to convert city blocks from barren land to year-round food
production plants. A significant number of these greenhouses could also
reduce CO2 emissions in the city. I am located on the beautiful
California Central Coast with a climate ideal for plant production. I
plan to have approximately 300,000 sq. ft. dedicated to growing
vegetables. I am building a state-of-the-art production facility,
ensuring consistent and superior quality. The facility includes IBT
containers, gravity irrigation , environmental controls, solar powered
pump and fan system and solar water heating. The ability to develop this
project would be an amazing opportunity. The possibility of making
fresh, healthy foods more available to urban citizens while reducing
greenhouse gasses. Your donations could be the beginning of the success
of a project intent to make the world a better, healthier place for
all.
You are invited to become a sponsor of this ambitious project at my donations page here:
This produce will also be sold locally, giving our community access to
healthy produce. It is important for people everywhere to produce their
own, healthy food. Our system provides fresh organic food and fish. No
chemical pesticides go into the environment to produce it and no fossil
fuels are used to transport our food across highways or oceans. We
produce enough food ourselves so that we have a surplus available for
sale at our local farmers market. Aquaponics truly is farming of the
future.
You are invited to become a sponsor of this ambitious project at my donations page here:
Aquaponics is a
closed-loop system in which plants are fertilized by fish tanks, and the
plants filter the water that will be returned to the fish tanks.
Captured rain water allows us to grow produce using aquaponics, an
aquaculture system where this water is used to grow plants
hydroponically. While using water eight times more efficiently than
traditional farming and with up to three times the production
capability. I anticipate we could have as many as 4,000 plants growing
at one time and can expect to grow about 40,000 heads of lettuce per
year.
This is important to the community because there are still hungry people
who go to bed with out eating. Also there is a growing concern for
water management during a California drought. Lastly, this is important
to the community because many people don't know what products at the
store are truly organic and wholesome. Vegetables such as kale,
tomatoes, basil, lettuce and spinach can be grown in the middle of
winter and sold locally. Over half the costs of fresh produce is
transportation and spoilage. By growing all the produce locally, we
eliminate the expense of shipping cost. This lowers the carbon footprint
on a massive level when perishable items need to be shipped long
distances. Also, there is a growing concern for water management during
the ongoing California drought.
Dr. Margot Kushel is a professor of medicine at UCSF. She’s also an author of a new study that found homeless people in their 50s have more trouble with the basics of life than 80-year-olds who have homes.“It’s not a San Francisco-only problem, it’s true across the country,” Kushel said. “They’re old, vulnerable and very frail.” The homeless population is aging, and aging rapidly. Not only are those on the streets getting older, but their health deteriorates so rapidly that their bodies and minds are about 25 years older than they are.
Mayor Ed Lee tours the newly opened Pier 80 tent shelter on Feb. 26 2016.
San Francisco has some one of the best available resources on the west coast:
- Glide: Meals provided daily, shelter referrals
- MSc south: Showers and shelter referrals
- Next door: 350 bed shelter for men and women, Meals provided daily
- Capp St: Showers and shelter referrals
- Curry senior center: Health care clinic for seniors, Meals provided daily
- Mother Jones: Meals provided daily
- Providence: 100 bed shelter for men
