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HUGS 4 HOMELESS
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/34O4IK3TUPZST/?ref_=lol_ov_le
My name is Sarah Marie Stofer and a little over a year ago, I was homeless and living in a tent along the American River in Rancho Cordova, Ca. I was homeless for 5 years following an illegal eviction. It took years but I finally got into a housing program through Mercy Housing called Quinn Cottages. I’ve been living indoors, in my own 1 bedroom, 1 bath cottage for almost a year and a half. It’s basically a miniature house and I’m just so outrageously grateful for it. However, I don’t forget what these cold nights are like when you’re out there with absolutely no way to escape the agonizing cold. I’m still pretty sure a little piece of my soul died each night that I had to ride my bike all night to keep moving so I wouldn’t wake up dead. Well, two men in the downtown area did just that in the last week. They were found wrapped or covered in soaking wet blankets and they basically froze to death on the street, surrounded by countless opportunities for shelter but having access to none. Donations of blankets, as well intentioned as they are, would be better suited for a shelter type of setting, where they will stay dry and can be laundered. For a homeless person, a blanket will not last very long before it gets left in the gutter somewhere, all soggy and pathetic looking. That’s not good for our environment, it’s a waste of a resource sitting in a landfill and they are kind of a liability for homeless people. They are big and awkward to carry, they get filthy in an instant with no free way of washing it, and once it rains and its soaked, it’s actually potentially lethal. When it gets so cold your fingers and lips are bluish/grey and it feels like your blood is turning into an ICEE and the misery of throbbing numbness starts to set in and there’s no legal way to escape it, people get desperate. That’s when people start breaking into vacant homes, which leads to an arrest, then jail time, then back to homeless. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Well, I’m sick of these people living in that vicious cycle and I’d like to try and bring them some semblance of comfort and safety this winter.
I found these reusable, waterproof emergency sleeping bags on Amazon for $5.59. That’s the cheapest I could find for them anywhere. I contacted the seller to see if I could get a bulk discount but they said $5.59 was the lowest they could go. So, I contacted Amazon to see if they would be willing to offer some sort of discount of their own but they weren’t able to, either. I ordered one to see if it was any good and it was pretty great! I ordered 10 more bags and they arrived today and I’ll give them out before dark today. It comes with it’s own carry pouch and the whole thing weighs just over 4oz! It also comes with a safety whistle/Firestarter but I won’t be giving those to homeless people. I don’t know what I’m going to do with those but I know it won’t be going to homeless people. Do not want to encourage any desperation fires.
I call these emergency sleeping bags "Hugs 4 Homeless" in the hopes they'll find some comfort from it, just like a hug!
Due to our current health crisis, over 3,600 became homeless for the first time in Sacramento in the first 6 months of 2020. This is the first (hopefully the last) winter those people have ever spent outdoors and I can’t forget the terrible pain of my first homeless winter. Desperation starts at different levels of misery for each of us. Let’s not let these people get to that point anymore. A common misconception about homeless people is that they are all on drugs, drunk, mentally ill or all of the above and that’s what brought them to the street. In my experience, a vast majority of people became homeless following some sort of major life event: the loss of a job, the loss of family, or as in my case, an illegal eviction spurred on by a greedy landlord that was angry he lost in court when he claimed I owe back rent that his own attorneys proved I never owed and yet he still managed to have the Sheriff’s Department remove me from my only home, put me on the street in a city I was new to with no support system, sent all my belongings & family photos to the dump and all Section 8 did was schedule a hearing 3 months away and told me to find a friends couch or try to get in to a shelter (clearly still struggling emotionally with this event). Called to stay on the shelter waitlist every day for 2 months and hadn’t moved but 2 spots and I was still number 70-something. At that point, I just stopped trying. I was so exhausted already and I ended up living out there for 5 years. I’ve lived in a tent with no electricity, no heat, and no plumbing. I’ve lived along the American River without a tent as well, just a tarp from fence to ground (investigative coyotes were a trip without a tent!). I’ve slept on the grass at a park with just a blanket and woke up to find the blanket completely covered in ice. It was literally stiff and crunchy. It hadn’t even rained that night. That’s why you see so much homeless activity at night and then see people sleeping during the day. It’s because they have to keep moving at night or they’ll freeze to death and then when the sun comes up, it’s safe to rest (until someone calls the police to report the “crime” of sleeping in public, that is). It’s not necessarily because they’re just up all night tweakin’ – although, they could be as drugs are frequently relied upon to keep themselves awake and alert during cold months. Of course, that’s not the only reason some people do drugs, but I can speak from personal experience that sleeping is the most dangerous thing a homeless woman can ever do and I know for a fact I’ve used drugs in the past to stay awake so I wouldn’t wake up to find a stranger inside of me ever again. There are complexities to the homeless situation that I will tell you, as someone who has been there and managed to claw herself out of it, that go so much deeper than the stereotype. Substance abuse is a problem but it’s not the problem. It’s rarely the thing that brings someone to the streets. Something happens in their life, they end up on the street and then the damage from the event mingles with the daily damage of homelessness and then they get hopeless. The mess, the garbage, the apparent lack of giving a f$#% about the state of their living environment are all SYMPTOMS of a greater problem and that problem is unique to that individual. That problem is also the thing that makes people reach for drugs to begin with. They use dope to cope with the damage already done and with the daily damage of living homeless. It’s hard to heal and deal in a healthy way when you’re still being traumatized…daily.
Every single human life on this planet MATTERS. Every single life has social VALUE. Every single person out there is WORTH saving. They are good people who are just going through it right now and could use a reminder that someone cares. The kindness of others genuinely makes a world of difference to homeless people. Something as simple as saying hello, acknowledging them, can brighten a dimming spark. How about a socially distanced “hug” instead?
The more "hugs" you donate, the more lives you can help save this winter!
You can purchase a “Hugs for Homeless” sleeping bag directly from the gift registry I created on Amazon.com and all bags will be delivered to my house here at Quinn Cottages. I’ll be passing them out as I receive them. I don’t care if it’s just one “hug” delivered per day, every single bag will be distributed before dark the day I get it. I’ve now bought a total of 61 “hugs” with my own money but only 11 have arrived so far (didn’t order at the same time). 50 of them are arriving December 23, 2020. If you would rather donate cash and I’ll buy them, that’s fine, too but I prefer if you just bought the bags – rather avoid any concern over the money but I absolutely will not refuse a cash donation. Every single “hug” is potentially another life saved. I don’t care if you buy it or I do, as long as they get to those who need them most! I’m willing to put $1000 of my own money into this endeavor and I’d like to maximize that and get the most “hugs” I can and at the best price. If anyone has any sort of wholesale connection or any information on getting these things even cheaper, would be highly appreciated. The cheaper they are, the more I can buy. Initially, I had wanted to include hand warmers in the pouches as a mini care package but decided the money spent on hand warmers would probably be better spent on more “hugs” for more people. But if anyone happens to have a bunch of them they’d like to donate, that would be awesome! Just send me a message at [email redacted] and we can coordinate!
Buy Hugs 4 Homeless on Amazon here
I’m not with any sort of charity, I’m just a regular person trying to keep our people safe. Ideally, I’d like to see every single homeless person with a “hug” but there are THOUSANDS of them in Sacramento and I can’t do it alone and that’s where you come in. One day I’d like to see “Hugs 4 Homeless” turn into a real, licensed charitable resource for homeless in Sacramento but for now, let’s just get these folks out of the cold. Baby steps, right?
NOTE: ALL COVID-RELATED CDC GUIDELINES WILL BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED WHEN DISTRIBUTING THE “HUGS”.
My name is Sarah Marie Stofer and a little over a year ago, I was homeless and living in a tent along the American River in Rancho Cordova, Ca. I was homeless for 5 years following an illegal eviction. It took years but I finally got into a housing program through Mercy Housing called Quinn Cottages. I’ve been living indoors, in my own 1 bedroom, 1 bath cottage for almost a year and a half. It’s basically a miniature house and I’m just so outrageously grateful for it. However, I don’t forget what these cold nights are like when you’re out there with absolutely no way to escape the agonizing cold. I’m still pretty sure a little piece of my soul died each night that I had to ride my bike all night to keep moving so I wouldn’t wake up dead. Well, two men in the downtown area did just that in the last week. They were found wrapped or covered in soaking wet blankets and they basically froze to death on the street, surrounded by countless opportunities for shelter but having access to none. Donations of blankets, as well intentioned as they are, would be better suited for a shelter type of setting, where they will stay dry and can be laundered. For a homeless person, a blanket will not last very long before it gets left in the gutter somewhere, all soggy and pathetic looking. That’s not good for our environment, it’s a waste of a resource sitting in a landfill and they are kind of a liability for homeless people. They are big and awkward to carry, they get filthy in an instant with no free way of washing it, and once it rains and its soaked, it’s actually potentially lethal. When it gets so cold your fingers and lips are bluish/grey and it feels like your blood is turning into an ICEE and the misery of throbbing numbness starts to set in and there’s no legal way to escape it, people get desperate. That’s when people start breaking into vacant homes, which leads to an arrest, then jail time, then back to homeless. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Well, I’m sick of these people living in that vicious cycle and I’d like to try and bring them some semblance of comfort and safety this winter.
I found these reusable, waterproof emergency sleeping bags on Amazon for $5.59. That’s the cheapest I could find for them anywhere. I contacted the seller to see if I could get a bulk discount but they said $5.59 was the lowest they could go. So, I contacted Amazon to see if they would be willing to offer some sort of discount of their own but they weren’t able to, either. I ordered one to see if it was any good and it was pretty great! I ordered 10 more bags and they arrived today and I’ll give them out before dark today. It comes with it’s own carry pouch and the whole thing weighs just over 4oz! It also comes with a safety whistle/Firestarter but I won’t be giving those to homeless people. I don’t know what I’m going to do with those but I know it won’t be going to homeless people. Do not want to encourage any desperation fires.
I call these emergency sleeping bags "Hugs 4 Homeless" in the hopes they'll find some comfort from it, just like a hug!
Due to our current health crisis, over 3,600 became homeless for the first time in Sacramento in the first 6 months of 2020. This is the first (hopefully the last) winter those people have ever spent outdoors and I can’t forget the terrible pain of my first homeless winter. Desperation starts at different levels of misery for each of us. Let’s not let these people get to that point anymore. A common misconception about homeless people is that they are all on drugs, drunk, mentally ill or all of the above and that’s what brought them to the street. In my experience, a vast majority of people became homeless following some sort of major life event: the loss of a job, the loss of family, or as in my case, an illegal eviction spurred on by a greedy landlord that was angry he lost in court when he claimed I owe back rent that his own attorneys proved I never owed and yet he still managed to have the Sheriff’s Department remove me from my only home, put me on the street in a city I was new to with no support system, sent all my belongings & family photos to the dump and all Section 8 did was schedule a hearing 3 months away and told me to find a friends couch or try to get in to a shelter (clearly still struggling emotionally with this event). Called to stay on the shelter waitlist every day for 2 months and hadn’t moved but 2 spots and I was still number 70-something. At that point, I just stopped trying. I was so exhausted already and I ended up living out there for 5 years. I’ve lived in a tent with no electricity, no heat, and no plumbing. I’ve lived along the American River without a tent as well, just a tarp from fence to ground (investigative coyotes were a trip without a tent!). I’ve slept on the grass at a park with just a blanket and woke up to find the blanket completely covered in ice. It was literally stiff and crunchy. It hadn’t even rained that night. That’s why you see so much homeless activity at night and then see people sleeping during the day. It’s because they have to keep moving at night or they’ll freeze to death and then when the sun comes up, it’s safe to rest (until someone calls the police to report the “crime” of sleeping in public, that is). It’s not necessarily because they’re just up all night tweakin’ – although, they could be as drugs are frequently relied upon to keep themselves awake and alert during cold months. Of course, that’s not the only reason some people do drugs, but I can speak from personal experience that sleeping is the most dangerous thing a homeless woman can ever do and I know for a fact I’ve used drugs in the past to stay awake so I wouldn’t wake up to find a stranger inside of me ever again. There are complexities to the homeless situation that I will tell you, as someone who has been there and managed to claw herself out of it, that go so much deeper than the stereotype. Substance abuse is a problem but it’s not the problem. It’s rarely the thing that brings someone to the streets. Something happens in their life, they end up on the street and then the damage from the event mingles with the daily damage of homelessness and then they get hopeless. The mess, the garbage, the apparent lack of giving a f$#% about the state of their living environment are all SYMPTOMS of a greater problem and that problem is unique to that individual. That problem is also the thing that makes people reach for drugs to begin with. They use dope to cope with the damage already done and with the daily damage of living homeless. It’s hard to heal and deal in a healthy way when you’re still being traumatized…daily.
Every single human life on this planet MATTERS. Every single life has social VALUE. Every single person out there is WORTH saving. They are good people who are just going through it right now and could use a reminder that someone cares. The kindness of others genuinely makes a world of difference to homeless people. Something as simple as saying hello, acknowledging them, can brighten a dimming spark. How about a socially distanced “hug” instead?
The more "hugs" you donate, the more lives you can help save this winter!
You can purchase a “Hugs for Homeless” sleeping bag directly from the gift registry I created on Amazon.com and all bags will be delivered to my house here at Quinn Cottages. I’ll be passing them out as I receive them. I don’t care if it’s just one “hug” delivered per day, every single bag will be distributed before dark the day I get it. I’ve now bought a total of 61 “hugs” with my own money but only 11 have arrived so far (didn’t order at the same time). 50 of them are arriving December 23, 2020. If you would rather donate cash and I’ll buy them, that’s fine, too but I prefer if you just bought the bags – rather avoid any concern over the money but I absolutely will not refuse a cash donation. Every single “hug” is potentially another life saved. I don’t care if you buy it or I do, as long as they get to those who need them most! I’m willing to put $1000 of my own money into this endeavor and I’d like to maximize that and get the most “hugs” I can and at the best price. If anyone has any sort of wholesale connection or any information on getting these things even cheaper, would be highly appreciated. The cheaper they are, the more I can buy. Initially, I had wanted to include hand warmers in the pouches as a mini care package but decided the money spent on hand warmers would probably be better spent on more “hugs” for more people. But if anyone happens to have a bunch of them they’d like to donate, that would be awesome! Just send me a message at [email redacted] and we can coordinate!
Buy Hugs 4 Homeless on Amazon here
I’m not with any sort of charity, I’m just a regular person trying to keep our people safe. Ideally, I’d like to see every single homeless person with a “hug” but there are THOUSANDS of them in Sacramento and I can’t do it alone and that’s where you come in. One day I’d like to see “Hugs 4 Homeless” turn into a real, licensed charitable resource for homeless in Sacramento but for now, let’s just get these folks out of the cold. Baby steps, right?
NOTE: ALL COVID-RELATED CDC GUIDELINES WILL BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED WHEN DISTRIBUTING THE “HUGS”.