We recently heard from a group of homeless people struggling to find a place in the city of Ukiah to sleep peacefully through the night, where they could also stay dry and without being ticketed by law enforcement for illegal camping.
We met Tanya, known on the streets as “mom.” She was ticketed for illegal camping while trying to stay warm and dry under an awning at the social security building. Tanya and her husband TJ are known as leaders among a group of about 20 homeless individuals who look after one another and take care of some of the disabled people on the street. After being kicked out of many areas around town and told to stay out of sight, they settled in a more secluded spot in the heart of Ukiah. When some of them moved under the overhang of a nearby building to stay dry during a rain storm, a police officer showed up and issued Sue an illegal camping ticket and gave her disabled husband Randolf a warning.
In this episode we hear from them and we meet Butterfly.