If you’re homeless, your life is wrapped up in logistical problems; how do you get from point a to point b? Where can you stash your stuff when you go for that interview, that doctor’s appointment? A homeless person almost always has to take their things with them, or rent a storage locker. Sometimes people without homes bury their belongings in the woods. It’s a cliché, but necessity truly is the mother of invention.
It’s riskier when a patrol car pulls up and finds there’s a warrant out for their arrest. That’s when a homeless person’s stuff is in real jeopardy, advocates say.
In Santa Barbara, there have been many cases of homeless people not getting their belongs back after being taken to jail, the ER or the Sobering Center. Sometimes, people lose their photo ID, military discharge papers, birth certificate — papers that are a monster to replace. To read more, see homelessinsb.org.