Providing Housing for the people displaced by Lake County Fires

The Valley fire is the 5th devastating fire in Lake County this summer. People need housing and so much more. This is the time for the people of Sonoma County who have rental opportunities to extend them to people in real need.

Also, the people who have AirBNB rentals need to seriously consider giving this up for six months or so to house the people from our sister County. People before profits is the right thing to do.

I have been searching for three months for a garage ,warehouse or barn for rent ,I have seen and been on properties with dozens ,any road you go down you see them ,chicken coops barns garages, all EMPTY and all "nope sorry "Liability" god LAWYERS have this county by the C++++++ . I have heard in Spain if you do not occupy a building like a down town prominent Auto Dealership, people can MOVE IN and as long as they make it nice,and keep it nice,they can stay there,or use it for free LETS GET SOME LAWS like that..
Only trouble is...............80% of most town councils and supervisors,and all are REALTORS and LAWYERS

sort of a fox in charge of the hen-house deal

Wishing luck and good energy for these folks who lost to fire,I lost a home to fire once, if it was not for the people pupping together for us we would have been out of luck...ever since that day I have known ,having friends is luck THANKS FRIENDS , and sorry to my realtor and lawyer friends good luck to you to,oh and house some folks!

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Posted in reply to the post by Dianala:

The Valley fire is the 5th devastating fire in Lake County this summer. People need housing and so much more. This is the time for the people of Sonoma County who have rental opportunities to extend them to people in real need.

Also, the people who have AirBNB rentals need to seriously consider giving this up for six months or so to house the people from our sister County. People before profits is the right thing to do.

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I totally agree.Stop the Greed. People before money or we will all be wiped out. Is Sonoma county totally Godless?? I hope not. Wine before water with more planted vineyards than vegetables.What are the real priorities here?

I've tried to donate 2 RV's today to the victims of these fires. I've e-mailed and called many places. I've attempted to donate these useful items last year. I had a few picky charities come by with unrealistic attitudes. I had offers to make scrap out of these useful RV's for $50. Let's see if I will get any kind of answer from all of my efforts. My only goal is to have these RV's used by people who are in a desperate situation and are homeless.

Many of these people have worked hard their entire lives. They deserve some help.One e-mail response to my offer today said they will forward my info on. I rec'd another response that was a forward of another forward. I will make sure that these RV's go directly to the victims of these fires who are devastated and homeless.

Our lovely local Granges do not allow RV's to park on their empty land. We lure the tourists and the poor locals in at outregeous prices for everything. Certain businesses get people so drunk, then rip them off with a big smile. These are just grapes in a bottle. What's the fuss? When people are down and out having lost everything they own and worse, help them! Exceptions to rules that make no sense must apply. Is it better for someone who has lost everything to lie in the gutter?? I am sick and tired of the level of greed and over indulgement in this county.

Get prepared and start helping one another. Forget the lip service. There still are good people who do care about others. Help your fellow man as much as you are able. You may be next. Then who will be there to help you??

Charity begins at home or let's say very close to your home, so do what you can. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Teach your friends who have more possessions than they will ever need, that true love and inner peace is inside of one self. Too many possessions is not true wealth anyhow. When your things own you instead of you owning them, you are renting your life and are imprisoned inside of yourself. When you have ten houses because you went to flipper school, let it go and get a real life that is filled with beauty and joy from inside the self. Learn to give. Learn to share. Teach this to everyone you know for a better world that we all want and need. Help the needy or someday you may be needy and someone will need to help you no matter how much you own or think you own. We all face the inevitable.

One last comment. Many buildings are empty. Use them and have them taken care bythe people that can live in them and everybody wins.

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Posted in reply to the post by Dianala:

The Valley fire is the 5th devastating fire in Lake County this summer. People need housing and so much more. This is the time for the people of Sonoma County who have rental opportunities to extend them to people in real need.

Also, the people who have AirBNB rentals need to seriously consider giving this up for six months or so to house the people from our sister County. People before profits is the right thing to do.

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Good luck finding ANY of them willing to put humanity before profits.

Wallace House in Cloverdale is a homeless shelter...894-2727 Colleen is theExec Director...Josies Cafe in
Fuber Plaza is taking donations in Cloverdale. Kings Valley Senior Apts at 100 Kings Circle has emply
apts...894-2961...bj Diggs. Must be over 60 yrs for placement...kathy, o.t.

We, the residents of this county, need to push for temporary housing for our disaster victims, where people can be treated with dignity and given the chance to recover ... by "disaster" I mean natural disaster, illness, job displacement, housing rezoning, or any other event beyond our control ... as a late stage lyme disease survivor I know what it's like to suddenly be without an income ... I've also had a house fire ...

We are all vulnerable and any one of us could be left homeless at any time ... we live in a very wealthy county with an abundance of natural resources ... this is not too much to ask ...

I suggest that this temporary housing be geared towards rehabilitation and eventual placement back into the community with health care, job training, rental opportunities, etc. etc. ... in most cases that I've read about the cost of not doing this is far greater than the cost of doing it ... it would be wonderful if there could be a community garden and food bank attached ... I live in an apple orchard and would gladly donate my apples to such a cause ... others in the community would certainly donate as well ... this should be a facility run by "we the people" with a minimum of government regulations beyond necessary health and safety issues ...

I agree with stargazer ... you have a choice ... you can either support big money or human rights, and God help you if you choose to fill your own pockets at the expense of your fellow human beings, because with that decision you are most certainly destroying your own world ...

So how do we get this done? ... do we show up en masse at our city council meeting and request that this be put on the agenda?

There are a few empty hospitals in Sonoma county right now and some other adjacent areas to Lake county as well. The old Sutter Hospital on Chanate Road is one. Another one is the hospital on A St near 101 which has been used by Catholic Charities from time to time. I am not sure of the status at this time or the amount of extra space there is to house additional people if it is already being occupied.There also may be some possibilities for people to be in Sacramento which has more space than many other areas.

The demand for housing is less and it is less expensive than Sonoma county. If people would be willing to sign a waiver of liability and an agreement for self responsibility, they may be able to convince the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors as well as the powers in charge in some other adjacent areas like Ukiah, Vallejo, Vacaville, etc. to allow the use of these older hospitals for let's say up to a year or for a bit more time or less.. If some are able to relocate sooner or rebuild their properties if they've owned them, this plan would buy some time and lessen the suffering of living in crowded shelters.

Signing waivers that reduce liability and increase responsibility would limit liability in most cases. One can be required to provide their own insurance for risk protection for varies events that could occur which is generally fairly inexpensive or may already in place, i.e. homeowners & renters insurance. If one is looking for free housing, that is a whole other issue that is difficult to organize quickly or at almost everywhere in the world.

Other factors can also become issues. Who would be willing to volunteer as the security guards? A stipulation would need to be drawn up and agreed to that if someone is a nuisance they would be required to leave the premises immediately. Are pets allowed? What are the rules concerning noise? What are the stipulated quiet times? People do not always get along well with one another.

These temporary housing solutions would need to follow the rules of actual shelters or create their own by laws so chaos does not become a factor. Ideally, we can say live and let live. It is not all that simple. People do not feel well. People are stressed. People are scared. People are traumatized. Some people have annoying habits. Then there are some people that are just grateful and happy, therefore have no problems getting along with others and have learned effective coping skills. Just some ideas to consider and some food for thought. Let's work within reality here. Idealism is great when one is dreaming. This is the real story. Life is a challenge no matter what your situation is.

It does help when people cooperate and plan to work together so everyone benefits without all of the drama. Human nature and life though can be unpredictable at times. I am sure these fires and the massive level of destruction was an unplanned disaster. So we must try to do the best we can. Being flexible is an important factor. Have faith, be realistic, be fair, do your share and be willing to make compromises so everyone gets a fair chance for a new beginning.

good points ...

I was a flood victim at one time ... my home didn't flood but all of the access roads were under water and we were stuck without electricity for about a week with no way to get out ... the army was willing to rescue us with zodiacs but it was a one way ticket and they wouldn't bring us back ... we finally opted for the rescue ... at that time all of the local hotels were giving flood rates to flood victims ... I think that the charge was thirty dollars a night ... that allowed us to recover and continue with business, etc. ... of course it was winter and a time of no business for them so it was a win-win situation ... and in my case it was a temporary problem ...

I agree that there are a lot of problems when a group of stressed out strangers are suddenly thrown together with their children, dogs, etc. ... for that reason it would be great if some kind of trailer park could be established with a bit of breathing room between the trailers ... certainly, there are permits still available for trailer parks? ...
finding a location could be challenging ... and yes, management would have to be in place ...

The hospital idea could work if indeed hospitals could be used in this way ...

Of course, there would have to be rules ... noise considerations, etc. ... those rules existed in the hotel that I was staying in, but we were so happy to have a hot shower and some warmth and light that we didn't care about any of that ...

FEMA could provide trailers in Lake County as FEMA has do this in New Orleans when it flooded.
kathy, ot.

the proposal to open empty county space for the homeless of our county has been proposed numerous times to the Board of Supervisors. they have always ignored and refused this option. there are on average a few thousand people in our county sleeping on the streets, doorways, down by the river, etc..every night...and this stubborn Board won't make room where we know there is room.

I hope the Fire disaster folks will get a place too, it does seem the County will step into operation for short term disasters....i'm just saying our homeless deserve shelter from the storm and the County refuses to help.

Forget getting any help from the county or the Board of Supervisors. They have other interests.. People need to help people. Maybe FEMA will help at some point. A whole other subject. With the amount of red tape involved it takes a lot of time. In the meantime, please understand my message. Systems do not work. People can be more effective when their hearts and thinking processes are in a healthy proactive mode. When efforts are unified, it is much more effecfive and quicker than waiting and depending on others. As the old adage goes. "When you want something done, do it yourself."

Understood.... if it wasn't for many private citizens and groups stepping up for all sorts of issues things would be a whole lot worse. with that said, we must Never stop nipping at the heels of those we elected to serve "us". if ever you go before the Board of Supervisors, observe all of them up there and collectively they make over $2 million dollars annually. I personally will beat down their door when necessary, and yes, many times all i've done is beat my head against the wall because they are bought and sold by big interests, you can be sure of that.
Yes, we need to take care of one another but don't just let them off the hook...shut down their meetings some Tuesdays...bring any discomfort to them you can.
peace

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Posted in reply to the post by Stargazer:

...As the old adage goes. "When you want something done, do it yourself."

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The problem of providing housing for the fire victims was brought up yesterday at the Board of Supervisors meeting ... it was politely ignored ... unfortunately, to realize any long term solution to the homeless problem in our country we might need the support of local government ... I would think that any solution would be shut down without it due to zoning regulations, etc. ... so, either we individually open our homes to people in need, which can't be regulated easily, or we get enough people to put pressure on county officials ... only when these officials realize that their careers might be in danger, will there be change ... this can only happen when a great many residents speak out ... unfortunately, I question how many of our residents actually give a dam ....

I am not surprised that the Board of Supervisors are not wanting to involve themselves in any way. I have made a number of suggestions for solutions to raise awareness which are all posted on: www.waccobb.net If one has direct access to this info reading these postings are even simpler. People need to raise their awareness and learn to stop being so self absorbed. Constructive positive attitudes can help everything.Defeating destructive unrealistic attitudes cause more destruction.'To be angered is to be conquered." Knowledge is powerfull if one has the ability to retain information. I will report that one of the fire chiefs called me a little while ago today. Their efforts need better organization. There are many people out in the rain right now in tents. I've offered my RV's to be transferred to a church as well as some others who have inquired. Certain proactive individuals who have fire insurance are now getting positive help from their insurance companies.Those people will have shelter somewhere. Again, I am suggesting that people that are in crisis and are in the rain seek help and refuge in all adjacent areas. Those include, Sacramento, Vacaville, Vallejo, Ukiah, etc. I understand that about 40 homes have burned down. An estimation of how many this has effected at this time could be up to 500 people or maybe less. I am not sure exactly how many animals have been displaced and are suffering or starving. One horse has died and was found in the road. I have offered numerous solutions and have been getting calls. I have also encounterd only one of nasty response from talking head that likes to control, but appears to be out of control within themselves and very tired. I have been on my computer endlessly. In terms of donations, I have put the word out. People that have no place to live do not have any place to store items of clothing and more at this time.
I am concerned about the animals that need to be rescued. I have already explained some of this to the people that were in front of Community Market yesterday tryng to participate in helping solicit donations of varous items for the victims of this tradegy. Personally, I thought those people by Community Market were quite unorganized and did not make much sense in the areas of logic or their abilities.. Who can afford to buy expensive food from Community Marktet right now and put the food in a bin? Some but not very many. Another subject for another time. I suggest donating to food banks through varous channels, no matter where the food comes from. There is storage space at this time. In terms of the animals, I hope the people in front of Community Market made the call I suggested they make to get free food for the displaced animals who are suffering right now!!
The hard truth and reality is: Sonoma county is already overloaded with so many homeless people who are in the streets due to illness, loss of their home, loss of a job, lack of enough services, etc. I suggest that anyone that is suffering try to consider expanding their search or get someone else to help them if they cannot handle the stress due to their health constraints, are exhausted, are depressed or are experiencing a lack of whatever their issue may be. Whatever the reason, people must roll up their sleeves, take action and be strong which I would imagine many of us are already in some way. Mind, body, spirit or materially. Whatever your strength may be, share it and be good to yourself and one another. The reality is what it is. Action is powerful and makes the changes actually occur.
I have found within my life's experiences, there are too many people with unrealistic expectations.Take a situation for what it is because we will all need to cooperate. If a natural disaster occurs in Sonoma county, are we going to have time to yell at any of our over indulging citizens or representatives that have their own agendas, whoever they are? Ever hear the saying "Laughing all the way to the bank?" That is the sad truth. If we expect life to be fair, we will go around being continously disappointed. Be the change you want to see.Be part of the solution, not the problem, for the betterment of the human race as well as being able to survive yourself. Whether you can do something in a small way or a big way, do something and do whatever you can do. Some day you may need help. So pay up now and do not keep score. Nothing is equal. We can only try to be the best we can be. Give more than you receive and accept reality. Knowledge is power. Open your hearts and minds. This is not about ego's or winner and loosers. It is about life and preserving it as much as we can.

hi all,
I am from Cobb and there is a facebook page for the lake county fire and rescue, there you can pitch housing and other info.
Thanks for all of your help and good intentions during this crisis.

Maybe you can find the individuals or families, yourself, to donate the Rv's, instead of going to organizations.. ?
I know its more difficult and ridiculous, but, maybe it will be fun for you!

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Posted in reply to the post by Stargazer:

I totally agree.Stop the Greed. ...

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VEEEERY True... where are these laws? Hmmm//// Thank for the post... :heart::)::waccosun:

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Posted in reply to the post by nicofrog:

I have been searching for three months for a garage ,warehouse or barn for rent ,I have seen and been on properties with dozens ,any road you go down you see them ,chicken coops barns garages, all EMPTY and all "nope sorry "Liability" god LAWYERS have this county by the C++++++ . I have heard in Spain if you do not occupy a building like a down town prominent Auto Dealership, people can MOVE IN and as long as they make it nice,and keep it nice,they can stay there,or use it for free LETS GET SOME LAWS like that..
Only trouble is...............80% of most town councils and supervisors,and all are REALTORS and LAWYERS

sort of a fox in charge of the hen-house deal

Wishing luck and good energy for these folks who lost to fire,I lost a home to fire once, if it was not for the people pupping together for us we would have been out of luck...ever since that day I have known ,having friends is luck THANKS FRIENDS , and sorry to my realtor and lawyer friends good luck to you to,oh and house some folks!

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Many families and animals still living in tents and makeshift shelters along the creek. What's in store for them as the rain and cold weather comes? Where is the help these Valley Fire refugees so desperately need? ARC gave vouchers for $200. What has FEMA done for these victims?

https://www.record-bee.com/general-news/20151027/life-in-camp-full-of-hope-and-despair

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Posted in reply to the post by Stargazer:

…Many buildings are empty. Use them and have them taken care by the people that can live in them and everybody wins.….

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