Macie Millstein

Nadav Skloot
The Mayors Response to Homelessness and His Impact On the Community
As the costs of homes in Marin have skyrocketed, people who have lost their jobs are having a
harder time supporting themselves. This includes having enough money to pay for housing and other
basic needs. In the wealthy county of Marin, many do not recognize how many people are actually
homeless and are sometimes unsympathetic towards those without homes. As a result of this lack of
community awareness and support, many homeless dont have a voice in the community and count on a
representative, such as the mayor of San Rafael, to speak out and support them. The problem is that the
negative response to homelessness from the mayor has allowed the issue to continue and worsen. People
left without homes are left devoid of a basic human necessity and are treated for less than they are.
I want to break the cycle so this is not a place for them to hang out (Hansen). This is a quote
from the mayor of San Rafael, Gary Phillips. From this quote it seems as if the homeless in the parks of
San Rafael are there to cause trouble and really belong in the shelters. The reality is that the homeless do
not go to these parks to hang out, but to find a safe place to rest. For many people it is hard to not
assume that they are causing trouble, but many parks in San Rafael serve as a place of temporary safety. It
can be quite difficult for a homeless person to get to a shelter. And if they do make it, what happens when
they arrive at the shelter and find no available rooms? Now this person has wasted valuable energy and
still has no place to stay. Another quote from Phillips stated, They sit here, have their methamphetamine
and go get a meal at St. Vincent de Paul (Hansen). This statement is quite damaging to the reputation of
the homeless population. When reading this, it can easily be assumed that all homeless are lazy methheads who enjoy their situation. This could not be farther from the truth. Many homeless are suffering
with controlling an addiction and use resources such as St. Vincent de Paul solely for survival. This most
definitely relates to Phillips final quote, Homeless people in the park arent interested in improving their
life situations. This quote has been proven to state inaccurate information as Paul Fordham, the deputy
director of Homeward Bound told Marin Academy students, every person I have met on the street, so far,
wants to be in a home. From this evidence it is shown that Gary Phillips is supporting and spreading
negative generalizations about the homeless community in San Rafael thus impacting the opinions of the
community.
In his position of power, mayor Gary Phillips reflects popular public opinion because he is
elected by the community. This impacts how the citizens think about certain issues because people look to
Phillips for leadership. In Marin, many people are quite privileged, and often are referred to as being in
the Marin bubble. This means that many citizens are unaware of all the actual issues many

underprivileged people face. When the powerful mayor paints an inaccurate picture of the homeless
population, people trust his word because they are in the Marin Bubble, and are uneducated on the
subject. The lack of accurate information and education on the subject could result in the community
viewing the homeless as a burden on the community. The mayors response to homelessness in the San
Rafael has impacted the community's opinion in such a way that the homeless situation will only get
worse until those that are homeless get a positive representative.
Based on our research, we conclude that the mayor is taking an ineffective approach on how to
address the homeless issue in Marin. As students in and residents of San Rafael, we expect the mayor to
positively represent this diverse community. These statements that Phillips made are negatively targeting
the people who need the most help and that is not how our community should help the homeless issue. A
more effective way of resolving the homeless issue would be to set up more shelters in local areas so that
more people are kept off the streets. Another way, which many are opposed to, would be to set up
affordable housing. Houses that are more affordable for the working poor would give more homeless the
opportunity to get back on their feet and stay out of the parks and streets of San Rafael. The mayor had
many alternatives to releasing such a ignorant statement but he still has the power to help those in need
and benefit the greater community of Marin.
Works Cited:
Freedman, Wayne. "Groups Tracks Homeless in Marin County for Census." ABC7 San
Francisco. Web. 31 May 2015
Marianna. "LEIF'S STORY." Downtown Streets Team. 7 Feb. 2014. Web. 31 May 2015.
Paul Fordham
Hansen, Megan "San Rafael Temporarily Closing Boyd Park to Encourage Homeless People
to Leave." San Rafael Temporarily Closing Boyd Park to Encourage Homeless People
to Leave. Web. 29 May 2015.