Homeless woman's plight stirs consciences - 78 yr old driven another city by police employee

[Liberal_in_LA]

Homeless woman's plight stirs consciences

Officials in two cities are coming to terms this week with how a 78-year-old homeless woman came to be dropped off by a Napa Police employee on the streets of Fairfield Friday after maxing out her time at the South Napa Shelter.

The incident came to light when a good Samaritan in Fairfield saw the woman struggling with her walker and luggage late that afternoon and realized the elderly woman needed help in finding a place for the night.

This set off a flurry of phone calls between homeless advocates and police officials in Fairfield and Napa who tried to sort out how Catherine Campbell, a senior citizen with a physical disability, could have ended up in that situation.

Samina Masood, executive director of a Fairfield homeless facility, was so disturbed that she wrote an email that night to a range of public officials, from President Obama down to Napa Mayor Jill Techel, saying the incident showed "we are living in a very broken country" that doesn't properly take care of the homeless.

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"We weren't dumping," Napa Police Chief Steve Potter said Wednesday. "We don't want a 78-year-old lady out on the street."

As Napa Police explain the situation, the department's homeless outreach worker, Brandon Gardner, drove Campbell to Fairfield on Friday because he believed shelter space was available there.
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/homeless-woman-s-plight-stirs-consciences/article_5e5f8f1e-e9c6-5cce-8018-d5de466a36d9.html

[951-Riverside]

1. Whose bright idea was it at the shelter to kick this lady out then call the police?

That individual set this whole event into motion.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. shelters often have time limits..the smaller women shelters

[BlueJazz]

3. "because he believed shelter space was available there" Gee..that makes sense.

I suppose that's why the Lady was struggling with her walker.

[Skittles]

6. let's place the blame where it really belongs

money spent on senseless wars instead of people in need

[BlueJazz]

8. Oh Yes. The more money spent on wars will, one day, bring the USA to the point that...

...there'll be nothing to protect.

(In the year 2034 ) "Why would we attack your country?...nothing there of any value"

[xfundy]

4. What a nation.

An old woman who presumably worked her whole life, or stood behind a husband who did, is reduced to a non-person with no worth, not even worth a room, bed, table and chair.

USA! USA!

[onecaliberal]

5. What the....

[Cleita]

7. All I can say is JESUS!!!

What is wrong with those who can actually do something about this without lessening the quality of their lives one bit and yet who will do nothing.

[notadmblnd]

9. let's see if people will gofund 3/4 a million dollars for her care

as they did for those poor bigoted pizza parlor owners who so desperatly needed it.

I don't think I'll hold my breath for this one.

[shraby]

10. Why isn't she being placed in a nursing home using medicaid? She no more belongs in a homeless

shelter then the President of the United States does.
She is disabled, elderly and if she has no place to live, she belongs in a nursing home.

[LeftyMom]

11. Finding a MediCal bed open in a nursing home can be very hard to do in that area.

When my mother was hospitalized in Santa Rosa the hospital staff moved heaven and earth trying to find a nursing home bed for her (I'm sure the hospital lost a small fortune on her care,) and couldn't manage to do it. She stayed hospitalized for four months when for three of those all she really needed was basic nursing care and a few IVs a day of antibiotics.

The Napa Valley is where the Bay Area goes to retire, and the wealth gap is something out of the Gilded Age. Even basic services for the poor- not even shelters but stuff like dental care or food assistance- are appalling in their quality and the waits and runaround are absurd.