By Neenma Ebeledike | OBSERVER Staff Writer
Shortly after her father passed away from leukemia, Nathalie Mvondo found herself unhoused in her mid 30s. She lived in the garden of a kind stranger who offered her shelter until she was able to secure a job and eventually her own place.
She recalled these events at the fourth annual Solidarity Summit on Homelessness, held Saturday at First United Methodist Church in downtown Sacramento.
“This summit is very important because it takes the stigma away from homelessness, and they give the mic to people experiencing this issue to share their solutions,” said Mvondo, who is now a community activist.
The summit was organized by the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee, the Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign, and other community sponsors. The themes for the event were art, justice, health and family.
Faye Wilson Kennedy, an organizer with Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign, said the summit gives homeless people in Sacramento a platform to share their experiences and their needs.
“We try to tell policy makers that the unhoused have their solution, but you never ask them. They have the solution to their problems, but you never ask,” Kennedy said. “You want to speak for us and talk for us; you don’t want to listen to us.”
According to the Sacramento Point-in-Time (PIT) count by Sacramento Steps Forward, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento County is 6,615, about 33% of whom are Black. The report makes it clear that Black residents are disproportionately affected by homelessness. It acknowledges that historic and ongoing discrimination in housing and employment, lower household incomes and wealth gaps and overrepresentation in systems such as foster care and incarceration all increase vulnerability to homelessness.
“It’s so depressing. This is a systemic problem in the state of California,” Kennedy said.
The daylong event also provided a space for self-care, legal clinic referrals, art activities for children, and music.
“We are offering self-care services because we know unhoused can’t afford this,” Kennedy said. “If you’re unhoused, and you don’t have access to a comb or the bathroom, how can you go for a job interview?”
Dr. Flojaune Cofer, an epidemiologist and advocate for change who ran for Sacramento mayor, led a teach-in session.
“One of my personal core beliefs is that housing is a human right. It should be made available to everyone,” Cofer said.
Cathleen Williams, executive director of Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee, said the government needs to change its approach to addressing homelessness.
“Millions and millions are being spent to sweep encampments, and it not only does not solve the problem, it exacerbates the problem,” Williams said. “So it’s bad policy, it’s bad budget.
“You cannot arrest your way out of homelessness and you cannot arrest your way out of poverty.”
Kolieka Seigle, an organizer with Social Justice Politicorps of Sacramento County, said the summit encourages organizations to come together in solidarity to address homelessness in Sacramento.
“We cannot depend on the local government,” Seigle said. “So, the community has to take action to address this issue.”