Often when people think of homelessness they have images of homeless encampments behind stores and poverty stricken men and women with signs on street corners asking for help. While these things are a part of the picture even here in Lake County, there is another side that you may not see; the community of people who make up the homeless population and the neighbors who serve them.
In Lake County there are men, women and children who are homeless. A recent Point in Time survey allowed volunteers to speak with 450 individuals who are experiencing homeless in our community. It is estimated that roughly 11 percent are Veterans, many are seniors, and a significant number have mental health and physical disability challenges. At the Lake Ministerial Association (LMA) Warming Center, located at the 7th Day Adventist Church in Lakeport, our guests this year have ranged in age from 2 to 70. We have had only three nights since we opened Christmas Eve where we didn’t have least two children under the age of 7.
The Warming Center is open only Monday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Certainly there is inclement weather on the weekends and during the day, but we do not have space or volunteers to staff additional days or hours. This being true, it is also true that the Center has been supported by many people in our community. More than a dozen churches have people who regularly volunteer at the Center and they come from cities around the lake including Middletown, Cobb and Clearlake. I mention these fire impacted communities specifically because I suspect they have a special understanding of what it means to be made homeless by life’s circumstances.
While the LMA Team has done a great deal of fundraising to pay for operating costs such as electricity and security staff, it is also true that we run largely off of physical donations. Breakfast once a week is provided by a class of school children from Lakeport Elementary School, Park Place Restaurant provides dinner once a week and many churches provide a regular meal as well. Sleeping bags have been donated. Cleaning supplies have been donated. Lake Transit has donated bus passes. It truly takes the entire community to care for the most vulnerable of our population.
Like the neighbors on the block where you live, each person has a different story of what brought them to Lake County. Some of our guests were born here, some have lived here most of their lives and still others only a few years or in a small number of cases this may be their first year here. While there stories are varied I would like to tell one story to put a face on what homelessness looks like in Lake County.
I’d like to introduce you to one guest. Her name is Bonnie. Well, I can’t really introduce you to Bonnie because she died Sunday night while the Warming Center was closed. She died with two friends from the Warming Center with her, so she wasn’t alone as many of our homeless population are forced to be when they are moved-on from place to place. Some may say, “a homeless person died, how sad” and carry on with their day never knowing the deeper story. Bonnie’s story is part of our Lake County story, you just don’t know it yet. Andy Weiss from KPFZ provided us with the following vignette.
“Bonnie was a marvelous keyboard player and arranger. She gigged with musical groups in Hawaii, Seattle, among many other places, and finally ended up playing the rigorous schedule of a working Las Vegas band. Her time in Vegas-style professional bands not only sharpened her musical skills but began an interest in stage production and the technical aspects of putting on a show. She purchased recording equipment and learned the sound aspects of the music business. So, it was no wonder that she became drawn to the local non-commercial, community radio station when she moved to Lake County. That station would be KPFZ-FM, at 88.1 on the dial, Lake County Community Radio.”
“Bonnie loved classical music, especially the baroque period, and was somewhat of an expert in that area. When she called KPFZ to volunteer her time, she was offered a chance to substitute for the regular classical musical programmer, and took it to with verve. She poured though the station’s limited vinyl collection and created shows that included both thoughtful selections and educated commentary. But Bonnie was not limited to those volunteer musical aspects of community radio and filled-in for other programmers in various areas including politically-based shows where she made her strong opinions known. And during the grueling KPFZ fund drives, she could be found answering the phones and taking pledges for long shifts to help the station raise money to stay on the air. Over the years, whenever someone from the station called, Bonnie always said “yes “when asked to volunteer at KPFZ, no matter what the duty.”
She looked like any other “good” citizen. She was someone who volunteered and served her community as she was able. The events that led to her becoming homeless were complex, as they are for most of the guests that find safe harbor for the night at the LMA Warming Center.
If you would like to volunteer at the Warming Center please call 349-4914. If you would like to make a donation, please write you check to Clearlake Community UMC (with Warming Center on the memo line) and mail it to PO Box 2765 Clearlake CA 95422.
If you would like to take time to remember the life of one woman who served who community and became homeless — you are invited to a Memorial Service for Bonnie at the Warming Center (located at 1111 Park Way in Lakeport) on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
