Emergency shelters are supposed to be safe havens. A CalMatters investigation uncovered a different reality . Patrick Hogan, an unhoused man interviewed for the series, shared why he and many other Californians without a home are reluctant to stay in shelters.
Guest Commentary written by
Patrick Hogan
Patrick Hogan is an advocate for the unhoused and resides in Orange. In 2024, he received an Advocate for Justice award from the ACLU SoCal.
Unsafe Havens
Read the entire series:
- ‘A volunteer jail:’ Inside the scandals and abuse pushing California’s homeless out of shelters
- 7 takeaways from our investigation into California homeless shelters
- How to file a complaint against a California homeless shelter
In spring 2017, I became homeless. I had been living in Orange for several months while I was working for a temp agency. But in March I had to move since the house I was living in got sold, and I sought refuge near the Santa Ana riverbed.
Over the course of the next 10 months, I made friendships, got into fights, witnessed police misconduct and the gutlessness of politicians. There was cruelty that the homeless inflicted on each other, including abusive relationships, rumor-mongering and bullying. There was also tremendous kindness from both the homeless and the surrounding communities alike…