March 18th: Women's Magazine: Aging Women, Housing Rights & Domestic Violence

"How we treat people in this country--it's shameful." Rose Aguilar

The connections between domestic abuse and homelessness, issues that are increasingly affecting an aging population of women in San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, and leaving some women sleeping in plastic chairs. Do we have a real quest to invest in affordable housing in San Francisco? Or is City Hall too focused on tax breaks for new downtown businesses inviting higher rents? What are our priorities as we move forward as a City and as a nation?

 Rose Aguilar talks about older homeless women in San Francisco.

• Valerie Ibarra of Mutiny Radio interviews Rose Aguilar - Host of "Your Call" on KALW 91.7, author of "Old, Female and Homeless" in The Nation, February 13th. There are 19,000 older adults living below the poverty line in San Francisco. There is not enough affordable housing and the problem is getting worse. According to the Coalition on Homelessness, there are over 40,000 homeless seniors in this country. The amount of money spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in one month could house everyone in this country for a year. These are just a couple of astonishing facts presented in this segment with Rose Aguilar. She gives an up close and personal perspective of what it's like to be on the streets of San Francisco, how easily it can happen, what is being done about it and the huge challenge of fixing the ever-growing tragedy of homelessness.
• Resources for homeless people: St. Anthony's feeds, houses, clothes and provides other services. Mission Neighborhood Health Center offers health care, laundry services, showers and Ladies Night every Thursday. A Woman's Place, formerly OSHUN emergency shelter for women.

Listen now or Get MP3 21:53 min.

 One of the leading causes of homelessness is domestic violence.

• Lindsay Sweetnam, Community Programs Director of La Casa de las Madres, talks about La Casa, which provides a range of domestic violence services in San Francisco.

• La Casa de las Madres was founded in 1976 by a group of women who were survivors of domestic violence. It houses 35 women and children every night for up to 8 weeks in a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment. La Casa provides many other services including counseling, support groups, education, legal support, referrals, and case management. They have two advocates working with the police at 850 Bryant and run 24 hour hot lines for help with domestic violence issues, including a hotline for teens.

• 24-hour hotline: 877-503-1850.
• 24-hour hotline for teens: 877-923-0700.

Listen now or Get MP3 34:58 min.

Click here to listen to entire show. 59:51 min.