They Keep Sweeping Her Away. But They Never Give Her Anywhere to Go.

Dawn has been living on the streets of San Diego since 2013. She’s 8 months clean and sober. And she’s been forced to pack up everything she owns and move 15 times in the last three months – not into housing, just pushed to another block, another bridge, another sweep. This is what the criminalization of homelessness actually looks like. It’s not a solution. It’s psychological warfare. City after city spends money moving people from one corner to another, exhausting them, destabilizing them, making it nearly impossible to get the documentation, the services, and the stability needed to get off the street. Dawn is dealing with more than most of us could handle. She has been on these streets far too long. No one should be surviving outside for over a decade. She’s doing everything right. The system isn’t. Sweeps don’t end homelessness. They just push it out of sight. Contact your local elected officials. Show up to city council meetings. Support organizations working on real housing solutions in your community. Tangible action at the local level is how this changes.