Tom Durkin

Would you live in a trailer or RV if that were your only housing choice? Would you rent your idle RV or trailer – or a space for one – on your property to somebody if it were legal? Do you live in a trailer or RV on private land that is not in a […]

When his retirement dream of living on a boat didn’t turn out to be as much fun as he had imagined, Charles Withuhn came ashore and put his boots on the ground to become a proactive and vocal advocate for the homeless people in Chico. Last week, Donn Harris and I took a field trip […]

It was a long time coming, but the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project Singer-Songwriter Contest is pleased to announce the winners of its singer-songwriter contest for inspiring songs about homelessness. By unanimous decision of the judges, the winning songs and their writers are: “Hey, All You People Now” by Laurie Fanara. Laurie taught herself […]

Talk to us. Please. If you’re homeless, living in your car, or if you’ve found safe ground in illegal, “desperation” housing, we want to interview you on video about your experience. If you’ve experienced a forced relocation or actual eviction because of Code Compliance, we’d really like to talk with you. If you’re a landlord […]

Lack of affordable housing is the major cause of our homeless crisis. Capitalism is the major cause of our lack of affordable housing. Why? Because there is no profit in affordable housing. This is not the first time I’m thinking that the system that is causing the problem probably isn’t going to be the solution […]

As a government reporter at all levels of city, county and state government, I’ve witnessed a lot of bizarre behavior – not from the politicians but from citizens. “You’re not qualified to run a lawn mower!” screeched a very angry and ignorant resident of Colfax at a meeting to raise sewer rates. She did not […]

January 17, 2024 – There is no such thing as affordable housing. Without government subsidies, the people living in “affordable” housing couldn’t afford to live there. And when there isn’t enough subsidized housing, many people become homeless. Capitalism can’t solve this dual homeless and housing crisis because capitalism is the cause of the crisis. Socialism […]

December 12, 2023 – Being homeless sucks. I know. I’ve been there. I’ve got arthritis in my neck and scoliosis in my spine from sleeping in the front seats of my vehicles because the rest of my car was full of all the stuff I thought I needed if I were ever going to live […]

December 7, 2023 – Songs like Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind,” and Utah Phillips & Paul Kamm’s “Ship Gonna Sail” are earworm songs with important messages. That’s the reason the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project (SR/NPTGP) is hosting a singer-songwriter contest for new, original songs with […]

November 10, 2023 – I gave the absolute worst speech of my life to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors in January 2019. It was pathetic, embarrassing, humbling. I asked the board to consider making it legal to live in trailers and RVs because there is no affordable housing. Then I went to the back […]

NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. November 8, 2023 – It takes somebody special to write songs that move you and that you want to hear or sing again and again. Two of Nevada County’s best-loved singer/songwriters, Bob Woods and Juliet Gobert, will teach a professional clinic for aspiring singer/songwriters from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon, […]

“The bottom line is that it’s still expensive,” Nevada County Supervisor Ed Scofield noted Tuesday as the board voted unanimously to approve a new, 88-page “ADU Guidebook” for owner-builders from the county Planning Department. As reported Sept. 15, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved the regulations that would allow property owners in “urban clusters” […]

Tens of thousands of us in Northern California, and maybe even  more, live in insecure housing limbo. Nobody knows how many of us there really are because it’s not in our best interest to self-report. We live in illegal, “desperation housing” – trailers, yurts, RVs, tiny homes, shipping containers, sheds, chicken coops, abandoned cabins, basements, […]

Wild Eye Pub hosts a monthly benefit series to support the efforts of area nonprofits. As part of this “Thankful Thursdays” series, local writer and homeless advocate Tom Durkin has developed a multimedia event – with live music, presentations, videos, an interactive game, and Q&A – to bring attention to the needs of houseless people […]

GRASS VALLEY, Calif. April 4, 2017 – One Source-Empowering Caregivers (OSEC) is recruiting 20 good-hearted people to volunteer to train as Volunteer Care Specialists. OSEC is a nonprofit organization in Nevada County dedicated to providing free respite care to full-time, in-home caregivers. Volunteer Care Specialists donate just four hours a week to provide non-medical, companionship […]