Dear Barbra Streisand

You RT’d a tweet or two that I wrote and I am very thankful that you did so.

You had written about how the so-called great economy is not so great for people who are not rich, the wealthiest 1% are doing fine but not for the rest of us. The middle class and others are struggling. One paycheck away from disaster.

I wrote about how seniors, elderly people 50+ (and disabled) are particularly having a difficult time. And that “People over the age of 50 already make up around half of homeless in the US,” via Dr. Margot Kushel, a professor of medicine & director of UCSF’s Center for Vulnerable Populations. “and the percentage of homeless people over 50 is projected to keep rising.”

Many people do not know this (except those of us who are unhoused at ages 55, 65, 75, 85) and many do not want to know.

I have been one of your biggest fans. When I was a teenager growing up in Bayside, Queens, New York I wanted to be a singer like you. I sang all of your songs and watched all of your movies. I wanted to be “Sadie Sadie Married Lady” and the Greatest Star ala Fanny Brice. Also, the Star is Born, the Prince of Tides counselor, Papa, can you hear me (Yentl) and more. You have been a really inspiring role model for girls and women like me. I cried when I saw you on the Rosie O’Donnell show years ago. I knew exactly how she felt.

I’ve written numerous articles about elderly homelessness and mostly the response has been ho hum, outrage or so sorry, will pray for you, sending you positive thoughts. All of that is fine. I believe in the power of prayer AND we need HOUSING and other practical resources.

There are 1,000+ women without homes where I have been living for the last 10 years in the Monterey Bay Peninsula. I left the home I had been living in for four years (like 50% of women who are unhoused) due to domestic violence/abuse. At first, I was ok, due to a network of doggie mamas and papas I had connected with who assisted me to move out.

Then I co-wrote this article for Vox media:

Soon, I received a job offer for a great job working in anti-trafficking and worked there for two years.

Last year I lost that job due to the loss of a major funder/donor and it has been much worse than before since I no longer am in touch with the doggie mamas and papas on Facebook. More importantly, the day after Christmas in 2015, I lost the most important person in my life. And a month ago, I had to put my sweet baby dog 13 year old Cici to sleep over the rainbow bridge.

To recap, I’ve lost my home, my health (had breast cancer surgery twice, two heart conditions and blood clots on my lungs due to sleeping in my car), cannot find another job, my dog, the most important person in my life, numerous other friends and family and am about to turn 70 on November 22.

I have been middle class all of my life, worked six jobs to put myself through college and always was able to keep a roof over my head, pay my bills and had food in my tummy. Now, I am hungry when food stamps run out after two weeks and do not have a place to live. I worry about dying in my car, alone and unwanted due to people in this country who discriminate against people like me. We are shunned, blamed and criminalized for losing our homes and becoming poor after age 50.

Agencies and homeless shelters that are supposed to help us don’t. Most profit off of our misery. American taxpayers are paying three times MORE to keep us unhoused, dying on the streets and in cars.

There are solutions. Housing is Healthcare. A few rare hospitals (one in Chicago, another in San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente) have pilot programs where they paid for housing for people like myself. ER visits decreased (as well as costs), health improved and it is a win win for all concerned.

I have been wanting to start a non-profit that houses older women like myself. But I cannot do it alone especially not while I am struggling just to survive every day. I have been in and out of the hospital a lot. People have no idea how hard it is. My car is cold, cramped and I lose things all of the time. I have no privacy nor dignity and have to use public restrooms. I cannot cook nor keep food items refrigerated. On food stamps, you cannot buy hot food. At times, people have asked me to leave a place because of complaints about people like me. And I am one of the lucky ones.

A friend of mine who is 76, Josie, who is without a home, recently called me crying because her dog had a broken leg and not one of the dog rescues would help her pay for the vet care. And her storage unit place was threatening to get rid of her stuff if she did not pay for the unit by a Thursday. She could pay the next day but that would be too late. I could do nothing to help her financially but I listened. I had no resources to offer except one for the future for her dog.

Another friend is 55 and without a home and does not have Medicare so it is tougher for her to receive medical care. And the local hospital has not been admitting people like us recently. Another woman 78 told me she had numerous medical issues and they treated her and turned her away. My own experience the last time was that they would not give me the treatment I needed and turned me out at midnight.

There is a California law that says that hospitals are supposed to give us food, warm clothes and a place to stay after we leave. But they are skirting that law. They told me to go to a homeless shelter at midnight. And of course homeless shelters are totally NOT equipped to provide the medical care I needed and able to deal with sick, elderly people. (NO, they are NOT). They are drug, bug and crime infested places that no one in their right mind would send their mother, aunt or grandparent too. Some have said that they would rather kill themselves than go to a homeless shelter. Besides, there are never enough beds.

I have been writing to Ellen DeGeneres asking for help to house me and us. At least a few women out of 1,000+ and more nationally, if possible. We could live in RV’s, campers, trailers, tiny homes, and other such places. And regain our health and lives.

No one deserves to die on the street or in their car. Especially not older people who have worked hard all of our lives. It is a devastating crisis and we need your help.

Thank you for listening/reading.

Sincerely,

CeliaSue Hecht

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