Page 3 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2017

Good Morning!
It would be very nice if you would
Safe Parking
ask your readers to help me find information and photos of my relatives. I know that Walter Otto Schueler, grandson of Heinrich Brandes (Heinrich Friedrich Theodor Brandes, born Apr.4. 1849 in Peine/Germany and he is my great grandfather), is placed in Rose Garden in Pleasant Hills Memorial Park in Sebastopol.
My name is Bob and I’m currently a client of the safe parking program and have been asked to tell some aspects of my story for an article you’re writing.
Walter´s mother Martha Schueler, born Brandes, died in 1956 in her home in Los Altos and his aunt Bertha Lippelt, born Brandes, died in New York. I´m looking for an orbituary of Walter (he died on Nov. 12.1987) to find members of his family. I want to contact them because I´m interested in photos of Walter’s, his mother, Martha, and his aunt, Bertha.
I’ve been homeless since 6-15-2016 and partly because of the help I’ve received from Catholic Charities, will likely be celebrating Christmas in my own place this year. A huge part of the help I’ve received has been the bene ts of the safe parking program which apparently are not fully recognized by some of the people at Catholic Charities.
If any citizens of Sonoma can give me any information about the life or the family of Walter Otto Schueler, please contact me at :
Living in a car is frightening and dangerous. We all have to sleep at night and aren’t welcome anywhere. We can’t sleep on residential streets, are chased out of commercial parking lots, and have the constant fear of violence because of our vulnerability.
do_und_ jo-fehst@gmx.de Thank you very much. With kind regards
Dr. Hans-Joerg Fehst Lehnhast 28 31542
As a result simply having the energy to hold a job and do the work required to maintain a life and hopefully regain a home becomes even more di cult.
Bad Nenndorf/Germany
Living in a car is also a solitary life. There is little socialization and sharing of information important to homeless people such as where to get food, jobs, clothes, or showers. Safe parking solves these problems. We can sleep without fear, we don’t urinate and defecate in public, and we help each other with companionship and the daily issues of being homeless.
It’s ironic that Catholic Charities is adopting a ‘housing rst’ strategy for reducing homelessness. Safe parking e ectively provides a home for many at a cost much less than putting people in shelters or group homes. We’re also available for the services being o ered to residents of the Sam Jones shelter. Residents of Sam Jones are required to meet with case managers and attempt to develop a budget and a plan to become housed.
I’ve never understood why clients of safe parking don’t have similar requirements and there hasn’t been any attempt to help us. We should be required to at least attempt to get back on our feet in exchange for using the safe parking program.
Suddenly cancelling the program for most of us is cruel. The initial 5 day notice to get lost violates the promise from Catholic Charities that we be treated with respect and the subsequent
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LETTERS cont’d on page 4