This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit calhum.org.
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CLOSE TO HOME:
A Community Conversation Spotlighting the People, Places and Perspectives Surrounding Homelessness

This two-year programming series (2020-2022) is made possible with support from California Humanities. 

Oxnard is being severely impacted by the state’s homeless crisis. The 2019 Count identified 548 people living on the streets, in vehicles or encampments, or in shelters within the city and another 2,500 living with friends or family. COVID-19 will only exacerbate this issue. Evictions are looming and a recession is right around the corner.

As the City prepares to build its first 24-hour, year-round shelter, Close to Home fosters a community conversation spotlighting the people, places, and perspectives surrounding homelessness. This project seeks to engage the community - the homeless, residents, students, artists, business owners, nonprofits, and local government - in this layered topic through an open, thoughtful, and humanistic series of events co-curated by humanities advisor and CSU CI sociology professor Dr. Sunghee Nam.

Check out our last event:

Watch a recording of the Town Hall on our YouTube Channel or read a write up on the event by the VC Star.

Photography Program.

Oxnard photographer, Christian Ramirez of Mezz Studio, is working with local foster youth on a photography program. Students are learning the basics of photography, partaking in field trips, and benefiting from guest artists and other enriching experiences.  See the world through their lens when their work culminates in an exhibition and public reception.​ More details coming soon!

Panels + Films.

Over the course of the series, we'll present 4 public events, a mix of film screenings and discussion panels. These programs shed light on different aspects of homelessness, such as gentrification, the experience of the homeless and their pets, and the women, youth, LGBTQ, and BIPOC voices.

​We'll also see how the current pandemic and recession affects homelessness in our community.

Storytelling Event.

 Stories are powerful and empowering. It is through stories that we connect and understand each other. It’s how we convey important truths and messages. 

​Homeless storytellers, writers and actors will present a one-night storytelling event curated by the OPAC's Podcaster-in-Residence, Luis Güereca.

"I don't only see the art of photography as way to self express and help move through difficult times. I see it as a tool to spark ideas in others which can potentially lead them to a better way of thinking about life."
- Christian Ramirez, Photographer

Project Supporters.

Project Advisors.

This is a collaborative project that makes use of humanities knowledge, insights, and approaches as provided by these key point people:

Dr. Sunghee Nam (Humanities Advisor) 
Sunghee Nam teaches Sociology at CSU CI with an educational philosophy that is student-centered with an emphasis on global thinking and service learning. She incorporates service learning in her teaching both in local and international contexts. Her recent research agenda includes the issue of homelessness. Collaborating with local nonprofit organizations and city officials, she has been investigating various aspects of homelessness including the role of the business community, the importance of landlord engagement, and the approach and capability of service providers in addressing local homeless issues. 

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Emilio Ramirez 
Emilio Ramirez is Oxnard’s Housing Director and previously served as the Director of the Office of Homeless Solutions for Riverside. He has extensive expertise working on housing authority and homeless services, affordable housing development, homeownership down payment assistance programs, successor agency and former redevelopment issues, real property services, neighborhood engagement, and historic preservation. Mr. Ramirez graduated from the UC Riverside, with a B.A. in Sociology and Economics. He received his Masters of Science in Economics from California State University, Pomona. He also holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Whittier Law School and is an active member of the State Bar of California. 

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Lashon Daley
Lashon A. Daley is a PhD Candidate in Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on performances of Black cultural expressions in the U.S. In 2020, she won the Emily Chamberlain Cook Prize In Poetry. In 2018, she won the Mark Goodson Prize for Distinguished Artistic Talent. She is also a 2015 UC Berkeley Chancellor Fellow and a 2014 Callaloo Poetry Fellow. As a scholar, dancer, storyteller, and choreographer, Lashon thrives on bridging communities together through movement and storytelling. She holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College (2008) and an MA in Folklore (2015) from UC Berkeley. Her children’s book, Mr. Okra Sells Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, was released in February 2016. Lashon is also the creator of Stories&Slams, a podcast that focuses on everyday stories.

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John Hwang
Hi! My name is John Hwang. A few years ago I gave away most of my possessions, and spent time with the homeless. In Skid Row, I found treasure greater than any material thing.

John Hwang is the found of Skid Row Stories, a digital storytelling and photography platform sharing portraits of LA's  poor, marginalized, sick, lonely, and forgotten.