Homeless advocate to receive award for work
Humboldt County resident Vernon Price has taken his lived experience to inform and power his work in advocacy and representation in favor of those experiencing homelessness, mental health issues and substance dependency.
His years of work will be recognized by the Legal Assistance Association of California on March 24, when the legal nonprofit will award Price with its 2021 Award of Merit in the Client award, which honors efforts to bring legal services to more members of the community.
For Price, the award is a way of highlighting the work he and local legal services organizations have undertaken in the past few years for community members often shut out of legal services and conversations on equity.
“It’s an honor not just to be nominated, but to receive an award like this, I think, is needed to show a positive light on our efforts and to show the community where we can go,” Price said. “The sky’s the limit if we can work and keep working on (homelessness and legal) issues.”
Gregory Holtz, an attorney at the Eureka office of Legal Services of Northern California, nominated Price for the LAAC award. Holtz told the TimesStandard he believes Price embodies the firm’s mission of empowerment and serves as an ambassador for people experiencing homelessness in the region, informing them of their rights and speaking to authorities on the behalf of these marginalized groups.
“His experiences being homeless and navigating subsidized housing and our mental health system bring a necessary voice to discussions often led by people without this lived experience. Mr. Price speaks truth to power, and he comports himself in a manner that allows his voice to be not only heard, but also listened to. His perspective, tireless advocacy, and ability to engage directly with leaders is unmatched in my experience,” Holtz said.
Price has advocated for the homeless for more than15 years in Northern California and Oregon.
While he did not want to divulge much about his earlier personal life, Price shared he is originally from the East Coast and was a working professional in Las Vegas until his entire company got a two-week termination notice.
He found himself in Madera County soon after, where he became addicted to methamphetamine and served a 13-month prison term for petty theft with priors.
While in custody, Price found himself at a crossroads.
“Is this really what you want, Vernon? Or do you want something better outside?” he remembers asking himself.
Upon his release, he began his community work by forming an organization named Homeless Helping the Community in Madera. He later worked with other vulnerable communities community in Portland and Eugene, Oregon.
Price has lived in Humboldt County since 2017, continuing his work upon his arrival.
“I hit the ground running as soon as I got off the bus here,” Price recalls.
His first local public appearances included a lecture at Humboldt State University on the criminalization of homelessness and how to best address the obstacles affecting homeless communities. Since then, he has become a regular participating speaker at city council meetings whenever policy which can affect unsheltered individuals is on an agenda.
As reported by the TimesStandard, Price looked to work with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Humboldt County Human Rights Commission in 2019 to push back against Eureka’s aggressive policies which criminalized homelessness. Price also demanded more transparency and accountability from county supervisors in local laws guaranteeing funding for mental health services.
Beyond being a voice for others, Price has worked with local agencies, including Holtz’s office, in hosting workshops to improve credit scores, teach people about their rights and expunge violations from their records, all as a way of directly addressing issues holding back many unsheltered people from finding steady housing or a regular job.
“When we hosted our first record expungement workshop, 37 people showed up. Since then, 18 people have been able to expunge unlawful camping, jaywalking, open container, failures to appear that come about in the culture of homelessness. Now eight of those 18 are now in housing because their record is no longer held against them,” he said.
While COVID-19 has put a temporary halt to the workshops, Price continues to help others through his position as a consumer advocate and Humboldt County ambassador of Access California, promoting inclusive programs to policymakers and speaking with patients through the organization’s line.
He has been a member of the CalVoices regional board of directors since 2019.
As grateful as Price is to receive the LAAC award, he feels he is accepting the award on behalf of many other people.
“It’s not about me,” Price said.
Every day he is driven by a philosophy of never leaving a person in need behind, no matter how hard their situation is. He understands firsthand being in need of help and guidance.
“Today I have found
something to invest in myself, but I didn’t know there was something to invest in me until someone picked me up. ‘How can I help you?’ they asked. I can’t pay them back, but I can continue to pay it forward,” Price said.