Alastair Boone

Berkeley

Editor at The Street Spirit

Director of @StSpiritNews, the East Bay's street newspaper (a publication of @YouthSpiritArts). she/her

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Articles

Bay Agenda: Real solutions for unhoused people

1 week ago | kalw.org | Alastair Boone

An excerpt from this conversation aired in the April 15, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents. Click the button above to listen. Homelessness is undoubtedly a big issue. But who is involved in finding solutions to the web of problems related to it? To understand the lived challenges and real solutions unhoused people and their advocates are working for, KALW recently hosted a live panel as part of our Bay Agenda series: live conversations focused on the ways the Bay Area will change in 2025.
Sidewalk Stories: How do unhoused trans folks find resources and build community?

3 weeks ago | kalw.org | Alastair Boone

This story aired in the March 31, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents. In celebration of the Trans Day of Visibility, we’ll hear about what it’s like for trans people experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area. It’s the second installment of Sidewalk Stories. A collaboration with Street Spirit newspaper.
How state funding is influencing the closure of one Berkeley encampment

1 month ago | kalw.org | Alastair Boone

This story aired in the February 27, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents. Down by the train tracks in West Berkeley, a group of RVs and tents line the intersection of Second and Cedar Streets. It’s a homeless encampment that many have lived in for years. But, like many encampments in the Bay Area, it probably won’t be around for long: the City of Berkeley plans to close it down soon, and they got special funding from the state to do so. Click the button above to listen.
How do unhoused people stay dry when it's raining?

2 months ago | kalw.org | Alastair Boone

This story aired in the February 6, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents. The rain has returned to the Bay this week. And for people experiencing homelessness, it makes life harder. The recent point-in-time counts report that we have at least 38,000 people living outside. Many of them have been unhoused for years, and in some cases, decades. Surviving outside for that long requires a unique set of skills.
Berkeley to close Second and Cedar, offers programs

2 months ago | thestreetspirit.org | Alastair Boone |Bradley M. Penner

On January 14, members of the Berkeley City Manager’s office held a community meeting at the Second and Cedar encampment in West Berkeley to discuss its upcoming closure, as well as state-funded resources the city says it will provide to the encampment’s displaced residents.
Remembering Hustleman: The love and life of Derrick Arnes Hayes

Jan 6, 2025 | thestreetspirit.org | Alastair Boone |Bradley M. Penner

It’s 1965, and Derrick Hayes is walking to school with his younger sister, Andrea. The two walk hand in hand through the West Side of Chicago, as they do most days, when she spots a dead squirrel on the sidewalk. She screams and bursts into tears at the sight of the dead animal. Right away, Derrick picks her up and carries her to the other side of the street so she doesn’t have to look at it anymore. “He was always my protector,” she remembers.
Remembering Derrick Hayes, Street Spirit vendor and activist for his unhoused neighbors and friends

Jan 3, 2025 | oaklandside.org | Alastair Boone

This story was originally published in the January issue of Street Spirit. It’s 1965, and Derrick Hayes is walking to school with his younger sister, Andrea. The two walk hand-in-hand through the West Side of Chicago, as they do most days, when she spots a dead squirrel on the sidewalk. She screams and bursts into tears at the sight of the dead animal. Right away, Derrick picks her up and carries her to the other side of the street so she doesn’t have to look at it anymore.
This Saturday: Street Spirit Fall Fundraiser!

Nov 12, 2024 | thestreetspirit.org | Alastair Boone

Hey everyone! We’re having a fundraiser this Saturday, 11/16 at 2727 California Street, in Berkeley. You can buy a ticket online here (or at the door on the day of the event). Come hang out with us! Here’s some information about what you can expect:4:00–5:00 – Panel on the state of homelessness and local news moderated by Nastia Voynovskaya, reporter and editor at KQED who has been covering the arts in the Bay Area for over a decade .
Who are unsheltered people voting for this month?

Nov 7, 2024 | thestreetspirit.org | Alastair Boone |Bradley M. Penner

In the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, I surveyed 100 unhoused people about whether they plan to vote in the presidential race. According to national research, 60% of unhoused Americans are eligible to vote, but only 10% make it to the polls. But the fact that many unhoused people don’t vote does not mean they are not thinking about politics, or the election. There are over half a million homeless people in America—that’s a significant potential block of voters.
Why don't unhoused people make it to the polls? KALW surveyed 100 people to find out

Nov 5, 2024 | kalw.org | Alastair Boone

This story aired in the November 5th, 2024 episode of Crosscurrents. Unhoused Californians have the right to vote, but many do not make it to the polls. Reporter Alastair Boone went to homeless encampments in the East Bay to talk to people about what prevents them from casting their ballots. Click the play button above to listen REPORTER: Hey. How [are] you doing? REPORTER: It’s just a few weeks before election day, in the middle of a heat wave, and I’m on foot looking for people to talk to.