Scotty Franzyshen
Housing, employment, community, and life in Butte County
About Me: sfranzyshen.org
Facebook: sfranzyshen
Email : info@sfranzyshen.org
Phone : +1 530 924 4306
Navigating America from the Bottom Up
A Quick Disclaimer:
I am not a housing professional, lawyer, policy expert, social worker, economist, or government official. What you are reading here is my own personal interpretation, research, observations, opinions, questions, frustrations, and occasional know-it-all blowhardness about homelessness, housing, poverty, bureaucracy, and the systems surrounding them. I try to verify facts and link to source material whenever possible, but I can be wrong, misunderstand something, miss context, or reach conclusions others disagree with.
This site is self-expression, not professional advice.
I am writing from my own experiences, what I have witnessed, what I have researched, and what I think deserves to be questioned. Read it. Question it. Check my sources. Correct me when I’m wrong. The point is not that I have all the answers. The point is that I think we should be asking a lot more questions. I am opinionated and blunt in my ways … but I try not to be critical or judgmental in my actions. I consider myself a Human Rights Enforcer, Non-Prophet, Community Support Specialist and I expect nothing in return for my kindness.
Either help me to do it … or get out of my way from doing it … because either way we are changing the world!
If I can be useful, I’m here.
If you need my help, reach out.
If I can’t help … maybe I know who can.
My Homelessness Journey … July–September 2026
From my first night at the shelter to my first uninterrupted night’s sleep in a private room … a chronological series of personal accounts, original Facebook photographs, and reflections on finding a way forward in Chico.
Read the 17-chapter journey and continuing updates →
New October update: My Homelessness Ended … But My Work Didn’t.
Recent Posts
My Homelessness Ended … But My Work Didn’t
October 17, 2026
An October 2026 update on the people and conversations that have become part of my life since finding housing. The two older residents described here are deliberately unnamed. Their situations are still changing.
Changing the Narrative of People Experiencing Homelessness
October 13, 2026
A Shift from Blaming to Belonging
California Attorney General’s Housing Justice Team
October 2, 2026
Complaint Regarding the City of Chico’s Housing Obligations and Homelessness Policy
Comedy Act #2 ~ Scotty Franzyshen
September 29, 2026
Welcome to the … HOMELESS INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.
Comedy Act #1 ~ Scotty Franzyshen
September 29, 2026
California has this incredible system for dealing with the housing shortage.
My Thoughts on the 2026 CHAT Housing Summit
September 27, 2026
This is my free form talk about my experience at the 2026 Housing Summit … held by CHAT this last week. There are some things in this audio that are probably not accurate and there will defiantly be things that are offensive to some people … my intent isn’t to be critical but rather bring a bottom up perspective …
84 Years Old and Still Without a Safe Place to Sleep
September 27, 2026
Adapted from my Facebook post of September 27, 2026. The resident is not named; details about her situation reflect my account at the time.
Community Support Specialist
September 22, 2026
Homeless advocacy is what I do. I help solve problems. After a long period of being unemployed and unhoused, I have first-hand experience navigating the system. I have learned things that have helped me become employed and housed here in Chico. I still have work to do on myself, but I feel I could be of help and a resource to others who are now in the same boat.
The Moth and the Flame
September 21, 2026
I’ve been thinking about how much I use AI lately. Recently, I’ve started letting AI take the lead on almost all of my writing …
Imagine ~ John Lennon
September 21, 2026
Every verse of this song resonates within me, but verse three has always been one of my guiding principles … something I try to bring into my own life every day. I love this song … and I love you too. ❤️
We Don’t Need More Management of Homelessness. We Need More Housing.
September 20, 2026
I’ve been looking more closely at how we count, track, manage, and fund homelessness in Chico and Butte County.
Do You Feel Good?
September 20, 2026
When I was volunteering at the cooling center, one of the guests said something to me that stuck with me.
A Call to Service
September 20, 2026
We all love to complain about the problems in our communities. Homelessness, housing, crime, poverty, addiction, mental health, the cost of living, and government …
A Bill of Responsibilities
September 20, 2026
We the people, recognizing that the rights we enjoy are sustained by the responsibilities we share, establish this Bill of Responsibilities as a reminder that citizenship is not only about what we are free to receive, but also about what we are willing to contribute.
What Did Chico’s Housing Money Actually Produce?
September 19, 2026
The City of Chico’s 2025–2026 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) provides a look at how federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds were used during the year.
People First
September 19, 2026
One of the smallest things we can do for someone experiencing homelessness is also one of the biggest: acknowledge them.
What Does “Affordable” Mean in Chico?
September 16, 2026
HUD’s 2026 numbers for the Chico MSA tell an interesting story.
Taking the Shame Out of the Game
September 16, 2026
So you’re struggling with an addiction. updated: 10/04/2026
Before You Call Them Names
September 15, 2026
Before you call someone “vermin,” “a rodent,” “a dirtbag,” or whatever other degrading name you can think of, please stop for a moment and remember: you are talking about another human being.
Navigating America from the Bottom Up
September 13, 2026
My name is Scotty Franzyshen, and this is my new blog. For more than a decade, I have been navigating life from a place that most people don’t really get to see—the bottom. I’ve experienced homelessness, unemployment, trying to find affordable housing, working with social services, looking for work that actually fits my life, and trying to make sense of the many different systems that are supposed to help people get back on their feet. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve also discovered that things can look very different from the bottom than they do from the top.
Homelessness: Are We Solving the Problem or Managing It?
September 13, 2026
I want to understand …
September 12, 2026
I want to understand whether the way we fund and measure homelessness services creates incentives to manage homelessness rather than eliminate it. 🤔
I am ecstatic!
September 11, 2026
I am ecstatic! I contacted the social services concerned about them cutting my medical assistance like they did my food assistance … they assured me that I will not lose my health insurance …
And just to be clear …
September 10, 2026
And just to be clear … this isn’t a plea for help. It’s just another chapter in my ongoing adventures in US America. 😁
🤔 In Chico … how do we know
September 8, 2026
🤔 In Chico … how do we know that the services we’re funding are actually moving people toward permanent housing rather than simply moving people from one service or facility to another?
The First Night I Finally Slept
September 1, 2026
Written in October 2026, looking back on my first night in a rented room on September 1.
The Little Things That Make a Home
August 30, 2026
Looking back on several Facebook updates from July 31 through August 30, 2026.
I Have Everything I Need … Except a J.O.B.
August 28, 2026
Written in October 2026, drawing on my Facebook updates and comments from August 6–28, 2026.
Desperate people do desperate things to survive
August 28, 2026
Desperate people do desperate things to survive.
Six Miles a Day … Finding Freedom on Two Wheels
August 24, 2026
Written in October 2026 from Facebook updates I shared on August 9, 12, 15, 17, and 24.
My homelessness is ending
August 19, 2026
My homelessness is ending. I will be taking rent on a room full-time in September, in a house here in Chico.
I’m coming to the realization that all of these charities are …
August 14, 2026
I’m coming to the realization that all of these charities are nothing more than fronts for middle aged white women to give themselves paychecks and pat each other on the backs telling each other what a great job they are doing …
If you don’t understand …
August 13, 2026
If you don’t understand … Spend a day in the shoes of a homeless person … well maybe not 😂
At the Facility there is a great room with two wings …
August 13, 2026
At the “Facility” there is a great room with two wings … and each wing has two halls … each hall has seven rooms … with two people per room … that works out to be fifty six people who are under the care of this place … I see it is very much a business around here … and the cracks of capitalism shines brightly even in the nonprofit sectors in the USA …
Finally a letter I agree with 💯
August 8, 2026
“Letter to the Editor: Chico still needs a plan for addressing homelessness By Letters to the Editor PUBLISHED: August 6, 2026 at 12:24 AM PDT Ongoing whack-a-mole, human rights violations, lack of concern for our unhoused neighbors, Chico needs a plan.
From Torres to Temporary Housing … A Chance to Regroup
July 31, 2026
Based on my Facebook announcement of July 31, 2026, with later reflections added for context.
Being homeless is being in a constant state of panic …
July 30, 2026
Being homeless is being in a constant state of panic … Panic attacks becomes the norm…
I Am Lucky … But What About Everyone Else?
July 23, 2026
Adapted from my Facebook post of July 23, 2026. The descriptions of local shelter options reflect my understanding at the time.
Now for the reality of things … I am actually doing great!
July 22, 2026
Now for the reality of things … I am actually doing great!
Day 2: Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
July 22, 2026
Originally posted on Facebook, July 22, 2026, on my second day at the shelter. Lightly edited for readability.
… well the first night at the shelter was utterly awful …
July 21, 2026
… well the first night at the shelter was utterly awful … the entire place smells like dirty feet, even the cafeteria! I was only there for 5 minutes before the first lockdown happened.
Why I’m Making My Homelessness Public
July 21, 2026
Based on my Facebook posts from July 20–21, 2026. Lightly edited for readability, with a new reflection added in October 2026.
Here is my intro letter … please provide constructive criticisms …
June 19, 2026
Here is my intro letter … please provide constructive criticisms … disclaimer I am using chatGPT to aid in writing this stuff …
There are more homeless people on the streets
April 23, 2021
There are more homeless people on the streets right now in chico ca than there are beds available at local shelters. The city’s argument for enforcing illegal ordinances against the homeless population is that “they won’t seek shelter” even if there were enough beds at the shelter they do not or can not accommodate everyone seeking shelter. There are barriers in place that do not meet the needs of every homeless persons situation.
About Me
I’m Scotty Franzyshen.
Building • Fixing • Serving
I’ve spent much of my life building things, fixing things, working with technology, helping people, and participating in my community. This blog is another way of doing that—by documenting what I see from a perspective that isn’t always represented.