Some political strategists might label Nancy Kapp naïve. One week before filing papers to become a bona fide candidate for the Santa Barbara City Council, she is already telling the press about the four years she was homeless in this city, living in shelters, vans, and motels with her daughter, scrambling to get their basic needs met, and sometimes not succeeding. She is talking openly about the homeless being scapegoats for hard economic times businesses owners are going through. She knows she’ll be tarred and feathered for being a radical, but that doesn’t spook her either.
Kapp is codirector of the New Beginnings Safe Parking Program, which provides legal parking opportunities for people who live in their vehicles, as well as counseling and some case management.
Sitting in an office at the Salvation Army’s Hospitality House, Kapp thumbs through a stack of papers she will soon fill out to qualify for the November election. She radiates a commitment to the issues and seems excited about jumping into the fray. To read more, see homelessinsb.org.