Charlie Quimby
@charliequimby.bsky.social
Author: Monument Road, Inhabited, Planning to Stay
Coming: Not So Far From Home: Owning Homelessness in My Own Backyard
Place maker & block organizer, Minnesota and Colorado.
Peacemaker/street barber at Peace House Community
Coming: Not So Far From Home: Owning Homelessness in My Own Backyard
Place maker & block organizer, Minnesota and Colorado.
Peacemaker/street barber at Peace House Community
This is one of the early stories in my new book, Not So Far from Home: Owning Homelessness in My Own Backyard. It's about doing little local things that connect to the big things.
December 10, 2025 at 4:18 AM
This is one of the early stories in my new book, Not So Far from Home: Owning Homelessness in My Own Backyard. It's about doing little local things that connect to the big things.
On a rich day in a poor neighborhood, drone incursions, National Guard troops, and a political assassination could not spoil our time together.
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
It's Cold Outside
But sometimes we need to shed our outer layers
open.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:54 PM
On a rich day in a poor neighborhood, drone incursions, National Guard troops, and a political assassination could not spoil our time together.
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
Development is often a waiting game that benefits from local good will. My brother is part of a group that left a large undeveloped tract of land open to hikers, mountain bikers and dog-walkers for decades. These investors welcome community members to a city lot.
www.startribune.com/the-secret-l...
www.startribune.com/the-secret-l...
The Sears in St. Paul is still closed, but its parking lot has a life of its own
While a nonprofit developer hopes for funding to build out the former store, the lot is open for pop-ups, races and celebrations.
www.startribune.com
August 4, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Development is often a waiting game that benefits from local good will. My brother is part of a group that left a large undeveloped tract of land open to hikers, mountain bikers and dog-walkers for decades. These investors welcome community members to a city lot.
www.startribune.com/the-secret-l...
www.startribune.com/the-secret-l...
I love what I do and who I do it for.
But damn, the drugs.
But damn, the drugs.
June 5, 2025 at 1:17 AM
I love what I do and who I do it for.
But damn, the drugs.
But damn, the drugs.
There's waste to be found in government spending, but look to private contractors for the fraud and abuse.
During COVID, the State of Minnesota was hit with fake child meals fraud, and now Medicaid funds they administer are paying for fake housing services.
www.kare11.com/article/news...
During COVID, the State of Minnesota was hit with fake child meals fraud, and now Medicaid funds they administer are paying for fake housing services.
www.kare11.com/article/news...
KARE 11 Investigates: Fake meetings & phantom services alleged as Minnesota's Housing Stabilization Services program booms
Taxpayers foot a $2,000 bill, but the client says all she got was a vacuum.
www.kare11.com
May 5, 2025 at 6:43 PM
There's waste to be found in government spending, but look to private contractors for the fraud and abuse.
During COVID, the State of Minnesota was hit with fake child meals fraud, and now Medicaid funds they administer are paying for fake housing services.
www.kare11.com/article/news...
During COVID, the State of Minnesota was hit with fake child meals fraud, and now Medicaid funds they administer are paying for fake housing services.
www.kare11.com/article/news...
Why keep obsessing about bad people?
We don't need to read their bios or follow their latest antics to know Hegseth, RFK Jr, Noem, Green, Navarro, etc. are not relationship material.
If Americans continue tolerating this abuse, it's on us.
We don't need to read their bios or follow their latest antics to know Hegseth, RFK Jr, Noem, Green, Navarro, etc. are not relationship material.
If Americans continue tolerating this abuse, it's on us.
April 28, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Why keep obsessing about bad people?
We don't need to read their bios or follow their latest antics to know Hegseth, RFK Jr, Noem, Green, Navarro, etc. are not relationship material.
If Americans continue tolerating this abuse, it's on us.
We don't need to read their bios or follow their latest antics to know Hegseth, RFK Jr, Noem, Green, Navarro, etc. are not relationship material.
If Americans continue tolerating this abuse, it's on us.
Secular activists could have common cause with Pope Francis. Will that still hold?
April 22, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Secular activists could have common cause with Pope Francis. Will that still hold?
"For most.. stability is provided not through homeownership itself, but through a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. How can we possibly provide comparable stability to renters? Well, if you think about it, a fixed-rate mortgage is really just a form of rent control."
democracyjournal.org/magazine/76/...
democracyjournal.org/magazine/76/...
Deconstructing Housing
The market alone can’t fix America’s housing crisis. A public option can.
democracyjournal.org
April 2, 2025 at 11:35 PM
"For most.. stability is provided not through homeownership itself, but through a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. How can we possibly provide comparable stability to renters? Well, if you think about it, a fixed-rate mortgage is really just a form of rent control."
democracyjournal.org/magazine/76/...
democracyjournal.org/magazine/76/...
My Small Ponds Substack shares stories of witness and engagement with the lives of unhoused friends and neighbors.
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
Disposing of an Estate
Nobody's seen Abe for months and it's time to clear his storage..
open.substack.com
March 30, 2025 at 3:48 PM
My Small Ponds Substack shares stories of witness and engagement with the lives of unhoused friends and neighbors.
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
open.substack.com/pub/smallpon...
At least she gets to keep the makeover.
media.cnn.com/api/v1/image...
media.cnn.com/api/v1/image...
March 28, 2025 at 11:41 PM
At least she gets to keep the makeover.
media.cnn.com/api/v1/image...
media.cnn.com/api/v1/image...
Launching my free Substack newsletter, Small Ponds. Stories, deeds. and reflections related to homelessness and place.
March 22, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Launching my free Substack newsletter, Small Ponds. Stories, deeds. and reflections related to homelessness and place.
Treasury Sec. Bessent doesn’t get addiction or people: “
There’s going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending. The market and the economy have just become hooked, we’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period.”
There’s going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending. The market and the economy have just become hooked, we’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period.”
March 9, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Treasury Sec. Bessent doesn’t get addiction or people: “
There’s going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending. The market and the economy have just become hooked, we’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period.”
There’s going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending. The market and the economy have just become hooked, we’ve become addicted to this government spending, and there’s going to be a detox period.”
Activism connects people.
At a local demonstration in support of the National Park Service, I met Kuiper of Toilet Equity. They place composting toilets around the city, serving folks who have no reliable access to restrooms. My family funded a grant to hire unhoused people to clean the toilets.
At a local demonstration in support of the National Park Service, I met Kuiper of Toilet Equity. They place composting toilets around the city, serving folks who have no reliable access to restrooms. My family funded a grant to hire unhoused people to clean the toilets.
Toilet Equity relieves locals without bathroom access
More than 1,000 gallons of poop — enough to fill a small, above-ground swimming pool — would have wound up on the streets of Grand Junction last year.
www.gjsentinel.com
March 9, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Activism connects people.
At a local demonstration in support of the National Park Service, I met Kuiper of Toilet Equity. They place composting toilets around the city, serving folks who have no reliable access to restrooms. My family funded a grant to hire unhoused people to clean the toilets.
At a local demonstration in support of the National Park Service, I met Kuiper of Toilet Equity. They place composting toilets around the city, serving folks who have no reliable access to restrooms. My family funded a grant to hire unhoused people to clean the toilets.
In my notes on Not So Far From Home, I kept coming across this line. I loved it, but I didn't note an attribution and Google was not helpful. So I didn't use it.
I began to suspect they were my words, plucked from something else I'd written. And sure enough, they were from my own novel, Inhabited.
I began to suspect they were my words, plucked from something else I'd written. And sure enough, they were from my own novel, Inhabited.
March 5, 2025 at 4:05 PM
In my notes on Not So Far From Home, I kept coming across this line. I loved it, but I didn't note an attribution and Google was not helpful. So I didn't use it.
I began to suspect they were my words, plucked from something else I'd written. And sure enough, they were from my own novel, Inhabited.
I began to suspect they were my words, plucked from something else I'd written. And sure enough, they were from my own novel, Inhabited.
Trump has no concept of US Western life and public lands. Like Gaza and Ukraine, it's all real estate to him.
Maybe you've never heard of the White River Forest either. It's the busiest national forest with the most local economic impact in the country.
coloradosun.com/2025/02/28/w...
Maybe you've never heard of the White River Forest either. It's the busiest national forest with the most local economic impact in the country.
coloradosun.com/2025/02/28/w...
White River Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams resigns amid slashing of agency workforce
Fitzwilliams guided the 2.3 million-acre forest for 15 years, helping manage soaring visitation and an annual $1.6 billion impact in Colorado
coloradosun.com
March 2, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Trump has no concept of US Western life and public lands. Like Gaza and Ukraine, it's all real estate to him.
Maybe you've never heard of the White River Forest either. It's the busiest national forest with the most local economic impact in the country.
coloradosun.com/2025/02/28/w...
Maybe you've never heard of the White River Forest either. It's the busiest national forest with the most local economic impact in the country.
coloradosun.com/2025/02/28/w...
Thank you very much…
We want to get that interest rate, is the reply.
We want to get that interest rate, is the reply.
But Zelensky never even said 'thank you'-except he did, and then the ambush followed.
March 1, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Thank you very much…
We want to get that interest rate, is the reply.
We want to get that interest rate, is the reply.
Reposted by Charlie Quimby
Senator Klobucher calls it right:
Republicans need to DO THEIR JOBS!
Republicans need to DO THEIR JOBS!
February 27, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Senator Klobucher calls it right:
Republicans need to DO THEIR JOBS!
Republicans need to DO THEIR JOBS!
Never thank thugs.
March 1, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Never thank thugs.
This is not a coup, it’s a hostile takeover. Remove top management and ax divisions, strip out assets, load the target with debt, and sell out before the public realizes a respected brand is worthless.
A lot of ex-corporate types will recognize that metaphor.
A lot of ex-corporate types will recognize that metaphor.
February 17, 2025 at 3:46 AM
This is not a coup, it’s a hostile takeover. Remove top management and ax divisions, strip out assets, load the target with debt, and sell out before the public realizes a respected brand is worthless.
A lot of ex-corporate types will recognize that metaphor.
A lot of ex-corporate types will recognize that metaphor.
All over, cities claim their encampment sweeps and "abatement" efforts are accompanied by offers to connect unhoused people with resources. But shelters are full and the resources don't often don't match what people living outside need or want. Say, a dumpster or toilet.
www.cpr.org/2025/01/31/m...
www.cpr.org/2025/01/31/m...
Neighborly or nuisance? Western Colorado church’s unhoused solution lands them a court date
The Montrose United Methodist Church began receiving citations after allowing camping on their property.
www.cpr.org
February 5, 2025 at 8:22 PM
All over, cities claim their encampment sweeps and "abatement" efforts are accompanied by offers to connect unhoused people with resources. But shelters are full and the resources don't often don't match what people living outside need or want. Say, a dumpster or toilet.
www.cpr.org/2025/01/31/m...
www.cpr.org/2025/01/31/m...
“While having a shelter option is preferred, it is no longer a prerequisite of abatement.”
Abatement=unannounced sweep.
“This is not meant to be punitive; this is meant to be a tool in our overall approach to addressing unhoused folks in our community that are camping.”
kdvr.com/news/politic...
Abatement=unannounced sweep.
“This is not meant to be punitive; this is meant to be a tool in our overall approach to addressing unhoused folks in our community that are camping.”
kdvr.com/news/politic...
Aurora takes step toward removing homeless sweep requirements
Aurora City Council voted 6-3 Monday night in favor of removing shelter and advance notice requirements for homeless camp abatement.
kdvr.com
January 30, 2025 at 9:21 PM
“While having a shelter option is preferred, it is no longer a prerequisite of abatement.”
Abatement=unannounced sweep.
“This is not meant to be punitive; this is meant to be a tool in our overall approach to addressing unhoused folks in our community that are camping.”
kdvr.com/news/politic...
Abatement=unannounced sweep.
“This is not meant to be punitive; this is meant to be a tool in our overall approach to addressing unhoused folks in our community that are camping.”
kdvr.com/news/politic...
Encampment Removal Success?
"Outreach workers offered housing and services that many of the residents declined, but no one asked [them] why they didn’t want the services." After a few months, cops came and gave them about three hours to clear out.
peacehousecommunity.org/2024/12/20/s...
"Outreach workers offered housing and services that many of the residents declined, but no one asked [them] why they didn’t want the services." After a few months, cops came and gave them about three hours to clear out.
peacehousecommunity.org/2024/12/20/s...
Someone Thought This Was a Good Idea – Peace House
peacehousecommunity.org
January 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Encampment Removal Success?
"Outreach workers offered housing and services that many of the residents declined, but no one asked [them] why they didn’t want the services." After a few months, cops came and gave them about three hours to clear out.
peacehousecommunity.org/2024/12/20/s...
"Outreach workers offered housing and services that many of the residents declined, but no one asked [them] why they didn’t want the services." After a few months, cops came and gave them about three hours to clear out.
peacehousecommunity.org/2024/12/20/s...
Has rent stabilization in St. Paul and its shadow in Minneapolis growth?
“Most developers will tell you that rent control is a fiscal red flag, and a significant percentage of investors will simply not deal with cities where rent stabilization is a possibility.”
www.minnpost.com/cityscape/20...
“Most developers will tell you that rent control is a fiscal red flag, and a significant percentage of investors will simply not deal with cities where rent stabilization is a possibility.”
www.minnpost.com/cityscape/20...
Housing construction in Minneapolis and St. Paul is tanking
For a variety of reasons — including their own policies — the cities just had two of the worst housing years among locales in the Midwest.
www.minnpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Has rent stabilization in St. Paul and its shadow in Minneapolis growth?
“Most developers will tell you that rent control is a fiscal red flag, and a significant percentage of investors will simply not deal with cities where rent stabilization is a possibility.”
www.minnpost.com/cityscape/20...
“Most developers will tell you that rent control is a fiscal red flag, and a significant percentage of investors will simply not deal with cities where rent stabilization is a possibility.”
www.minnpost.com/cityscape/20...