It is outrageous that the Supreme Court has allowed states and cities to criminalize homelessness and Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered the dismantling of encampments when there isn't enough housing or shelter space for those who especially need it.

I was homeless for 6.5 years, from 2002 to 2008. I've written about that story before on these pages. I know what it's like when no one cares about you or your life situation.

I have never pushed a shopping cart, never slept in a city park or on a sidewalk or in a tent encampment, never used drugs, never begged, and I have paid for all my meals and lodging when I sleep in my Toyota pickup truck with tourists and recreational campers in state, city and federal parks.

Throughout my homelessness, I worked as a freelance writer on library computers and as a public relations consultant—my cell phone worked occasionally and I had an email address, so most of my clients didn't know about my situation—but during the economic downturn, I couldn't make enough money to rent a room or an apartment.

Because campgrounds have time limits, I've traveled a lot, mostly along the coast and desert of Southern California, and occasionally in Montana, where I used to live.

I met a lot of people on the move and down on their luck. At the entrance to one campground, a school bus picked up kids from homeless families every morning. One man I met collected cans on his bike so he could pay for food and never begged. Once he hid some cans in a church parking lot, but the staff threw them out and told him not to come back. A drug addict I knew curled up in the entrance to a store and died of the cold. One man I met while patrolling the campgrounds was doing well for a while. Then I saw him begging. He had to sell his sleeping bag for food.

Eventually, I started receiving Social Security and qualified for Medicare, and things got better. I stayed occasionally in cheap motels. I had needed cataract and knee surgery, and recuperated in my pickup truck and motel rooms.

A religious organization helped me when I earned enough to rent an apartment but didn't have enough money for both rent and a deposit. I had been on housing assistance lists for years, waiting for a subsidized low-income apartment. I finally had a shower and a washing machine and a kitchen. I moved my belongings out of storage. Finding old computers, TVs, family photos and other mementos was like an archaeological dig of a previous life.

I'm 80 now and I'm lucky to still have Social Security. and Thanks to my VA income, I haven't had to rely on housing assistance for years, and it seems like a long time since I was homeless, but I'll never forget.

If I see someone begging, I don't give them coins, not even a dollar. I give them $5 or $10 or $20 and a kind word. I keep a $10 bill for Christmas. I don't care if they're drunk or on drugs. I don't judge. It helps them and it makes me feel good.

I don't like seeing tents on sidewalks, next to highways, in parks, etc. But criminalizing the homeless or removing their tents is not the solution if they have no place to go. We need more housing, more programs for the mentally ill and drug addicts, universal health care, and maybe a basic income at least. And we need more facilities where the homeless can shower and go to the bathroom.

I know California has spent billions of dollars, but it will cost even more.

A rich country like America should have compassion — feeding the hungry, helping the poor, healing the sick, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, and welcoming the stranger. Until the Supreme Court and Governor Newsom can find a better solution, that's where we should start.

Les Gapay, a former newspaper reporter, is retired and lives in the Coachella Valley.