Cindy McCallum said the two nights she spent on the grass opposite the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission were the scariest she’s lived through.

For two years, Bill Shea lived on the property of Christ the King Episcopal Church. As homeless camps go, it was average. He slept in a field, in a decent bag, and with the blessing of the church's rector. He was surviving — if nothing else.

Curtis Jasper has come a long way since December, when he was living on the streets of Los Angeles, all but crippled by multiple ulcers on his legs. For eight years he tended his ulcers by himself on the streets, changing his dressings in bathrooms in public libraries and restaurants — any pl