PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO SYSTEM ISSUES, THIS PETITION HAS BEEN MOVED TO A NEW PLATFORM. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO SIGN THIS PETITION AND HELP US BRING AN END TO PERIOD POVERTY IN MONTEREY COUNTY!

A lack of access to menstrual products can be a significant barrier in many communities across the United States, particularly for menstruators who are homeless. California is experiencing a homelessness crisis (the official estimate for 2020 is 161,548 people, with 2,422 homeless people in Monterey): we need to consider all menstruating homeless people who cannot afford menstrual protection.
Period-related health and reproductive-health considerations are rarely if ever, brought up as a topic in public life: simply put, menstrual bleeding and its management are taboo as a public discussion topic, reflecting the dismissal of issues deemed "women's problems." Menstruators experiencing homelessness are in a precarious environment and need special support. Given that a menstruator uses about 20 disposable protections per cycle on average, how can we ensure that these people have access to these basic necessities each month?

It has been put forward that those homeless menstruators often have to use unclean materials repetitively, putting their health at risk (for example, using tampons for an extended period of time can lead to serious diseases such as toxic shock syndrome, which can be potentially lethal).

To address this urgent matter, we are requesting the County of Monterey to fund and provide sufficient free menstrual and incontinence products to
shelters welcoming homeless menstruators available at all times, including local delivery of those
products directly into the streets on a regular basis.

A "yes" from you would show that this community cares about homelessness and recognizes menstruation as an issue of social importance that citizens must take up to help those most in need. It would alleviate some people in great difficulty on a subject kept taboo and be a way to ensure that every individual in our community has a right to dignity on the streets.

Thank you for your attention.