According to the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center approximately 254,00 men, women and children are homeless during some part of the year and at least 82,00 on any given night in Los Angeles. The average age of a homeless person is 40 but women are usually younger younger and they make up 33-50% of the homeless population. In Los Angeles 11% are veterans, disabled persons make up 19%, 24% are homeless because of substance abuse and 32% have mental disabilities. Lastly 21% are homeless because of domestic violence situations. 20-43% are families with a single mother. A lot of people believe most homeless people are either mentally ill or drug addicts but the statistics show otherwise.
Why is This Important to Me?
Growing up in San Gabriel Valley (Duarte and Glendora) i didn't see that many homeless people. The earliest memory i have of a homeless family was when i was about 6 or 7 and i was in Old town Pasadena with my family. There was a woman with two children sitting on a blanket on the sidewalk and i remember asking my dad why they were sitting on the sidewalk. When he told me that thats where they lived i was shocked and he gave me a twenty dollar bill to give them and i remember the mother being so grateful. i didn't experience a lot of encounters with any homeless people until i moved to Los Angeles. I was shocked by the tent communities in downtown and in skid row and as the years went by i noticed that the homeless population was growing more and more. Everywhere i drove there were homeless communities under freeway passes and in any uninhabited space possible.
The issue of homelessness really hit me when my mother who was never really involved in my my life confided in my that she had been homeless for about 6 months this past year and this is a big reason why chose this issue. She has a felony on her record and its makes it impossible for her to find a job. I wanted to include her in this project but she was too embarrassed. This is when i realized even more that a lot of homeless people are not "crazy" or drug addicts but just have been laid off and have trouble finding a place to live. Things like bad credit or a criminal record make it almost impossible for people to get jobs or stable living and as a result they end up homeless. When i moved to El Sereno there are at least 3 makeshift homeless shelters on my street. There are homeless off freeway exits asking for money or cleaning windshields for tips. Recently i was with a friend and i gave a homeless person a 5 dollar bill. My friend commented that they are probably going to spend it on drugs or beer or that they might not even be homeless but you never know so i always try to give whatever i can find.
Another way i have encountered many homeless people is at my job in a coffee shop in South Pasadena. We have many customers that come to charge their phone or shower in the bathroom. This is where my first participant comes into my project. A man named Christian has been a regular at my work for about 3 years now. He moved to Los Angeles hoping to make it as an actor. He is not mentally disabled or a drug addict. He is just a man that came out here on hope that he could make it as an actor and got evicted because he couldn't pay his rent and works odd jobs here and there enough to eat and keep himself clothed. He sits in our lobby almost all day sometimes charging his phone, rehearsing lines and keeping my employees company. We aren't supposed to give our wasted food away to anybody but i always let him take a couple items home. Ever since i found out my mom was homeless i am even more empathetic to any homeless person i see because you never know their story. He agreed to let me take his picture and talk to me about his story. He is currently living in a shelter and was telling me how horrible the conditions are. Sleeping next to hundreds on men in extremely close quarters, sickness spreads around easily and there is also the issue of theft. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, in 2016 12,713 homeless persons were living in shelters. I am hoping that by creating this blog people will realize that not all homeless people are homeless because they are on drugs or just don't want to find a job.
Ways to Help
Although the homeless problem is huge and needs a large community effort by the county, there are little things you as an individual can do.
- Volunteer at a local homeless shelter https://losangelesmission.org/act/volunteer)
- Buy a meal for a homeless person
- Donate money to homeless people on the street even if it just a dollar or two
Persons Affected
Chris Petrillo
Samantha Montalvo
Sources
https://www.lahsa.org/homeless-count/reports
http://www.laalmanac.com/social/so14.php
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