Homelessness

Homelessness in Los Angeles

"In America, housing is a commodity. If you can afford it, you have it; if you can’t, you don’t."

Gary Blasi, UCLA law professor emeritus

In Los Angeles county, the homeless population is on the rise. 

No one should be without a home. It is important for people to help each other when they have the ability to. Our community should bring us great pride and if we see problems, it is our civic duty to find ways to help.

Although it is very important to do our part in the community it is just as important to be well educated.

According to the LA Times Editorial Board it is said that

"Contrary to popular belief, the homeless in Los Angeles are not mostly mentally ill or drug addicted, raving or matted-haired or frightening — although a sizable minority meet some of those descriptions. They are not mostly people who drifted in from other states in search of a comfy climate in which to sponge off of others; the overwhelming majority have lived in the region for years. Today, a greater and greater proportion of people living on the streets are there because of bad luck or a series of mistakes, or because the economy forgot them — they lost a job or were evicted or fled an abusive marriage just as the housing market was growing increasingly unforgiving." 

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-homeless-crisis-overview-20180225-htmlstory.html

It may be true that there are many homeless people who are on the street because they are simply down on their luck. There are also some answer that can be found if we look into the past. For roughly 50 years starting in 1955, there were hundreds of thousands of people with mental illnesses who were thrust from mental institutions. The government policy called deinstitutionalization, moved people from state run institutions into federal run institutions. This change from state to federal permanently reduced the availability of long-term, in-patient care facilities. The number of available beds for mentally ill people in the United States by 2010 was 43,000. This made 14 beds for every 100,000 people in need of mental care. This is the same ratio as in 1850. 

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/timeline-mental-health-america/

Housing prices have increased so much in Los Angeles that it has pushed people out of their homes. There are areas such as Highland Park that are becoming so popular and expensive, but maybe ten years ago were considered sketchy neighborhoods. If these areas where lower income families were able to make their lives keep turning into the next hip place to live, there will be no more reasonably priced neighborhoods. If people who already work two or three jobs to live in less desirable neighborhoods continue to get their rent increased, they are going to continue to get pushed farther away from a place they may have called home for twenty or thirty years. This can also be a cause for homelessness in Los Angeles. 

Juan Lebran

He lived on a street where a homeless woman would be hanging around for a long time. He would often have to pass her when she was defecating on the street. Once he was walking on the street and a bunch of drunk homeless men were shouting and yelling at him. Juan also teaches guitar to homeless people at the Mission, which is a homeless shelter down by skid row. When speaking to Juan I asked him what he thought the community can do to help the homeless population in Los Angeles and he said that displacement is not the solution. Trying to cover up the homeless population by not allowing them on certain streets in Downtown LA does not help to alleviate homelessness. In Juan’s experience volunteering he has been made aware that more volunteers are always needed. Many people think that money helps homeless people, but it can often enable addictions.

                                                 

Anahit Momjian

            At the end of her block there is a large homeless encampment. She said that since she has lived in her neighborhood there has been a large homeless group. In high school she would walk past a homeless man and she took him a plate of food and a water bottle, after that she would always try to bring him something to eat or drink. After a time of her doing this, she came by the last time and he denied the food and only asked for cash or weed. She was greatly saddened by this. Many people who are homeless have mental illnesses and in these circumstances, the community really does not have the expertise to help. There ought to be a greater ability for the homeless population to have easier access to places that can help them.

 

Emilio Corrales  

            When he sees homeless people he feels bad for them, but sometimes he does not know how he can help them. He does not like to give money because that can only encourage people to continue possible bad habits. He has volunteered and he said that it was a very satisfying experience. He felt that he was giving back to the community. He used to work in Downtown LA and he said that he witnessed the very rich and the homeless sharing the street. He said that he saw a lot of homeless people on drugs and that is a large part of why he does not like to give money.

Gianna Halpin

I find this issue to be important to me because I volunteer for organizations who help those in need. I have also taken it upon myself to go down to skid row and hand out food packs and water bottles. I try to do all that I can while being a full-time student and bartender. I am a Christian and a citizen of this world and I hope that I can be the change that I would like to see in the future. My hope is that a solution or solutions can be tried and tested to help alleviate homelessness. And we can all start by taking a little bit of our free time and giving it to someone in need.