Los Angeles Confronts Homelessness Reputation

We’d like to highlight a recent article in the NY Times addressing the severity of homelessness in Los Angeles, which has a homeless population growing faster than everywhere else in the country. L.A.’s homeless reputation is a concern for both residents and potential investors.

This article is related to the discussion over how homelessness effects potential downtown development, which we did a blog post about recently: Will Downtown Development Hurt The Homeless?

Also relevant is the recently announced five year plan by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce and the United Way to end chronic homelessness in LA, which we also highlighted in a previous blog post. That plan seeks to end homelessness in five years providing food and housing for those most in need.

By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Published: December 12, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/us/13homeless.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a23

LOS ANGELES — It was just past dusk in the upscale enclave of Brentwood as a homeless man, wrapped in a tattered gray blanket, stepped into a doorway to escape a light rain, watching the flow of people on their way to the high-end restaurants that lined the street.

Across town in Hollywood the next morning, homeless people were wandering up and down Sunset Boulevard, pushing shopping carts and slumped at bus stops. More homeless men and women could be found shuffling along the boardwalks of Venice and Santa Monica, while a few others were spotted near the heart of Beverly Hills, the very symbol of Los Angeles wealth.

And, as always, San Julian Street, the infamous center of Skid Row on the south edge of downtown Los Angeles, was teeming: a small city of people were making the street their home in a warm December sun, waiting for one of the many missions there to serve a meal.

At a time when cities across the country have made significant progress over the past decade in reducing the number of homeless, in no small part by building permanent housing, the problem seems intractable in the County of Los Angeles.

It has become a subject of acute embarrassment to some civic leaders, upset over the county’s faltering efforts, the glaring contrast of street poverty and mansion wealth, and any perception of a hardhearted Los Angeles unmoved by a problem that has motivated action in so many other cities.

For national organizations trying to eradicate homelessness, Los Angeles — with its 48,000 people living on the streets, including 6,000 veterans, according to one count — stands as a stubborn anomaly, an outlier at a time when there has been progress, albeit modest and at times fitful, in so many cities.

Its designation as the homeless capital of America, a title that people here dislike but do not contest, seems increasingly indisputable.

“If we want to end homelessness in this country, we have to do something about L.A.; it is the biggest nut,” said Nan Roman, the president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “It has more homeless people than anyplace else.”

Neil J. Donovan, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said he believed that, after years of decline, there had been a slight rise in the number of homeless nationally this year because of the economic downturn, and that Los Angeles had led the way.

“Los Angeles’s homeless problem is growing faster than the overall national problem,” he said, “trending upwards in every demographic, dashing every hope of progress anywhere.”

In a reflection of the growing concern here, a task force created by the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles has stepped in with a plan, called Home for Good, to end homelessness here in five years. The idea is to, among other things, build housing for 12,000 of the chronically unemployed and provide food, maintenance and other services at a cost of $235 million a year.

The proposal, based on the task force’s study of what other cities had done, was embraced by political and civic leaders even as it served as a reminder of how many of these plans have failed over the years.

“This is not rocket science,” said Zev Yaroslavsky of the County Board of Supervisors. “It’s been done in New York, it’s been done in Atlanta, and it’s been done in San Francisco.”

Part of the impetus for this most recent flurry of attention is concern in the business and political communities that the epidemic is threatening to tarnish Los Angeles’s national image and undercut a campaign to promote tourism, particularly in downtown, which has been in the midst of a transformation of sorts, with a boom of museums, concert halls, restaurants, boutiques, parks and lofts.

The gentrification has pushed many of the homeless people south, but they can still be seen settled on benches and patches of grass in the center of downtown.

“If you have a homeless problem, then your sense of security is diminished, and that makes people not want to come,” said Jerry Neuman, a co-chairman of the task force. “It’s a problem that diminishes us in many ways: the way we view ourselves and the way other people view us.”

Fittingly enough, it was even the subject of a movie last year, “The Soloist,” which portrayed the relationship between a Los Angeles Times columnist, Steve Lopez, who has written extensively about the homeless, and a musician living on the streets.

The obstacles seem particularly great in this part of the country. The warm climate has always been a draw for homeless people. And the fact that people sleeping outside rarely die of exposure means there is less pressure on civic leaders to act. (In New York City, when a homeless woman known only as “Mama” was found dead at Grand Central Terminal on a frigid Christmas in 1985, it was front-page news that inspired a campaign to deal with the epidemic.)

The governmental structure here, of a county that includes 88 cities and a maze of conflicting jurisdictions, responsibilities and boundaries, has defused responsibility and made it nearly impossible for any one organization or person to take charge.

And Los Angeles is a place where people drive almost everywhere, so there are fewer of the reminders of homelessness — walking around a sleeping person on a sidewalk, responding to requests for money at the corner — that are common in concentrated cities like New York.

“It’s easy to get up in the morning, go to work, drive home and never encounter someone who is homeless,” said Wendy Greuel, the Los Angeles city controller. “I don’t think it’s seeped into the public’s consciousness that homelessness is a problem.”

The homelessness task force offered its plan at a conference that attracted some of the top elected officials here, including Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa and three of the five members of the Board of Supervisors, a notable show of political support.

“We believe that with the release of this plan, we now have a blueprint to end chronic homelessness and veteran homelessness,” said Christine Marge, director of housing for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

Yet in a time of severe budget retrenchment, the five-year goal seems daunting. Even though the drafters of the plan say that no new money will be needed to finance it — Los Angeles is already spending more than $235 million a year on hospital, overnight housing and police costs dealing with the homeless — government financing of all social services has come under assault.

“I don’t for a minute think it’s not going to require a tremendous amount of political will to make it happen,” said Richard Bloom, the mayor of Santa Monica. “Do I think it can happen? Yes, because I’ve seen what happens in other cities, like New York City, Denver and Boston.”

Still, Mr. Bloom, who said he regularly attended conferences involving officials from other communities, added: “Our numbers are way out of whack with those numbers I hear elsewhere. It’s just so much more enormous and daunting here.”

Will Downtown Development Hurt The Homeless?

Will planned downtown development be good or bad for the city’s homeless?

A proposal for development in downtown L.A., including the construction of an NFL stadium, is igniting discussion about the city’s homeless. Some argue that development will push out the homeless and make way for the rich, while others argue that development will bring attention to homelessness and financial benefit to organizations that work on behalf of the homeless.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

The following article on this issue is from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism’s website.

The push to make downtown L.A. a real city center

http://www.intersectionssouthla.org/index.php/story/the_push_to_make_downtown_l.a._a_real_city_center/

Downtown Los Angeles has long suffered an identity crisis. Bustling and noisy during the day but a ghost town at night, this “city center” is far from being the center of the L.A. Tourists flock to Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the beach. Few stray downtown for a day of sightseeing.

But AEG, the company who owns and operates the Staples Center and LA Live!, wants to change that. The latest push for downtown rejuvenation includes a proposal for a $725 million NFL stadium, and an expansion of the Staples Center. The big idea? Bring crowds downtown and keep them there. AEG’s Tim Leiweke says the company hopes to see completion of the NFL stadium in time for the 2016 Super Bowl.

Angelenos who live and work downtown have already witnessed a dramatic change in the past few years, as the city pays more attention to downtown and its potential for tourism and entertainment revenue. The first push saw the addition of LA Live! and the Marriott Hotel. So how do they feel about this second wave of development?

Greg Johnson, who is homeless and living on the streets downtown, says development means pushing out the homeless population and making way “for the rich.”

“All they’re doing is building for the rich,” said Johnson. “We can’t go to the stadium. We’ve got no money. We probably can’t even get a job there.”

The demographic shift has been dramatic in the last few years, according to Johnson. While the homeless population has swelled with African Americans, the new lofts and apartments downtown are being filled with White and Asian residents.

“They say, ‘taking back L.A.’,” said Johnson. “I never knew it was missing.”

However, Rev. Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, says that companies like AEG can have a positive impact on the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles.

“The first push actually brought a lot of attention to the fact that Skid Row exists,” said Bales. “This latest push probably could have the same effect. It brings more attention, but it also sounds like it could bring more jobs to the area.”

AEG has donated between $10,000 and $15,000 to Union Rescue Mission, according to Bales, and also occasionally offers sports tickets to residents of the homeless shelters. In 2006, Leiweke announced a gift of $250,000 to the Midnight Mission.

Making a difference will require more effort from the business community, said Bales, including a dedication to creating more permanent housing for the homeless population. But above all, says Bales, Los Angeles must experience a “change of heart” about homelessness.

“The biggest piece missing in solving the situation of homelessness in L.A. has been the business community,” said Bales. “That’s one of the reasons why we are the capital of homelessness. The City of Angels is the capital of homelessness. How embarrassing is that?”

Opening Our Eyes to the Homeless

Hector Tobar of the LA Times recounts his travels around Los Angeles with the organization People Assisting The Homeless in search of the homeless in this April 23rd article. Enjoy.

Opening Our Eyes to the Plight of the Homeless

It’s easy to ignore them, but they’re there if you look: struggling souls with stories to tell about their hard lives.

HECTOR TOBAR

April 23, 2010

Plywood boards cover the windows and doors of the abandoned Chinese Buffet in Inglewood. Each rectangle reads like a sign announcing “Plague!” or “Recession!”

Most drivers on Manchester Boulevard simply speed past. But Rodolfo Salinas and his colleagues slowed down one morning this week to look. They saw a few vehicles, including an RV, parked in the restaurant’s lot.

Pulling in to look more closely, they spotted a mattress and bits of clothing hidden behind the restaurant. And inside the RV, they saw a dog. No, two dogs.

“Hello!” Salinas called out. “Anyone need a lunch? Some socks?”

A moment later, the small community of hidden souls stirred to life. A man stuck his head out from behind the fence and took a sandwich. Then the door to the RV opened, and another man emerged. He said his name was Gary and that he’d been living in the RV with his wife and two dogs for about a year.

“Used to live over by Crenshaw,” he told Salinas, an outreach worker with the Hollywood-based nonprofit People Assisting the Homeless, or PATH. “Had a job detailing cars at a carwash.”

I spent a day with Salinas and his team this week, driving through Inglewood and Westchester in search of homeless people underneath the flight path of jets roaring into LAX.

We found men and women living in many kinds of places — huddled in the alley behind a real estate office, encamped in the narrow spaces between industrial buildings, under a bridge on Lincoln Boulevard overlooking the yellow wildflowers of the Ballona Creek wetlands.

It’s a tragedy that’s taking place every day, in nearly every L.A. neighborhood, seemingly just outside our field of vision.

Salinas and his co-workers taught me to see what has always been there in front of me.

Like most Angelenos, I’ve learned to avert my eyes from the signs of transience and suffering. But at an auto parts store on Hawthorne Boulevard, Salinas and his partners told me to look up and study a corner of the parking lot.

Against a gray retaining wall, I saw a little mountain of nylon, wool and plastic. Salinas called out a greeting and the mountain stirred. A balding, caramel-colored head poked out.

“I just got out of the hospital,” Lafayette, 64, told us. He’d been treated for a bladder infection, he said, and his wrist was covered with the plastic bracelets of many a hospital admission. “I only stayed one day and got kicked out.”

Lafayette, who gave just the one name, was sleeping in a padded chair salvaged from a car or van, next to the aluminum walker he uses on his daily wanderings. “We’ve watched him deteriorate,” said Stephanie Pashby, a PATH outreach worker who’s been coming to Inglewood for two years.

Lafayette is dying in public. He’s one of the frailer members of a population that today includes not just the addicted and the mentally ill but also an increasing number of people driven from their jobs and homes by the economic crisis.

We can’t even say, with certainty, how big this population is.

Earlier this month, census workers fanned out across the city in a three-day effort to count the homeless. When the final tally comes in, it will include Lafayette and many other “chronically homeless” people known to outreach workers who made sure they filled out census forms.

But the residents of Manchester Boulevard’s Chinese Buffet probably weren’t counted, because homeless outreach workers discovered their encampment only this week.

Salinas estimates that the census reached fewer than half of those actually living on Inglewood’s streets. “It hurts me to say that, because I was part of the effort to count people,” he said.

Despite a well-funded census campaign, reaching everyone in such a fluid community is nearly impossible, Salinas said. “People are working very hard to hide themselves.”

The homeless quickly learn to find neglected, forgotten and unpleasant places, little patches of real estate where they’ll be left alone. Thanks to the economic crisis, the city has more of these places than ever before.

“We won’t go in there,” Salinas told me as we stood outside a cluster of condemned properties off Prairie Avenue, a menacing landscape of crumbling apartments and bungalows that he said is home to about 20 people.

But there were also signs of life in more open and well-traveled spots, including the back of a busy restaurant parking lot on Century Boulevard. “Over there, by the trees,” said outreach worker Herman Osorio, pointing.

After a while, it seemed I was seeing people living everywhere.

“I’ve lived a hard life,” Helen, 63, told us as she stood in an alley with her husband, Larry. As we left in search of others, she said: “I hate to imagine anyone worse off than we are.”

We found encampments nestled against the concrete walls of the 405 Freeway, where people put up mirrors to help them spot intruders.

In a shallow muddy culvert beneath an overpass, we encountered a woman with a wild mop of blond hair. “She’s tweaking on crystal,” Pashby said of the mother of three.

Hidden in every encampment is a family story.

Outreach worker Osorio, 27, told me how many years ago he met his homeless father for the first time. He was a boy of about 8 then, being raised by a single mom in Hollywood. “Where’s my dad?” Osorio asked her. She took him to see an alcoholic panhandling on a Santa Monica Boulevard sidewalk just a few blocks away.

Osorio discovered that his father, like many homeless people, stayed close to the place where he had once lived with his family. After his father got himself sober and off the streets, they talked. “He’d go to the park and watch me play baseball, and I never knew it,” Osorio said.

I’m going to start thinking of the homeless that way, as members of my family — often unseen but always present, waiting to be found and maybe even helped, if I just take the time to see them.

hector.tobar@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

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Counting the Homeless in the U.S. Census

The Los Angeles homeless census began last week, March 29, 2010.  Those without a permanent residence are apparently at risk of not being counted in the most recent census – a cruel problem for the already marginalized,  but frustrating also to the census workers who recently took three days to count the homeless, covering shelters, soup kitchens, and outdoor encampments.

It is also in the best interests of the city of Los Angeles to count all homeless because federal dollars are paid to cities based on the number of residents. An accurate count is also important so we can know how many in Los Angeles, and the greater Los Angeles area, are adversely affected by today’s economic conditions.

Due to disagreement about last year’s count of the homeless for the federal governmet’s Department of Housing and Urban Development, homeless advocates worry of another undercount.

The following article from the LA Homeless Examiner explains in more detail.

Advocates worry Los Angeles census will undercount homeless

LA Homeless Examiner       March 27, 2010      by Joel John Roberts        www.examiner.com

Despite efforts by the City and County of Los Angeles to count its homeless population, advocates are concerned that the US Census count will not reach everyone living on the streets.

The Los Angeles homeless census begins this week when census workers will fan out into the region’s homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and outdoor encampments in search of homeless people.

The United States Constitution requires the country to counts its people every ten years. $400 billion of federal funds is at stake. The census becomes a political game of who gets the largest piece of the federal resource pie.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is leading the city’s efforts, telling the community that ten years ago the city was undercounted by 76,800 people, a loss of $206 million of federal funds. He attributes this loss to the difficulty of counting what census officials call the “hard-to-count” population, including homeless people.

The California Community Foundation acknowledges the importance of obtaining an accurate count of homelessness in Los Angeles, so the foundation has donated $1.5 million to agencies that work with hard-to-count populations.

The official census count of the homeless population in Los Angeles starts with counting people living in homeless emergency shelters and transitional housing programs. The second day includes counting homeless persons using food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens.

On the final day, census workers will look for people living outdoors, on the streets, under bridges, on the beach, in cars and in the hills.

Advocates around the country, however, see the counting of homeless people as flawed. David Gomez, a homeless advocate in Austin, Texas told the local paper, “How do you count the homeless when their existence depends on their ability or desire to remain unseen?”

Experienced Los Angeles homeless outreach workers agree. “The best workers to count people living on our streets are skilled homeless outreach workers,” said Rudy Salinas, a ten-year veteran of street outreach in Los Angeles. “They know where all of the encampments are, and can encourage people to be willing to come out from their hidden places.” The census, however, only allows official census workers to do the counting.

Advocates from other parts of the country believe there will be a severely undercounted homeless population in the 2010 census due to inflexible rules, unreasonable time limitations and inadequate resources.
When the County of Los Angeles performed its bi-annual homeless count for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development last year, advocates strongly disagreed with the results. Leaders within the homeless service community in Los Angeles believe the US Census results could be just as inaccurate.

The three-day homeless count begins on Monday, March 29, 2010.