------From Los Angeles to Dallas: The more things change the more they stay the same, or do they?

It amazed me how often I heard these words from a homeless individual, "...because I heard there are more services..." or "...better resources..." when asked: Why did you decide to come to Los Angeles? It is disappointing for those individuals when they realize they have to jump through the same hoops and navigate the same challenging systems regardless of their geographic location. Although there are many social service agencies in Los Angeles providing a myriad of incredible services to the homeless population, the deficits remain ever present: the lack of financial resources, living wage jobs, affordable housing, mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment. Sound familiar? Different city, same issues.

Prior to coming to PATH Dallas, I had the privilege of sitting on the City of Santa Monica's Chronically Homeless Project committee for four years. This committee is comprised of providers from all of the above mentioned resources, and is dedicated to reducing barriers and providing the necessary services to chronically homeless individuals to aide them in obtaining (and the equally important goal of maintaining) permanent housing. The effectiveness of bringing all of these providers together has been outstanding, underscoring the importance of programs such as the PATH Mall and The Bridge that bring all of the resources under one roof.

I eargerly await the opening of the The Bridge and am hopeful about the positive impact it will have in reducing the number of homeless individuals in the Dallas community. In recognizing the barriers affecting homelessness, through the creation of The Bridge, we are reducing the amount of "hoops" that need to be jumped through -and the ever challenging social service system that must be navigated.

By adapting the "Mall" model, we recognize that whether we are assisting one of 70,000 homeless in Los Angeles or one of 6,000 in Dallas, people and their needs remain the same.

Blake Vieane, LMFT
Associate Director
PATH Dallas