“Taking Back The Streets of Skid Row”?

The Los Angeles Downtown News reports today on a new community movement where local residents and “stakeholders” in Central City East (where L.A.’s Skid Row is located) have decided to walk together in the evenings in Skid Row. Click here to read article.

The idea is to show that there are also positive elements in this growing community. In other words, don’t let the negative elements—drugs and crime—overwhelm this neighborhood.

We all know what Skid Row is… it is home to a large homeless population in downtown Los Angeles. So instilling into this neighborhood a positive monthly event—like walking the streets of Skid Row—is a good thing.

Of course, this alone won’t solve the problem of homelessness there. But perhaps it might motivate a community that includes local businesses, new loft owners, and city hall, to actually do more.

Walking is a good start. But the path to end homelessness in Skid Row also includes more housing, services that deal with mental health and substance abuse, and an empowered and educated law enforcement response that is able to help those who are truly homeless access services and also able to deal with those other people who are on the streets causing trouble.

I wrote an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times in May of 2002 that promoted a response that I call: “Clean Streets, Not Mean Streets”. Click here to read Op-Ed. Let’s give a community the right to have safe and clean streets, but let’s make sure those who are living on the streets have access to shelter, housing, and services (so that our response is not “mean”.)

Federal Initiative To Educate Homeless Children

The Orange County Register recently reported on the Federal Initiative called the: McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. This law “requires school districts to provide equal access to education for homeless students. ” Here is a description of the law.

Here are some other items from the article:
__________

Definition of homeless:

Lacks a regular, fixed and adequate nighttime residence

Shares housing because of economic struggles

Lives in a shelter, hotel or motel

Lives in a public place not designated for sleeping

Is an unaccompanied youth

Is awaiting foster-care placement

Is abandoned in a hospital

Is a migrant child who qualifies under any of the above

Districts must ensure:

Homeless children are identified

Homeless students enroll in and have full and equal opportunity to succeed in school districts

Homeless families, children and youth receive educational services
___________

Now, the real question… why do we even allow children to be homeless? Of course, we should be educating them. But we really should have a law that gives every person—including children—the right to safe housing. It seems a little backward to help a homeless child with his or her education, but not to guarantee him or her safe permanent housing…

LA’s Homeless Blog Chosen As “Outstanding”

Master Blogs has chosen LA’s Homeless Blog as an “Outstanding” blog. The designation is based on content, design, and relevance. The LA's Homeless Blog is one of nearly 300 chosen from the world of blogs. You can see how the blog was “graded” at Master Blogs. The LA’s Homeless Blog is under the “Regional” category.

Homelessness Affects the “State of Black LA”

Today, the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and the Urban League of Los Angeles released a study called: “The State of Black Los Angeles.” Click here for the study. The press release distributed this morning states that the “key factors driving disparity include a dual justice system, homelessness, poor health rating, and high dropout rates.” Click here to read release.

The study also states: “Blacks have the highest rate of homelessness, and are estimated to be 30% or more of the county’s homeless population.” The recent Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority count of homelessness states that 39% of the homeless population in L.A. County are African American.

One of the Action items for change in this study is building more Affordable Housing. This obviously is a major solution to homelessness, as well.

Homeless Tabloids

I first encountered these tabloids while walking on the streets of London a few years ago. Instead of a homeless person sticking his hand out for a handout, he was instead waving a small newspaper out trying to sell it to me. Of course, I stopped to find out what he was trying to promote. It was a tabloid on homelessness for a cost of one pound. The tabloid was called, The Big Issue. Click here to see Big Issue.

This person who was homeless was paid to sell newspapers (a real job), and the public was able to read about homelessness from the perspective of homeless writers.

Although not as phenomenal as the Beatles, this new British wonder still arrived on the shores of America in the late 1980s. (At least in San Francisco.) The Los Angeles Times covers this homeless tabloid in today’s paper. Click here for LAT article. It is called the Street Sheet, and is patterned after the British homeless tabloid.

In San Francisco, the tabloid sellers get paid $25 per day, not even minimum wage. But I guess it is a start. It certainly is a great way to educate the community on homelessness.

Such tabloids could help motivate a community to join the cause to end homelessness, but to pay people less than minimum wage is not going to help these individuals end homelessness in their own personal lives.

Well Deserved Credit For Homeless Exec

The CEO of downtown L.A.’s Midnight Mission, Larry Adamson, is featured today in the Los Angeles Times. (You need a LATimes.com password to read the article online: click here for LAT article. ) This colleague of mine in the fight to end homelessness has established a good example on how a new generation of nonprofit executives are using standard business practices to operate charities.

The Midnight Mission recently opened up a $17 million downtown homeless center amid much praise, and a few critics. (One critic includes the Christian Science Monitor: click here for CSM article. ) But the problem of homelessness is so overwhelming in downtown Los Angeles, that the need for a large center like Midnight Mission is desperately needed.

Failed Parole System Contributes To Homelessness

Last week, the Daily News published an article on how our current parole system is failing. (Read article here.) It states that: “more than 7,000 parolees have failed to report to their parole agents.” With too many inmates, and not enough rehabilitation programs or staffing to accommodate them, the system is overwhelmed.

A staggering statistic is also mentioned: “About 10 percent of parolees become homeless…”

With a system that costs state taxpayers $6 billion per year, you would think we could figure out how to insure that those leaving the criminal justice system don’t end up on our streets.