Hunger Takes No Holiday

This is the time of the year when thoughts turn to families and friends. But for thousands of invisible people across the San Fernando Valley, it can be the cruelest season. The weather turns sour with cold and rain, making their cardboard homes unlivable. And then there is the constant reminder that they are alone and without in a season celebrating togetherness and plenty.

Homeless shelters and social service agencies across the Valley are gearing up for the winter rush as residents donate food, clothing and toys to the needy. But as most of those who work with the homeless and the desperately poor know, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are the fattest time of the year. The real need falls in the weeks and months that follow.

Poverty does not abate between New Year’s Day and Veterans Day, yet donations and volunteering often thin out as attention turns from giving. Shelters and social service agencies are always in need of clothing and blankets, personal hygiene items and canned food. Hunger rarely takes a holiday for the very poor. Spreading out charitable giving over the entire year helps service providers make it through the lean months.

That’s just one way to make the lives of the Valley’s poor and homeless more comfortable after the holidays. Others include keeping shelters open 24 hours. In the past, homeless shelters opened at nightfall and turned out boarders the next morning, leaving them to wander the streets until evening. This year, the Trudy and Norman Louis Valley Shelter in North Hollywood will provide 140 residents with beds and counseling services. The idea: Help break the cycles of addiction and mental illness that often lead to homelessness. Keeping people near the shelter and near helpful services can be the first step toward self-reliance.

Next door, the Sydney M. Irmas Transitional Living Center will offer private units to help homeless families get back on their feet. The center, which will be dedicated Thursday, provides kitchen and dining facilities as well as a computer room and child-care space. It’s a more comprehensive approach to helping homeless families get reestablished.

The holidays naturally focus attention on the lives of those less fortunate. But remember that problems of addiction, abuse and mental illness persist long after the Christmas lights come down and mall crowds fade.