Homelessness Gets an Infusion of Star Power

These days, celebrities are trotted out in the name of just about every cause. Now the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is doing it.

HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo was in L.A. last week for a party to launch the “Put a Face on Homelessness” TV campaign. The 18 star-studded public service announcements have actors Harry Belafonte, Daniel Stern, Caroline Rhea, Blythe Danner, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and others--speaking on behalf of the 600,000 homeless in America.

In different versions of the PSAs, a celeb says, “Many people recognize my face. But there are thousands of men, women and children who we walk past every day, but really never see. They are the invisible, the faceless, the homeless. Walking past them won’t solve the problem. They need your help.”

Featuring photographs by Mary Ellen Mark, the announcements encourage the public to call a toll-free number to find out how they can help. The Ford Foundation, through the Council for Excellence in Government, produced the campaign and the nonprofit Ad Council placed the PSAs, which are airing during the holiday season.

Inadequate mental health care, a lack of affordable housing, substance abuse and domestic violence all contribute to homelessness, Cuomo told the crowd of homeless advocates, politicians and a few celebrities, who gathered for the event at Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse downtown.

“The story of the homeless to me is more a story of us than it is of them. Their situation is obvious,” he said. The son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo added, “But what does it say about us that we allow it to continue? What does it say about us in the year 2000 that we walk past human beings in doorways and we don’t even see them anymore?”

After the speech, actress Rhea asked rhetorically, “He’s a fireball! Why isn’t he running for something?”

Shaking Cuomo’s hand, Danner told him, “You will be our president someday,” adding that she had hoped to bring her daughter (Gwyneth Paltrow) to the event, but that she was tied up in rehearsal.

Rumor has it that Cuomo, 41, is considering a run for governor of New York if a Republican White House puts him out of a job. If the secretary is planning to follow in his father’s footsteps, he’s not talking about it. Asked what his plans are if Texas Gov. George W. Bush is elected president, he joked, “I’ll be homeless.”

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Speaking of charitable giving. . . . The Newport Dunes Resort is conducting a program that allows the boat-bound to drop donations dockside for the homeless. No fooling.

Those with access to boat slips in Newport Beach can leave frozen turkeys, canned goods and toiletries right at their docks Friday. Officials from Newport Dunes (a waterfront resort and RV park) will collect the items and take them to Friends in Service to Humanity, an organization that provides assistance to families in need in Newport Beach, Irvine and Costa Mesa.

“The hectic nature of the holiday season sometimes leaves those wanting to give unable to. We hope this one-day event will be one of many more to come,” said Andrew Theodorou, Newport Dunes’ general manager.

Only in Orange County.

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SoCal Confidential runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Booth Moore can be reached at booth.moore@latimes.com.