Streets Are the Last Resort
Re “Homeless May Be Sleepless if Law Passes,” Dec. 26: During this season of warmth and giving, the homeless citizens of Los Angeles are facing the highest level of persecution in recent memory. The new year, a time of promise and renewal for those of us with even a little, is also a year that promises that the poorest among us will find themselves criminalized for being without and for having the basic needs of food and shelter.
We are alarmed by the proposals affecting the homeless currently being introduced into the City Council. Sleeping (“camping”) outside could be made illegal. Without an alternative -- without safe, affordable housing or adequate shelter -- how can we place a penalty on sleeping, on existing? An estimated 5,000 adults are homeless downtown; a third of these are women. An estimated 1,000 children are living with their parents downtown, either homeless or at risk of being homeless. There are an estimated 2,000 shelter beds to fit this need.
Sleeping outside is clearly a last resort. Where is a woman to go if her very existence is an offense? What are her alternatives? Approximately 75% of homeless services for L.A. County are centered downtown. Clearly, this makes our neighborhood (Central City East/Skid Row) a place of last resort.
Services are not a “magnet.” People come downtown because there is a pronounced lack of services elsewhere in the city and county. As the economy worsens, as housing prices skyrocket, as welfare reform measures take their toll, as federal/state/local funding to “safety net” institutions decreases, there are fewer resources available for those in need. This is why we are seeing an unprecedented influx of women and children into downtown.
We were heartened by the passage of the state affordable housing bond measure (Proposition 46). However, alternatives that may be developed someday as a result of these moneys are not currently available to homeless people. Passage of this important bond does not justify unjust ordinances now in the works.
This is the time of year that we are given to seeing the best in others and in ourselves, when we feel most openhearted and generous and when we appreciate our bounty the most. Paradoxically, while good works are being done throughout the city, our leaders are proposing measures that will harm the most vulnerable in our midst -- homeless women and children.
Lisa M. Watson
Executive Director
Downtown Women’s Center
Los Angeles
Becky Dennison
Executive Director
Downtown Women’s Action
Coalition, Los Angeles
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Re “Havens for Homeless Facing More Than They Can Handle,” Dec. 22: ‘Tis the season to be jolly, or so the words go, but it is far from what many Americans can sing about. Not having a home, sleeping on the streets or in their cars, children going to bed hungry and cold -- this is what their holiday will be. Your article should have been found on the first page, not on A22.
The economy is in decline, more and more people are losing their jobs, businesses are closing, public schools are a shambles; these are top priority issues that should be dealt with. President Bush, why don’t we win the war on poverty in this country before we try to improve the Iraqis’ lifestyle?
Bonnie Kalaf
Studio City
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Bush’s Dec. 21 radio address acknowledged that there are poor and needy in this country, and he consequently urged compassion through private donations to help these people. Forget about “compassionate conservatism.” What about responsibility? Didn’t it occur to the president that he was acknowledging the inadequacy of the current public programs?
A suggestion: If the aim is to involve more people in helping the needy, I propose letting them pay higher taxes.
Jeanette Bello
Los Angeles
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I wonder if the homeless sweep on skid row has anything to do with people showing up to sleep in the alley behind my house just west of downtown.
Generations ago, the city decided to concentrate poverty and homeless services downtown on skid row, to keep the destitute out of the neighborhoods. We all know that policy has failed, as the homeless and the poor sleep not only on skid row but also under bridges, in doorways and in tents, backyards and garages all over the city. The problem is the lack of affordable housing and the lack of jobs, especially jobs for black and Latino men.
Everybody needs a place to keep their stuff, sleep safely and take a bath. With adequate housing and employment opportunities, there’s no more street camping.
John Owen
Los Angeles
