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Tuesday, March, 9, 2010
Los Angeles County to consider limiting rental assistance for homeless Wednesday, March, 3, 2010
Free H1N1 flu shots for homeless is Los Angeles County’s way to prevent epidemic on the streets Tuesday, March, 2, 2010
San Diego photographer convenes local leaders to find solutions to homelessness Sunday, February, 28, 2010
From celebrity ghosts to formerly homeless, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is home to an eclectic group Thursday, February, 25, 2010
Is Los Angeles the country’s homeless step-child? Sunday, February, 21, 2010
Los Angeles City Attorney’s office operates unique program to help homeless people Friday, February, 19, 2010
Study reveals homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles has not changed after ten years Tuesday, February, 16, 2010
Los Angeles leaders believe a Census undercount of homelessness creates a resource-starved region Sunday, February, 14, 2010
TIME Magazine documents vehicular homelessness in Los Angeles Friday, February, 12, 2010
Los Angeles faith leaders meet to ensure homeless people get counted in the US Census
Los Angeles County to consider limiting rental assistance for homeless Wednesday, March, 3, 2010
Free H1N1 flu shots for homeless is Los Angeles County’s way to prevent epidemic on the streets Tuesday, March, 2, 2010
San Diego photographer convenes local leaders to find solutions to homelessness Sunday, February, 28, 2010
From celebrity ghosts to formerly homeless, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is home to an eclectic group Thursday, February, 25, 2010
Is Los Angeles the country’s homeless step-child? Sunday, February, 21, 2010
Los Angeles City Attorney’s office operates unique program to help homeless people Friday, February, 19, 2010
Study reveals homelessness and poverty in Los Angeles has not changed after ten years Tuesday, February, 16, 2010
Los Angeles leaders believe a Census undercount of homelessness creates a resource-starved region Sunday, February, 14, 2010
TIME Magazine documents vehicular homelessness in Los Angeles Friday, February, 12, 2010
Los Angeles faith leaders meet to ensure homeless people get counted in the US Census
Monday, February, 1, 2010
Los Angeles community leaders ask Mayor Villaraigosa to re-examine Skid Row
A letter sent to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, signed by 25 executives of nonprofit agencies, law firms, and two mayoral-appointed commissioners of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, asked the mayor to make significant changes to how the city’s law enforcement agency addresses the downtown Skid Row neighborhood.
A few years ago, the Los Angeles Police Department, with the blessing of the mayor, added 50 additional police officers to the Central Division beat that includes the 50 square blocks called Skid Row. This area contains more than 5,000 homeless people, and was called “Ground Zero for America’s homelessness” by former President George W. Bush’s homelessness czar, Philip F. Mangano.
The LAPD labeled this effort to clean up Skid Row, “Safer Cities Initiative” (SCI). Since the launch of SCI, the number of homeless people has gone down, along with a reduction of crime. Supporters of SCI credit this initiative for such positive numbers.
Homeless advocates, however, blame law enforcement for criminalizing homelessness, and sweeping homeless people into neighborhoods outside of downtown Los Angeles.
In light of current conditions on Skid Row, the signatories of the letter are asking the mayor to do the following:
- Shift law enforcement to community-based policing.
- Sharpen focus on serious offenses and away from citations for infractions.
- Renew efforts to connect residents with critical social services and housing.
- Redeploy some police resources to other parts of the city with higher rates of violence.
The letter has attracted sharp reaction from both homeless advocates as well as supporters of SCI, including LAPD.
To date, the mayor has not met with the 25 leaders.
Andy Bales: I’m compelled to weigh in on “the letter” circulating around the community and apparently headed toward Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s desk.
I received the letter, and was invited to sign on in agreement with the conclusions and corresponding actions it outlines. Instead of signing on, I alerted some LAPD commanders to what I believe to be yet another attempt by some to remove the helpful police presence from Skid Row, and return this area many of us have worked so hard to change back to the deprived, predator & drug infested hopeless state it was in less than a decade ago — depicted so accurately in the tragic scenes featured in “The Soloist”.
Please go to Union Rescue Mission's website to read the rest of my response. Thank you, Andy B.
Posted 2010-02-04 14:55:48
I received the letter, and was invited to sign on in agreement with the conclusions and corresponding actions it outlines. Instead of signing on, I alerted some LAPD commanders to what I believe to be yet another attempt by some to remove the helpful police presence from Skid Row, and return this area many of us have worked so hard to change back to the deprived, predator & drug infested hopeless state it was in less than a decade ago — depicted so accurately in the tragic scenes featured in “The Soloist”.
Please go to Union Rescue Mission's website to read the rest of my response. Thank you, Andy B.
Posted 2010-02-04 14:55:48
Monday, September 22, 2008
Taxing Our Way Out of Homelessness? Friday, November 21, 2008
A Third Wave Of Addressing Homelesness Monday, November 13, 2006
705 Missing Homeless People: Where Did They Go? Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Civil Overestimation Friday, January 30, 2009
Unemployment Numbers: I'm Worried...
Taxing Our Way Out of Homelessness? Friday, November 21, 2008
A Third Wave Of Addressing Homelesness Monday, November 13, 2006
705 Missing Homeless People: Where Did They Go? Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Civil Overestimation Friday, January 30, 2009
Unemployment Numbers: I'm Worried...
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Jamie Van Leeuwen When Denver’s Road Home began over four years ago, we never could have anticipated a year like we just had. Who could ever imagine that our economy would shift into a global recession unlike anything the country has experienced since the Great Depression? And yet, in the midst of unparalleled economic shifts, there comes great opportunity. We believe there has never been a more important time for Denver to have a plan to end homelessness. During the past year, our homeless plan has been tested and we expect the coming year will continue to pose new challenges for us. Housing foreclosures, unemployment and funding cutbacks will continue to place new demands on our ten-year plan to end homelessness. As a result, we updated our plan so....
Linda Valverde & General Dogon The authors have lived and worked in Central City East—commonly known as Skid Row—for a combined thirty years. During all of our decades of living in Los Angeles, neither of us had ever heard of gentrification until about five years ago, when we became members of the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN). Now it seems that gentrification has become a common household word in cities throughout the United States, and nowhere more than downtown Los Angeles. When redevelopment really took off in downtown L.A. in 2002, LA CAN and our allies created five principles for fair redevelopment. We wanted to see our neighborhood revitalized, not gentrified. The principles were....
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