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Los Angeles is the second largest city in U.S.A. In Los Angeles, there are "500 gated subdivisions, 2,000 street gangs, 4,000 mini-malls, 20,000 seat shops, and 100,000 homeless residents (Ecology of Fear p. 354). Behind the bright side of this city, number of homeless people are increased rapidly. This is such a complex problem that our city has to confront. Especially downtown Los Angeles, great number of homeless people cluster in this area. During the day, downtown Los Angeles bustles. People hurrying to move for doing their work and streets are congested with so many cars. But when the sun goes down, and Five, then Six o'clock passes, downtown becomes empty. In downtown at night, there are only growing number of homeless and derelicts, who tired from the frustration of not having a home and any hope. County figures show that there are some "84,000 people homeless each night in Los Angeles County. 9,000 of them are children." (Shelter, p.1) Most of these homeless are downtown, in the place that is called Skid Row. This is the shadow of the newest and tallest sleek skyscrape. Because this is not an essay just filled with the harrowing statistics of the homeless, I'll try to approach some potentially useful and creative ideas for getting the homeless off the streets, trying rehabilitate them as many as possible, and turn downtown into a safe place at night. The project outlined on the following pages has three basic aims. First, reduce homeless population by providing increased shelter and care. Second, make downtown area with a new community project I call it "Sundown City" because this community functions after the sun goes down. And third, make positive attitude toward homeless people. The dimensions of downtown Los Angeles: Downtown Los Angeles bordered on the east by Interstate 5, on the south by interstate 10, on the west by Alvarado Street, and on the North by the 101 freeway. In other words, downtown is trapped by the concrete freeways all around. Downtown Los Angeles consists of individual distinctive districts. Northeastern part of downtown, there is the Chinatown district. Between College and Bernard streets, most of people congregate in this area. From China town district, El Pueblo de Los Angeles district is located in the southeastern side. This area is a historical re-creation of a typical Spanish village. The Little Tokyo district is located in the south from the El Pueblo. On San Pedro Street, the Japanese American culture and community center is on the neat and clean ground. Civic Center district is located in the northwest side from Little Tokyo. From Civic Center district, The Music Center is located in the west. This area includes the Alunanson Theater, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the Mark Taper Forum. A couple of blocks South of the Music Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits artworks since 1940's. South from The Music Center, there is the Little Mexico district. On Broadway between 3rd and 4the Streets, most stores cater to the dominant Hispanic population of the area. Central Business district is located in the West Side from little Mexico. This area was completely restored several years ago. There is the Biltmore Hotel, which is the most prestigious hotel in town. South from the Central Business district, there is Jewelry district. This area is noisy and crowded with pedestrians and cars. The streets are dirty and garbage cans are overflowing. Garment district is located in the south side from Jewelry district. Convention Center located at the southwestern corner of downtown and within a poor sector of the city. By driving car all around of downtown, San Julian Street, which is only four blocks away form Little Tokyo, there is many number of homeless people. On Broadway Street in Little Mexico district, there are some homeless people on the street are begging for change. Most number of homeless is in the eastern part of downtown Los Angeles. This area is known as Skid Row. It consists of a 50 square block area with great number of homeless people. Who is homeless? The major definitions of homeless are: A person is homeless if his or her residence at night is in public or private emergency shelters; or in the streets, parks, subways, bus terminals, rail road stations, airports, under bridges or aqueducts, abandoned buildings without utilities, cars, or any other public or private space that is not designed for shelter (Homelessness and the Cities, 1995). In my definition of homeless is "illness of our community." Because homeless is effect that comes from the problems of our community, and community suffers from that. We have to cure the illness for better community. Now, let me show more detailed information about homeless. Age: In 1998, the U.S. Conference of Mayors'survey of homelessness in 30 cities found that children under the age of 18 accounted for 25% of the urban homeless population (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). As this statistics demonstrates, there are so many number of children are homeless. Because children are most vulnerable and they always need care, community has to be more concerned about them. A 1987 Urban Institute study found that 51 % of the homeless population were between the ages of 31 and 50 (Burt, 1989). This statistics demonstrates that over 70 % of homeless are young or in middle ages. Gender: Most studies show the number of single male homeless adults are larger than female. In 1998, the U.S. Conference of Mayors' survey found that single men comprised 45% of the urban homeless population and single women is 14% (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). Ethnicity: According to the U.S. Conference of Mayor's survey of 30 cities, the homeless population was 53% African-American, 35% Caucasian, 12% Hispanic, 4% Native American, and 3% Asian. Families: The number of homeless families with children has increased rapidly. It is the fastest growing number of homeless population. People who become homeless, approximately 40% of people are families with children (Shinn and Weitzman, 1996). According to the U.S. Conference of Mayor's survey, about 38% of the homeless population are consisted of families and children. This is terrible effect that comes from community problem rather than individual. Because low-income and lack of affordable housing are one major cause of high percentage of homeless families and children. Victims of domestic violence: Of 777 homeless parents interviewed in ten U.S. cities, 22% said they had left their last place of residence because of domestic violence (Homes for the Homeless, 1998). Also, 46% of cities identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). Veterans: About 22% of the urban homeless population were veterans (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). Persons with mental illness: Approximately 20-25% of the single adult homeless population suffers from mental illness (Koegel et al., 1996). According to the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness, only 5-7% of homeless people with mental illness require institutionalization, and most can live in the community with the appropriate supportive housing programs (Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness, 1992). Because mentally ill people are easier to be homeless and they could never escape from homelessness without any help, we need to be concerned more about them. Also, we need to provide special and long-term services for homeless people who suffer from mental illness. Employment: In the median state a minimum-wage worker would have to work 87 hours each week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30% of his or her income, which is the federal definition of affordable housing (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 1998). This survey shows even working poor people can be homeless. 22% of the urban homeless population were employed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). As all of these information makes clear, people who homeless are generally poor, vulnerable and mentally, physically ill person. Why are people homeless? There are various factors that our society has so many homeless people. Let me describe more detailed factors. Poverty: Because poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, child care, health care, and education, poverty is one of the major reasons that people live as homeless. In 1997, 13.3% of the U.S. population, or 35.6 million people, lived in poverty (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998a). In 1997, 14.6 million people had incomes of less than half the poverty level. It is 41% out of all poor persons. There are two factors that help to increase the number of homeless people, which are eroding employment opportunities, the declining value and availability of public assistance. Despite increasing the minimum wage, the real value of the minimum wage in 1997 was 18.1% less than in 1979 (Mishel, Bernstein, and Schmitt, 1999). With the low value of wage, it is difficult to afford to pay rent. In every state, more than the minimum wage is required to afford a one or two bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 1998). A survey of 30 U.S. cities found that almost one in five homeless people are employed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998). Therefore, for many Americans, providing work cannot make people to escape from poverty and homelessness. The declining value and availability of public assistance is another reason that helps to increase homelessness. For example, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the federal welfare reform law) repealed the AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) program and replaced it with a block grant program, which is Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Also, several states have cut or eliminated General Assistance (GA) benefits for single impoverished people, despite there is evidence that the availability of GA reduces the increasing number of homelessness (Greenberg and Baumohl, 1996). Housing: A lack of affordable housing and the inadequate housing assistance programs are another factors that contribute to increase homeless people in communities. From 1973 to 1993, 2.2 million low-rent units disappeared form the market. These units were abandoned, turned into condominiums or expensive apartments. And from 1991 to 1995, median rental costs for low-income renters increased by 21%, but the number of low-income renters increased at the same time. In these years, the affordable housing gap grew by one million (Daskal, 1998). Like this tendency that the gap between the number of affordable housing units and the number of people who need them, it just contributes to increase homeless people. Especially, the loss of single room occupancy (SRO) housing is the most serious problem for homeless people. SRO serves house to many poor people, including poor people who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. But now, SRO units are getting eliminated. For example, from 1970 to the mid-1980s, an estimated one million SRO units were eliminated (Dolbeare, 1996). And by 1985, Los Angeles had lost more than half of its downtown SRO housing (Koegel, et al, 1996). Lack of affordable health care: In 1997, approximately 43.4 million Americans had no health care insurance (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998b). Because serious illness or physical disability can start the homelessness, having the affordable health care is important. Mental illness: The population of the single adult homeless, about 20 to 25 percent suffer from mental illness (Koegel et al, 1996). According to the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness, only 5 to 7 percent of homeless people who suffer from mental illness need to be institutionalized. Most can live in the community with the appropriate help for housing (Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness, 1992). In spite of this fact, many mentally ill homeless people are unable to get housing services. Addiction disorders: people who are poor and addicted alcohol and drugs, they are easy to be homeless people. Alberto, a 35 years old man, he is a homeless person who are addicted a drug. In the interview, he said that he was an ordinary person who had family and job but after he was addicted a drug, he couldn't afford to maintain his life. He lost job and his family left him. He has been on the street for two years. Now, he has nothing but frustration and hopeless. Like Alberto's story, addiction can make people lost everything. Here are some experts' opinions about addiction. Cynthia, who works in Weingart Center as a drug counselor, she said, "We offer various drug-treatment programs here, including a half-way house for addicts who have been released from prison for drug-related crimes. I think the biggest problem for the homeless people now is Crack. For one reason, because the Crack addict spends just about all their money on it. If we get rid of Crack dealing, we will eliminate about half of the homelessness." Susan, who is a counselor of The Union Rescue Mission, said, " we get a lot of people who are addicted a drug and alcohol. In fact, we really need more drug counselors to provide better services for addicted homeless people." As mentally ill homeless people, I think addicted homeless people are also need some special care and services. Abandonment by family: There are many homeless children on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. They were just thrown out of their family homes by reasons such as homosexuals, physical parental abuse by family members, or unable to be controlled in normal family situation. A special organization, called "children of the night" provides shelter and counseling service for these homeless children. To protect our children, more shelters have to serve for them. Shelters and Services: There is a number of charitable organizations downtown to minister to the homeless. For example, The Shelter Partnership, Inc., which is a unique nonprofit organization to develop resources and housing for the growing number of homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles. Their mission is to provide affordable and permanent housing for the disadvantaged and homeless. Their study of 800 very low income persons in L A finds that two-thirds of them have experienced homelessness. The priority of The Shelter Partnership is to get people off the streets, permanently. Also, they try to find housing accommodations, which are backed by financial aid from donors. The Weingart Center, which located at 566 s. San Fedro St. in downtown Los Angeles, this is the most comprehensive one-stop center for homeless men and women in the Western U.S. They have the largest cafeteria, which serves more than 1,300 meals every day. There is a county-operated medical clinic. They provide medical clinic and beds for homeless to serve some longer-term care and supervision. They also provide job-training programs. Covenant House California has designed a continuum of care, a comprehensive system of programs and services that provide homeless youth in Los Angeles. They provide emergency shelter, transitional living programs, medical care, mental health services, and employment assistance. The Frontline Organization began in December 1987, when its founder Ray Castellani began to serve meals in Skid Row. Frontline has served over a half million meals to the hungry of Skid Row, six days each week. Its priority is food for the homeless. Its main kitchen is located in Van Nuys, but every night, Frontline volunteers come to downtown to distribute food. Frontline also operates a General store in Van Nuys. In this store, the money is collected from the sale of items that goes directly to support the food programs. Today, The Frontline is one of the largest independent organization which provide food and other services to the homeless downtown. The United Rescue Mission is a Christian organization, which is the largest in the U.S.A. and the oldest rescue mission in Los Angeles. It has facilities for short and long term shelter, offers counseling medical and dental, vision services, even job placement. They also have substance abuse programs, counseling, mental health, and transportation assistance. The URM is the most comprehensive facility in downtown. They also provide courses for job training, physical fitness classes, and education for the children who do not attend school. They have a family shelter specifically for single mothers with teenage sons. The URM has a 1000 bed capacity per night. There are additional 194 beds for women, and 330 for men. They will be adding more beds this year designed for women and their small children. Dome Village provides rooms to homeless people who are in need of living in a temporary home. The St. Vincent's Cardinal Manning Center provides programs to sheltering adults and offers job-training services for them. The Salvation Army offers overnight sleeping space and meals to homeless. There are more shelters and organizations to improve the lives of homeless people in downtown Los Angeles. Approach to the solution: To prevent and to end the problem of homelessness, we have to concern about the things that homeless people really need. In fact, this community needs more shelters and services for better help the homeless people. For example, there are about 42,000 homeless people on any given night in downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles Business Journal, 8/4/98). Unfortunately, shelters don't provide enough beds for homeless people to sleep at night. In spite of that shelters have a shortage of providing services, they are tremendously important substances for homeless. Shelters can offer programs such as job training, education, physical, mental services, financial management, counseling and so on. All these programs can surely make people out of homelessness. Because many number of homeless people have been escaped from homelessness by shelter's helps, it is so important to expand and keep their various services and programs. Homeless people need more long-term services. According to the statement of supervisor Antonovich, he said, "current estimates reveal that approximately one third of the homeless population is mentally ill. This population is the most vulnerable and in need of treatment and housing. The Federal policy to create a comprehensive National plan to end homelessness must include programs that offer a continuum of care for the homeless mentally ill" (The Los Angeles Free Press, 1/29/1999). As one third of the homeless is mentally ill, shelter has to provide additional services for them. Also, the SRO (Single Residence Occupancy) housing has to provide more services to homeless people. As I explained before, the units of SRO housing has been decreased; it is a major factor of increasing homelessness. The benefit of SRO is limited because it is designed only for single person and people who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. Bud Hayes, president of SRO housing corp.,said that his board decided that the need for family housing was strong enough to include a future project in its strategic plans (Los Angeles Times, 7/28/1998). Indeed, homeless women and families population has been increasing rapidly in Los Angeles and other cities. A 1997 survey of 29 cities, including Los Angeles, by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, accounting for 36% of the total nationwide (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1997). Providing help for affordable housing and adequacy of housing assistance programs is most important to solve homeless problems. Because people who struggle for lack of affordable housing and fail to maintain it, they'll just turn to be homeless people. My second proposal to approach the solution of homelessness is really simple. At first, make all the various mission and charities, and the Los Angeles City and county governments to collaborate one another. It would require teamwork by all of them. There are now various areas throughout this country that is called as "free enterprise zone". The purpose of increasing business, the government eliminates or decreases taxes in these areas. Also, the cost of rents and leases are low. These zones are usually in poor or underutilized industrial areas in major cities. I'd like to suggest to turn downtown Los Angeles into such a "free enterprise zone" after dark. I call this area "Sundown City". In the night, Sundown City would brighten some of the street lighting. The services and programs of the Missions and charitable organizations would be expanded in this area. Making Sundown City is not that complicated because it does not need to provide any intricate community project to re-construct all the areas of downtown Los Angeles. It just needs to start plans from small part of downtown. It would provide day and night schools to teach job skills for adults and to educate homeless children. This kind of program has been provided by various organizations but if all the organizations in downtown participate all together, the result would be more effective. There would be a private police force, which consists of homeless people. People who are culled from the homeless, they wear uniforms and keep the area safe. They also make the area clean and moreover, they provide help to those homeless people who are ill, or physically unable to get to a shelter. With the help of entertainment companies in Los Angeles area, there would be indoor and outdoor showings of movies. They don't have to be current films. Record companies provide music. With these events, homeless people in Sundown City would enjoy entertainment that brings them in the brisk circumstances. Also, some of the ethnic organization, whether Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, etc., can provide "festivals" which would serve free food buffet. Every day and every night there would be planned with activities in Sundown City. The telephone companies would provide to set up free phone booths for homeless people, so they could call their home. On weekends, job fairs would be offered and classes open to homeless people to learn special skills. Some entertainment company could make film to show some of the events that is held in Sundown City for distribution, and the profits used for Sundown city's upkeep. Sundown City would be a city of hope, and homeless people would remove despair. Here, I'd like to propose a timetable for Sundown City to come to reality: First, let us collect feasibility study by sociologists. We have to make sure whether homeless people will accept the idea and they will participate or not. Second, it needs to get the support of the Missions in downtown Los Angeles. Because they are in closest contact with the homeless, homeless people trust and respect them. Let's make these missions part of the Sundown City. Third, a next step is to develop a program development scheme. Make presentations to local, state and Federal governments. After that, make presentations to various organizations throughout the city. Fourth, let us establish an organization of all the volunteers. We need to ask for donated office space, telephone, fax, office machines and equipment. Fifth, discuss about activities, services, and programs with the proper city authorities. Sixth, make schedule to start action. Seventh, after attempt an action, evaluate its consequences. Because it may need to make necessary alterations to improve more effective plans. Eight, let's keep the action to turn downtown Los Angeles at night into Sundown City. "Sundown City" is a dream, but it is not just a fantasy. If it have participation of many organizations, planning, and enough funds that make it to start action, then Sundown City will be a possibility. My idea dealing with the homelessness is not to remove the homeless people from the downtown area; so make downtown clean and splendid place over all around. If all the homeless people were removed from their place, where would they be transported? Downtown consists of homeless people with sickness and hopelessness. As I explained before, welfare is only a stopgap measure. The missions are not enough to serve great number of homeless people, and they tend to have more emergency service than a long-term service. Homeless people in downtown Los Angeles need things such as hope, attention, opportunities, and ability for overcoming frustration and despair. Sundown City provides for these things. Most of all, every individual work together as one. There is the unity in Sundown City. There is the help of volunteers, small paid staff, support of the City, County, State, and Federal government. The dictionary gives one definition of "community" as "a sharing or participation". Sundown City is such a place as the meaning of "community". My last proposal to approach to the solution is the changing our negative attitude toward homeless people. Young people like me know very little about the homeless. We see them just as desperate people. Even many of us have fear of the homeless people, as if they carry some kind of "homeless virus" that is easily transmittable. We unconsciously think that homeless people are lazy, and just don't want to work; that's why they are on the street. Alberto, who lives on the street, said that he is often desperate by getting those nasty stares from the pedestrians. He said, "most homeless people are vulnerable and hopeless. One of my friends was hired in the mini-market, and then he just quit the job two days after he got hired. Because he thought inside of him was still dirty, and it would be never changed". It is true that many of us treat homeless people unkindly and unfriendly. But now, we have to give homeless people a sense of "belonging" to neighborhood. Turning our attitude into positive way toward homeless people is the most primary access to solve homeless problem. In the interview with Faustina, who works in Union Rescue Mission as a volunteer cook and food server said, " I think the most important things for homeless people are our positive attitude toward them, because it is so helpful to make homeless people out of frustration and hopelessness in their minds." Moreover, we must not prejudge homeless people with our stereotype. Because we are not concerned about homeless people, we cannot understand them. Even we don't know about them, how come we can solve the homeless problem and make better community? With the better understanding about homeless people, we'll never have negative attitude and it will be helpful to people out of homeless in their life. Conclusion: As many statistics shows, homeless population is increasing continuously in this community. Even though its problem is so complex, we often neglect the facts about homeless people. Behind the bright side of this community, there is so many numbers of neglected and alienated homeless people exist in the place that we live in. Because meaning of homeless is illness of our community, we have to consider more about the homelessness. I suggest several ideas for dealing with homeless problems. My idea is to be innovative, creative in the spirit of providing not just temporary shelter or counseling. To support that, my idea looks for the simplest, most efficient ways to do something with homeless in downtown Los Angeles. Such ideas are 1) providing increased shelter and care; 2) to make the downtown area a new community project "Sundown City"; 3) changing negative attitude toward homeless people. I'm not experts as completely understand about the homelessness, but one thing that I can undoubtedly think is our concerning about the homelessness is the first step to solve problems, and it is inevitably necessary to make our better community. Let's not avert our eyes from homeless people. Let's work together for us, for them, for our community and for our future. Works Cited Allaire Homesite, 3.0HTML, Editor. Alberto (Homeless people in downtown L A) interview. Burt, Martha and Barbara Cohen America's Homeless: Numbers, Characteristics, and Programs that Serve Them, 1989. Cane, Harriet. Shelter. Philadelphia: Decker, 1996. Cynthia.( drug counselor- Weingart Center) Interview. Daskal, Jennifer. In Search of Shelter: The Growing Shortage of Affordable Rental Housing, 1998. Davis, Mike. Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster. New York: Metropolitan, 1998. Dolbeare, Cushing. "Housing Policy: A general Consideration." In Homelessness in America, 1996, Oryx Press. Dome village tour. Downtown Los Angeles tour. Faustina.(cook and food server-Union Rescue Mission) Interview. Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness. Outcasts on Main Street:A Report of the Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Menta |
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