BLOG UPDATE
When the topic of homelessness arises, truth and error abound. What are the facts? And the fallacies? Our frequently updated blog shares little-known facts about homelessness everyone should know. Click here for a quick visit.
MORE IN-DEPTH ARTICLES
THE TOP 12
Your Best Reasons to Help the Homeless
By Loren Franck
Why help homeless people?
Some 80,000 unsheltered men, women and children live throughout Los Angeles County, so the question is crucial. Evidence suggests that, as a segment of society, homeless people aren’t going anywhere soon. Most of us who live among L.A’s unhoused residents have two choices . . . (Read more)
TOUGH TALK 1
WSHO President Loren Franck Tackles Seven Hard Questions About Homelessness
Interview Conducted by Rosemary Campos
Like politics and religion, homelessness can be a touchy subject. It unites and divides, elicits praise and evokes criticism. Loren Franck, president and executive director of West Side Homeless Outreach, encounters that dichotomy frequently. Through wshola.org and personal contact, he knows when you help homeless people, you’re supported or opposed, loved or hated. There’s no middle ground . . . (Read more)
TOUGH TALK 2
WSHO President Loren Franck Answers Seven More Hard Questions About Homelessness
Interview Conducted by Rosemary Campos
Truth is one of the greatest ways to help homeless people. The main reason, of course, is that so many untruths abound regarding people that live on west Los Angeles County streets. And accessing the truth about homelessness, whether in L.A. County or far beyond, is often harder than it looks. Primarily, that’s because agencies that confront homeless are self-serving. For example, city and county governments frequently deemphasize homeless that occurs within the jurisdictions because large numbers of men, women and children sleeping on city and county streets reflects badly on those government entities. On the other hand, private multimillion-dollar nonprofit corporations that help the homeless are better served if they maximize the perils of people not having homes . . . (Read more)
TOUGH TALK 3
WSHO President Loren Franck Tackles Yet Another Seven Questions Surrounding Homelessness
Interview Conducted by Rosemary Campos
Now entering its fourth year, the economic downturn continues to devastate homeless people worldwide. Men, women and children struggling to survive on the streets of west Los Angeles County have been battered especially hard.
On one hand, L.A.’s West Side is known for its affluence. Some of the world’s leading physicians, attorneys, business executives and celebrities live there. On the other hand, homelessness abounds throughout west Los Angeles County. The gap between rich and poor appears to be widening. This makes survival efforts of West Side homeless people more difficult. West Side Homeless Outreach has observed a positive correlation between poverty and homelessness, between excessive pride in possessions and neglecting to help people who need it most. So regrettably, west L.A. County homelessness won’t end soon . . . (Read more)
VOICE FROM THE STREETS
With Tears and Fears:
When Becoming Homeless, I Lost Everything. Now I Want it Back.
By Sharon
I'd never dreamed of being homeless, or as many in my predicament say, "houseless." I'm a nice Jewish girl and Los Angeles native. In my “former life,” I lived mostly in Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Venice. My Ebay clothing business with 100 percent positive feedback was floundering. Ebay was continuously raising its sellers’ fees, and my sales were few . . . (Read more)
West Side Homeless Outreach’s
10-Point Commitment to Homeless People
1. We commit to furnish west Los Angeles County homeless people with nutritious food, healthy beverages, durable clothing, warm bedding, appropriate personal-hygiene products and other well-maintained life-sustaining items. We don’t provide “sloppy seconds.”
2. We commit to serve all homeless people we encounter, not be served. We don’t care about kudos.
3. We commit to help the homeless regardless of their age, appearance, ethnicity, gender and all other irrelevant criteria. Recipients must simply be homeless . . . (Read more)
WHERE THE DAY TAKES ME
A Firsthand Look at Homelessness
By Mike Hobbs
I’ve been homeless since September 1, 2010. During the week, much of what I do occurs at a social service center in Venice, Calif. West Side Homeless Outreach, which also assists me in many ways, collaborates with the center and other homeless-helping agencies. In this short article, I’ll describe my typical day . . . (Read more)
GET INVOLVED
The downturned economy has hit homeless people hard. You can help us help them. Money is our greatest need. Your donated dollars buy food, clothing and other vital provisions, which we deliver to unsheltered homeless people who need them most. You can also contribute these items to us. All donations to West Side Homeless Outreach, an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charity, are tax deductible. Please click on donate; or mail checks and money orders to West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc., PO Box 5761, Playa del Rey, CA 90296-5761.
©2012 West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The streets of Venice, Calif., appear hip ’n’ cool to most people. How-ever, the trendy community’s cold hard asphalt is home to hundreds of people nightly.
