West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc.

Lives We've Touched

Helping the Homeless Has Huge Rewards

By Loren Franck

People of many ages, social backgrounds and ethnicities become homeless. Gone are

the days of the stereotypical “hobo” in transit from one city to another.

After losing their jobs, where they might have worked for years, thousands of formerly

hardworking men and women find themselves living on the streets, eating out of

dumpsters while struggling to survive. Other homeless people are employed but lack

sufficient income to pay for housing, which is expensive in Los Angeles County. They’re

among the growing numbers of “working homeless.”

As West Side Homeless Outreach delivers food, clothing, shoes, sleeping bags,

personal-hygiene items and other essentials to the unsheltered throughout west

L.A. County, we’ve found that most of them prefer not live on the streets. They want—and need—permanent homes. However, like most of L.A. County’s 80,000-plus homeless people, life on the streets is their only viable option.

The men and women profiled here represent only a small sample of the homeless people whose lives we’ve touched. Each has a heartrending story. Yet they share the need for short-term and long-term assistance. And thanks largely to West Side Homeless Outreach efforts, they’re receiving it.

LEAH AND DON

A young homeless couple with two young sons, ages 1 and 4, Leah and Don were referred to us by L.A. County’s 2-1-1 system. More than anything, they needed emergency food and shelter. Fortunately, our new M.O.M.S. Program™ (“Making Our Mothers Secure”) could help. Lacking a car, they took a bus to Westchester, where we housed mom, dad and the kids for seven days in a modest motel.

We also provided the family with a grocery card, another gift card so the kids could get new clothes, and we provided toothbrushes and toothpaste for the entire family. We also gave Leah and Don a copy of the West Side Homeless Outreach Resources List, which consists of 14 pages of free resources for local homeless people. Leah’s assignment while at the motel? Make shelter, transitional housing and social service contacts. If necessary, our agency would help with intake.

ANGIE

Another client who benefited from our M.O.M.S. Program™, Angie contacted us last fall. She and her 10-year-old daughter were living in their minivan. When friends were willing, they also couch surfed. Angie requested emergency shelter and our assistance with transitional housing, and as usual, West Side Homeless Outreach gladly helped.

As with Leah and Don’s family, we provided a seven-night motel stay for Angie and her daughter. We also served as caseworker-liaison with a Venice transitional housing agency. West Side Homeless Outreach helped get Angie and her daughter into the program, where they received temporary housing. We also provided Angie with resources regarding county, state and federal services, and we guided her to agencies that help homeless people find jobs. Angie and her daughter continue to live in transitional housing as they await Section 8 placement.

RICH

Referred to West Side Homeless Outreach in early 2012 through a 12-step program, Rich has been homeless much of his life. Now in his late 40s, he’s lived mostly along the West Coast. Rich is an experienced utility worker and heavy-equipment operator, but when he lost his most recent job, he couldn’t find another. And when the rent was due, he couldn’t pay it. The clock struck midnight at month’s end, and his new home was Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue.

West Side Homeless Outreach helped Rich stabilize during the first 30 days of his 12-step program. Working with his sponsor, we placed Rich in a local motel for seven nights, making sure he had food and other essentials for the week’s stay. We also counseled him about finding shelter, transitional housing and a permanent home. Given Rich’s history of financial downturns, he knew it would be difficult. Nevertheless, after our agency’s assistance plan, Rich was on the way to achieving permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

LINDA

In her late fifties, Linda lived on L.A.’s West Side streets for several years. When a young and ambitious employee, she never expected to be homeless. Through no fault of her own, though, she was “job-eliminated.” Linda quickly depleted her small savings and then lost her home, a modest West Side apartment. A suitcase of possessions and her wheelchair in tow, she was relegated to Venice’s cold, hard asphalt.

Like most homeless people, Linda wanted a job, another home and to clean herself up daily. She also needed medical and dental treatment but lacked the resources. Most private and government facilities had failed her. Fortunately, with our assistance and the help of other agencies, Linda received food, clothing and other necessities until she received a legal settlement. With the money, Linda bought an RV, where she lives by choice today. She can still receive free medical and dental care at facilities that work with West Side Homeless Outreach.

CRYSTAL

In her late 30s, Crystal and her teenage son aren’t strangers to the west L.A. County. A graduate of Venice High School, she’s lived on the West Side much of her life. And for the past year—living in her small car, in motels and on friends’ couches—she and her son have been homeless. After striking out with numerous west L.A. County homeless-helping agencies, she contacted us. She hoped to cut through the red tape and runaround experienced with other organizations. Fortunately, our M.O.M.S. Program™ could offer immediate assistance.

We first met with Crystal on a cold December night in Culver City, where we performed a needs and means assessment for her and her son. Afterward, West Side Homeless Outreach provided clothing, emergency shelter and referrals to transitional housing agencies. We also encouraged Crystal, who’s employed part-time, to seek full-time work and to use the various west L.A. county food pantries, where she and her son could obtain free food. Crystal and her son are currently on the waiting lists of several West Side transitional housing agencies.

A HAND UP

No organization can end all homelessness. Beware if anyone makes such a claim. But working together, you and West Side Homeless Outreach can take huge steps in that direction. We can strive to end homelessness—one life at a time—and ease its pains and perils. Please contact us today to get involved. To support our programs, please visit our donate page, or mail your checks and money orders to West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc., PO Box 5761, Playa del Rey, CA 90296-5761.

Can You Pass This Month’s Quiz on Homelessness?

Now in his early 60s, Mike (above) never dreamed of becoming homeless. However, that nightmare came true in September 2010. Suffering from congestive heart failure, a condition his late father had, Mike wants to continue his 40-plus-year employment history. But he can’t because of his disease. Mike is well known on L.A.’s West Side because he helps other homeless people.

Homelessness Firsthand

What’s it like to be homeless? Find out in Voice From the Streets. Written by homeless people and updated frequently, it tells it like

it is.

Serena’s Story

Born and bred in Oakland, Calif.,

47-year-old Serena violates every imaginable stereotype of homeless people. She’s well educated, has a stable employment history and is mother to three adult children. (They can’t help her now.) Serena lost her husband to cancer four years ago. However, she hasn’t lost hope. Using resources West Side Homeless Outreach has provided, Serena plans to work again and have another home. The outreach is helping her work toward that goal.

—Rosemary Campos

WSHO client Linda