West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc.

THE 10 BIGGEST MYTHS ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

By Loren Franck and Verlette Franck

Since the truth can set you free, as the saying goes, considerable captivity remains regarding homelessness. Discovering the truth about the unsheltered can be more difficult than placing the chronically “unhoused” in permanent dwellings. To be sure, myths surrounding homelessness abound.

about homelessness, we’ve only scratched the surface. In reality, many myths are alive and well pertaining to the homeless. Some of these urban legends are harmless, while others can destroy the valuable lives of those affected.

1. All Homeless People are Lazy Good-for-Nothings

Not true! Many times people become homeless after being fired or put out of their homes—sometimes along with their kids. West Side Homeless Outreach has provided motel vouchers to needy homeless families (and individuals) that moved to Los Angeles after losing jobs, or these men and women are simply looking for better lives. In both cases, these individuals had ambition; they were striving for success. A common stereotype is that homeless people don’t like to work, or that they avoid seeking employment. Actually, we’ve found the opposite to be true. Most of the West Side’s unsheltered population desires a respected good-paying job, but opportunities are limited. As the U.S. struggles with a staggering unemployment rate, sections of Los Angeles County are suffering double-digit unemployment. Homeless people are competing with superstar employees for the few jobs available. The American pioneer is alive but certainly not well.

2. All Homeless People Want a “Brick-and-Mortar" Home

The truth is that some homeless individuals, because of mental illness or social issues, don't want to live indoors. They prefer to exist free from the worries that accompany living in our complex society. Mortgages, rent, bills, home maintenance and repair—these can challenge the most able tenants and homeowners. They can be insurmountable obstacles for men and women who don’t fit America’s housing template. It's sometimes more difficult to help these individuals because they’re less trusting than their peers who desire permanent housing. Many homeless people who shun brick-and-mortar homes have long histories of aggressive neighbors, hostile landlords and devastating evictions. These men and women can find it hard to believe that West Side Homeless Outreach wants nothing in return for their services. A thank-you will do.

3. Most Food Bank Donations Go to Homeless People

Contrary to popular belief, which appears to be increasing, few west L.A. County homeless people receive food-bank food. That’s because local food banks don’t give food to needy people directly. Rather, they provide edibles to organizations they approve as “food pantries.” And these pantries buy most of their food from these food banks. So next time you’re in a supermarket and see a cardboard bin marked “Food Bank Donations,” give your canned and boxed goods to a food pantry instead (click here to see our list). But keep in mind that food pantries fail to feed adequate number of the homeless. Some pantries are inaccessible to the homeless, who have health and transportation problems, and oftentimes the homeless must stand in line for many hours simply to receive two or three bread loaves.

4. Any Volunteer is a Useful Volunteer

A spirit of volunteerism has gripped America. Individuals, families, coworkers and social organizations are linking arms to serve charitable organizations sans compensation. However, far too many volunteers pigeonhole their efforts. For example, they only serve traditional Thanksgiving dinner at a mission or volunteer only as part of a seasonal activity. But their perspective misses the mark. Their volunteer efforts are usually self-centered—to feel needed, wanted or otherwise important, or to reduce their guilt over others’ homelessness—not to meet the needs of distressed people. When it’s time to volunteer, they can’t “think outside the box,” lay their personal needs down, and extend a hand up where it’s needed most. So the next time you want to help a good cause, volunteer for what crucially needs action, not for what will satisfy your desires.

5. Homeless People Have No Pride

Not true! West Side Homeless Outreach staffers and volunteers are turned down periodically when offering food and other necessities to unsheltered people. Some men and women, homeless or not, feel as though they don't need a handout, and it's not up to us who help to convince them otherwise. In these situations, we simply wish them well and offer the items to others among the unsheltered. West L.A. County homeless people also show great pride in their appearance. It’s hard to believe, given the lack of personal hygiene among those who live on the streets, but most are doing the best possible. Most housed individuals take something as simple as a personal bathroom for granted. But this provision usually means the difference between good personal hygiene and its opposite. Affordable, accessible laundry facilities are another personal-hygiene tool many homeless people lack. Without daily showers and frequent clothes laundering, hygiene falls quickly by the wayside. In these cases, it’s easy to misconstrue lack of hygiene for paucity of pride.

6. Most Homeless People Are on the Streets Because of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

When coupled with alcohol and substance abuse, homelessness indulges in a vicious cycle. On one hand, abuse of alcohol (one of the world’s deadliest drugs) and other chemical substances often leads to homelessness. Because of drinking and drugging, thousands of formerly stable and productive people have lost jobs, friends, families and homes. Essentially, they’ve lost everything. It’s hard to live responsibly when all you want to do is get high. On the other hand, as you might imagine, life on the streets strongly influences the homeless to drink and abuse drugs. For most who partake, drinks and drugs are the easiest ways to kill the pain of homelessness.

7. Homeless People Who Drink and Abuse Drugs Don’t Deserve Help

While riding a social high horse, it’s easy to say those who abuse drugs and alcohol don’t deserve help. But if all people received only what they deserve, the world would be much crueler, colder and harder than it already is. Everyone needs nutritious food, ways to keep his or her body clean, and comfortable places to sleep. These aren’t whims. They’re needs. We get to lend a hand up to needy individuals who have not earned our assistance. That’s a wonderful aspect of helping the homeless. Yes, some unsheltered individuals consume too much alcohol and use illegal drugs. Sadly, some of these men and women are fighting addiction as well as homelessness. But they’ll never become clean, sober and rebuild their lives until they receive a compassionate helping hand.

8. Shelters Are the Only Answer to Homelessness

“Shelter” is a longstanding buzzword in the homelessness industry. We say “industry” because, regrettably, many efforts on behalf of the unsheltered have become a business. It’s important to realize the upside and downside of homeless shelters. Their benefits include food, personal-hygiene resources and limited degrees of housing. Some shelters also provide caseworkers, who assist clientele with Section 8 housing, General Relief, job training and Social Security benefits.

But negative issues cloud the downside of homeless shelters. Numerous men and women have been attacked by bedbugs in shelter beds, or worse, have been assaulted by other shelter residents. Shelters are also notorious for the demeaning manner in which their staff members treat homeless people. West Side Homeless Outreach workers have documented accounts of homeless people being browbeaten and otherwise “put in their place” by homeless-shelter staff members. And besides, even if all homeless shelters were perfect (trust us; they aren’t), there simply aren’t enough shelter beds to go around.

Some sources estimate that 80,000 homeless people live in Los Angeles County, making it the homeless capital of California—perhaps the nation. But 10 percent of these men, women and children couldn’t sleep in shelter beds nightly. There simply aren’t enough available beds.

9. The Majority of Homeless People Don’t Want to Work

This myth is specious for two reasons. First, it’s too general and therefore inaccurate. Sure, some homeless people don’t want to work—just as some housed men and women would rather not be employed. But most unsheltered people we encounter are willing to work, even if their desire to do so is rusty. A second reason this myth is false? Significant numbers of homeless people do have jobs. These men and women are among the growing army of America’s “working poor.” For various reasons, though—lack of skills, poor education, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation or the ubiquitous “bad fit”— they don’t earn enough to sustain permanent housing. The working poor usually labor hard, often in the service industry. Unfortunately, their earnings are soft.

10. Many Homeless Families Live on the Streets

Actually, West Side Homeless Outreach encounters few homeless families living on west L.A. County streets. In fact, most of our clients are unsheltered men over 40 years old. And the ethnic, gender and age demographics of people we serve match the demographics for L.A.’s West Side. True, our agency has assisted parents with small children, even days-old infants, but this is rare. Families with small children usually receive priority from Los Angeles County Social Services, and numerous private agencies throughout the county cater to homeless people with children in tow.

In the End

Addressing the painful issues of homelessness isn’t easy. And to ease that burden, particularly among those who lend a hand up, it’s tempting to minimize homeless people’s needs. But nothing is gained by “tailoring” statistics, ignoring ineffective (but highly touted and generously funded) programs, or by fabricating reality about how to house the unsheltered. Only the truth about homelessness and a relentless commitment to follow the facts will lead our society, as well as L.A.’s West Side communities, to make homelessness a ghost from the past.

Loren Franck is president and executive director of West Side Homeless Outreach. Chairman of its board of directors, he is also one of the outreach’s cofounders. A Los Angeles native, Mr. Franck has years of face-to-face experience providing unsheltered people with various needs. For him, helping the homeless isn’t a profession. It’s a passion.

Verlette Franck is vice president and cofounder of West Side Homeless Outreach, of which she’s a cofounder. Born in Los Angeles, Ms. Franck has compassionately helped the homeless her entire adult life, serving with numerous agencies. Ms. Franck helped establish West Side Homeless Outreach because of its compassionate and personal approach to helping the homeless.

No organization can end all homelessness. But when teaming with West Side Homeless Outreach, you can make a monumental difference in needy people’s lives. 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. West Side Homeless Outreach is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, so all donations are completely tax deductible.

Can You Pass This Month’s Quiz on Homelessness?

Teaching the Truth

Helping homeless people isn’t easy. Before you can effectively extend a hand up to them, it’s important to understand some fast facts.

For instance, we must first define homelessness. Is anyone lacking a permanent brick-and-mortar dwelling homeless? Maybe not. Some who live in RVs don’t claim to be homeless.

Ditto for some who couch surf (sleep on friends’ sofas), sleep at their jobs during off hours or live in motels. However, most agencies (including West Side Homeless Outreach) classify anyone living in these conditions as homeless. As we suggest throughout our Web site, homelessness has varying degrees. So how homelessness is defined largely determines the number of homeless people.

We must address the most effective way to help homeless people. Some pundits claim a continuum of care that progresses from outreach to emergency shelter to transitional housing and finally to permanent housing is the best way—perhaps the only way—to truly assist the unsheltered. Others who offer a hand up claim goals should match those of each homeless “client.” For example, if she wants to remain on the streets, avoiding the responsibilities and pitfalls of permanent housing, it makes little sense to push the woman into a house or apartment.

Profit and loss and give and take pervade all life circumstances. Homelessness is no different. People suffer from homelessness, while others profit from it. As long as society differentiates between the haves and the have-nots, homeless-ness will thrive—as it’s doing now.

So don’t trust any organization that says it will end homelessness. A more realistic objective is to minimize it. And to do that, we must teach (and know) the truth.

—Loren and Verlette Franck

Buried in Paperwork

Organizations that help homeless people walk a fine line. Like most charities, their overall mission is to move unsheltered men, women and children up the ladder of self-sufficiency.

But as a charitable organization grows, its procedures and paperwork become more complex. And sadly, if the charity grows too big, the bureaucracy of how to do things and document your work overrides the services provided. According to clientele, former employees and erstwhile volunteers of several large homeless-helping agencies, procedures and paperwork are more important than people in those organizations.

Not so at West Side Homeless Outreach. We always place the needs of homeless people ahead of procedures and paperwork. We’re small, sensitive and flexible, so we can easily adapt to individual needs. After all, we don’t see ourselves as a business or as part of an industry. Homeless people are not our products. As an organization, they’re our reason for being.

Perish the thought we’d ever be-come buried in paperwork.

—Loren and Verlette Franck

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

And if you plan to fuel the solution instead of feed the problem, you must be aware of what you’re facing. In short, you must know the truth about homelessness. So, to further your education about the 80,000 “roofless” people in Los Angeles County, we’ve assembled 10 of the biggest myths concerning the unsheltered.

Sad to say, when presenting these facts

Many homeless people live in RVs and other suitable vehicles.