Our Seven Outreach Programs Make a “Ginormis” Difference
By Loren Franck
For some people, seven is a lucky number. For others, it symbolizes thoroughness or completeness.
When helping homeless people, West Side Homeless Outreach doesn’t rely on luck. Instead, using sound strategy and hard work, we earnestly strive to assist the unsheltered in west Los Angeles County. Consequently, we’ve designed seven major programs to facilitate our mission, which is to extend a hand up to as many local homeless people as possible.
1. M.O.M.S. Program™
Our recently launched M.O.M.S. Program (“Making Our Mothers Secure”) is exclusive to West Side Homeless Outreach. It quickly and effectively meets the urgent needs of homeless mothers who have infants and young children. Whether thrust onto the streets by foreclosure, eviction or inadequate emergency- or transitional-housing resources, our M.O.M.S. Program provides short-term shelter for these struggling families in local motels. We also supply food, clothing and other needs for these mothers and their children.
2. Emergency Shelter
Unquestionably, emergency shelter is the most urgent need among homeless men and women that contact us. In fact, requests for shelter we receive are more frequent than all other stated needs combined. With some up to 80,000 homeless people in L.A. County, but at most a few thousand homeless-shelter beds, the unhoused must sleep in their vehicles, in business doorways, on sidewalks and on bus benches. You’ve seen ’em. This program provides homeless families and unsheltered individuals with short-term local motel stays.
3. Vital Outreach
Outreach to west L.A. County’s homeless community isn’t merely what we do. It’s the essence of who we are. And to further fuel our efforts, West Side Homeless Outreach launched three special task forces in January 2011: one to serve the beach cities, a second to aid homeless people in the South Bay, and the third to help the homeless in west L.A. County’s inner-city areas. The main items distributed during our Vital Outreach efforts?
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Nutritious Food. Besides shelter, this is the most imperative need among the homeless people we serve. Pop-top canned food, individually wrapped pastries and soft fresh fruit lead the list of edibles we provide the unsheltered. Some food items we avoid? Perishables, cans requiring can openers, uncooked meat and pasta, bulky food items, and food that’s hard and chewy.
Nutritious Food. Besides shelter, this is the most imperative need among the homeless people we serve. Pop-top canned food, individually wrapped pastries and soft fresh fruit lead the list of edibles we provide the unsheltered. Some food items we avoid? Perishables, cans requiring can openers, uncooked meat and pasta, bulky food items, and food that’s hard and chewy.•Healthy Beverages. Dehydration is common among those living on the streets, so West Side Homeless Outreach makes a concerted effort to provide local homeless people with bottled water, juice, milk and other healthy beverages. Wholesome beverages are a vital part of maintaining good health, especially among the unsheltered.
Healthy Beverages. Dehydration is common among those living on the streets, so West Side Homeless Outreach makes a concerted effort to provide local homeless people with bottled water, juice, milk and other healthy beverages. Wholesome beverages are a vital part of maintaining good health, especially among the unsheltered.•Warm Clean Clothing. Your generous support enables our outreach to deliver warm, clean and practical clothing to unsheltered men, women and children that live on west L.A. County streets. We most urgently need adult-size men’s sweatshirts and jackets, men’s socks, men’s T-shirts and pants with at least 33-inch waists and 30-inch inseams. We usually have abundant women’s clothing.
Warm Clean Clothing. Your generous support enables our outreach to deliver warm, clean and practical clothing to unsheltered men, women and children that live on west L.A. County streets. We most urgently need adult-size men’s sweatshirts and jackets, men’s socks, men’s T-shirts and pants with at least 33-inch waists and 30-inch inseams. We usually have abundant women’s clothing.•Comfortable Shoes. Like the permanently housed, unsheltered individuals need mobility. Unlike you and me, though, homeless people’s main mode of transportation is walking. And without comfortable shoes, walking becomes impossible, particularly at extended distances. It’s common for homeless men and women to walk five miles a day as they seek social services, run errands and seek normal routines in their lives.
Comfortable Shoes. Like the permanently housed, unsheltered individuals need mobility. Unlike you and me, though, homeless people’s main mode of transportation is walking. And without comfortable shoes, walking becomes impossible, particularly at extended distances. It’s common for homeless men and women to walk five miles a day as they seek social services, run errands and seek normal routines in their lives.•Warm Blankets and Sleeping Bags. West Side Homeless Outreach primarily addresses the needs of unsheltered people who live on cold hard concrete—no soft warm bed, comfy couch or other amenities that ensure easy living. At best, while catching 40 winks on the street or in the park, homeless people bed down in sleeping bags and blankets. Few of the unsheltered buy these on their own, so we take blankets and sleeping bags to those who need them.
Warm Blankets and Sleeping Bags. West Side Homeless Outreach primarily addresses the needs of unsheltered people who live on cold hard concrete—no soft warm bed, comfy couch or other amenities that ensure easy living. At best, while catching 40 winks on the street or in the park, homeless people bed down in sleeping bags and blankets. Few of the unsheltered buy these on their own, so we take blankets and sleeping bags to those who need them.•Personal-Hygiene Items. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and conditioner lead the list of personal-hygiene items we share with homeless people. Disposable razors, combs and hairbrushes are essential too. Most of the unsheltered people we work with don’t have much, but through the thick and thin of homelessness, they try to retain their pride. And personal hygiene plays an important part.
Personal-Hygiene Items. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and conditioner lead the list of personal-hygiene items we share with homeless people. Disposable razors, combs and hairbrushes are essential too. Most of the unsheltered people we work with don’t have much, but through the thick and thin of homelessness, they try to retain their pride. And personal hygiene plays an important part. 5. Resources Program
Our cutting-edge Web site offers a complete array of food pantries, shelters, social-service agencies and other resources for the locally homeless. Our Resources Program can be accessed online or by calling 310-570-9065. Homeless people nationwide use our Resources Program. So do the permanently housed that our services. Besides unsheltered men and women, social-service agencies, police departments, hospitals and other homeless-helping agencies contact us for assistance. We’re happy to help.
In conjunction with our Resources Program, West Side Homeless Outreach provides local homeless people with referrals to social-service agencies, where they can receive long-term care. Few homeless people simply walk into a local shelter and get a bed for the night. On a given night, up to 80,000 homeless people need shelter beds in L.A. County, many on the West Side. But even during cold weather, when extra “winter shelters” shift into high gear, available beds number only in the hundreds. That means, for many unhoused people to land a shelter bed on a particular night, they need referrals from a caseworker. Our Referral Program provides them. After completing a needs assessment, we personally contact various local homeless shelters and place our clients.
6. Advocacy
Like other downtrodden segments of society, the homeless benefit from relentless advocacy. Therefore, West Side Homeless Outreach skillfully uses major media, the Internet, personal networking and many other key advocacy tools to make sure homeless people are heard. Our blog is highly celebrated, and our Web site (especially our articles page) is second to none.
7. V.I.P. Service
Since its beginning, West Side Homeless Outreach has placed high priority on homeless U.S. military veterans. We’ve been pleased with our results, but not satisfied. Consequently, we recently kicked off our new V.I.P. Service. V.I.P. stands for WSHO’s “Veterans Inclusion Program.” Working closely with the Veterans Administration in West Los Angeles, and to a lesser extent the VA in Long Beach, our outreach is an important liaison between homeless vets and the array of programs throughout L.A. County that can help them.
Our Focus
West Side Homeless Outreach began as a fast, friendly and effective way to meet west L.A. County homeless people wherever they are on the socioeconomic ladder and extend a hand up. When we say we’re “helping the homeless . . . one life at a time™,” we mean it. Our goal is to meet their needs, instill self-sufficiency and help them improve their lives. As a result, all our programs place the needs of the homeless first.
But none of our programs can succeed without generous public support. We need generous funding for all our efforts, chiefly our new M.O.M.S. Program™ and Emergency Shelter program. We welcome donations of food, clothing and personal-hygiene items, but they must be practical for people who live and sleep on the street.
Working together, we might not end homelessness tomorrow. But our efforts tomorrow can make a monumental difference in the lives of the men, women and children homeless in west Los Angeles County.
Have a comment or suggestion about our outreach programs? We want to hear from you. Please send an e-mail to info@wshola.org, or write West Side Homeless Outreach, PO Box 5761, Playa del Rey, CA 90296-5761.
When Life Hurts
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©2012 West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc.
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Many people are surprised to learn that the hardest part of homeless-ness isn’t always the lack of material goods—especially an apartment, condo or house.
Scores of homeless people say lack of possessions is only a small part of surviving on city streets. Most major battles are due to the lack of life’s intangibles. For example, most homeless people have great difficulty filling each day with meaningful activities. Housed individuals spend time working, participating in sports and fitness activities, going to school, spending hours on Facebook and maintaining their homes. But homeless people usually don’t have these luxuries.
The majority of homeless people also suffer from social isolation. Interpersonal networks and close friends are few. Any friends homeless individuals do have usually come from the ranks of other unsheltered people. If you’re homeless, you can forget about golf dates, business lunches, cocktail parties and other essentials of a healthy social network.
—Loren Franck
WSHO RADIO INTERVIEW
On December 16, West Side Homeless Outreach exec Loren Franck was a guest on L.A. Talk Radio’s “Rare Women” program, where he discussed crucial aspects of homelessness. To hear the show, click here.
The unsheltered rely on West Side Homeless Outreach programs for short-and long-term assistance.
