West Side Homeless Outreach, Inc.

BLOG UPDATE

Quick Quiz—February

Can You Pass This Month’s Test on Homelessness?

A panorama of paradoxes—that accurately describes west Los Angeles County. The prestigious West Side is one of the nation’s wealthiest geographic areas. But it also abounds in homelessness. West L.A. County is a popular vacation spot. Yet hundreds of unsheltered people permanently flee the West Side annually.

With it all, though, there’s room for musing. So prepare for some brain-teasing fun. Try these five questions concerning west L.A. County homelessness. Which answers are best? Not so fast. It’s harder than you think.

QUESTIONS

1. West L.A. County homeless people like to wash their hands, faces and to care for other personal-hygiene needs at regular intervals. Where are they likely to do this?

A. Restrooms in stores, libraries and other public places.

B. Spigots outside of homes and businesses.

C. Shower and bathroom facilities at public swimming pools and local beaches.

D. All of these.

2. An obstacle to reemployment of homeless people is lack of a permanent “brick and mortar” mailing address.

A. True

B. False

C. Neither A nor B; a mailing address is irrelevant to employment.

D. Inadequate information exists to answer this question correctly.

3. What do homeless people request most frequently from West Side Homeless Outreach?

A. Money

B. Food

C. Shelter

D. Help landing a job

4. Most west L.A. County homeless people we’ve encountered have criminal records.

A. True

B. False

C. Half do and half don’t.

D. Inadequate data exist to answer this question correctly.

5. For 2012, what are West Side Homeless Outreach’s greatest needs?

A. Generous funding, pop-top canned food, individually wrapped pastries, socks, sleeping bags and blankets.

B. Jackets, jeans, T-shirts, shoes, socks and generous funding.

C. Frequent Facebook updates, daily tweets, blog expansion and Web-site proliferation.

D. Multimedia advertising, broad-based volunteerism, collaboration with county agencies, fun runs and increased presence at community meetings.

For the ANSWERS, please click here.

West L.A. County homeless people need your assistance more than ever. You can help us help them. West Side Homeless Outreach is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charity, so your donations are completely tax deductible. Individuals, families, companies and other groups are among our biggest supporters. Click on donate; or mail checks and money orders to West Side Homeless Outreach, PO Box 5761, Playa del Rey, CA 90296-5761. Thanks for your generous support.

The award-winning West Side Homeless Outreach blog shares thoughtful insights about homelessness everyone should know. Visit it today!

If you were to volunteer 20 hours this year helping west L.A. County homeless people, how would you spend that time?

Click here for the answer.

EXTRA CREDIT

Unsheltered people like Isaac (left) and Linda have needed assistance from multiple agencies and numerous individuals to get off the streets for good. Fortunately, through the efforts of West Side Homeless Outreach and others, Isaac and Linda are no longer homeless.