LAHSA was asked about the problem of homeless hospital patients being driven to Skid Row, and left there because they have no homes to return to, in a LA TIMES article .
Permanent shelter beds, transitional shelters and low income housing – we need so many more of these facilities. We need them for the currently homeless and those soon to be.
On a personal opinion note: we need to employ these homeless folks – even if it is at the shelter agencies – and address the reasons they became homeless. Do you remember my 12 causes of homelessness that I wrote about before? I am referring to these issues such as
1. Drug addiction and substance abuse
2. Criminal history (did you know about expungement services? Call Legal Aid at (800) 483-6251
3. Mental Health issues
4. Co-occurring disorders (Mental illness and substance abuse)
5. Physical disability
6. Developmental issues (I’ve met a lot of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome babies who are now adults on the row)
7. Victims of violent crimes. – There are not enough Domestic Violence shelters out there and it still takes about 7 tries before the battered permanently leaves the home, sometimes in a body bag.
8. Members of a street culture or family.
etc, etc
