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REGISTRY FIRST STEP TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS
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Suzan Filipek
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Homeless living in alleys, on bus benches and in the hills of Hollywood were interviewed recently to identify those most vulnerable.
Kerry Morrison heads the Hollywood Registry. Above,
she interviews a veteran known as The Godfather.
Kerry Morrison, Windsor Square, got on their level, waking some of the 257 people up gently, a $5 Subway sandwich gift card in hand. “It was a huge incentive,” she said.
Also participating in Hollywood Homeless Registry Week were Council member Tom LaBonge, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and 12 teams of 80 volunteers. They canvassed the area three days in late April from the wee hours of 3:30 to 6 a.m. to complete a Vulnerability Index for Common Ground. The New York-based group managed a successful effort two years ago to transition downtown’s skid row homeless into housing.
That effort was noticed by Morrison, manager of the Hollywood Entertainment District Business Improvement District, which provides services and patrol security for area merchants. She since helped form and is at the helm of Hollywood 4WRD (4 Walls, A Roof and A Door), a coalition of city and county agencies and non-profits who aim to end homelessness in Hollywood by 2018.
Surprisingly, 80 percent of the people let them take their photographs, says Kerry. Most also gave their social security numbers, names, birthdates and told their stories.
Volunteers found of the 257 homeless, 110 are at risk of premature death, including the eldest, who at 80, is living on a bus bench near Hollywood High. He buys breakfast every morning at McDonalds, says Morrison. He fell on hard times nine months ago when the apartment he had rented for 40 years on Franklin Ave. was sold and the new owner raised the rent and evicted him. He has no family and resisted seeking another apartment for fear of another eviction, he told Kerry.
While 10 percent are over 60, the youngest interviewed was 15. Five have been living on the streets longer than 10 years. Fifty were vets, several suffered from drug abuse or mental illness or both, HIV Aids and other health issues. Their hospital and doctor bills cost $3.3 million annually, according to the survey.
“These are the folks that the social service professionals call ‘frequent flyers,’” said Supervisor Yaroslavsky.“These chronically ill and vulnerable individuals repeatedly end up in our jails and emergency rooms if we don’t find a way to help house them and furnish crucial health and mental health care.
“Providing them with permanent supportive housing is not only more humane, it will actually save the taxpayers money,” says Yaroslavsky, “because it relieves the burden on the justice system and our emergency medical services.”
Among the purposes of the survey is to transition 10 of the most vulnerable living on the streets into housing. To accomplish this, agencies are being contacted from the Veteran’s Administration to the County Dept. of Health and senior housing centers.
Volunteers are also needed to coach the homeless into housing once it becomes available, as many have no intention of leaving. The 80-year old man on the bench has grown accustomed to life outside. “Once you meet these folks it’s impossible to turn your backs on them,” says Morrison. “There’s a lot of very sick people on the streets of Hollywood.” They are also our neighbors, she adds.
“I’m glad I participated in the homeless registry, although the people we met were living very difficult lives,” said Councilmember LaBonge. “The best first step in dealing effectively with the problem of homelessness is by finding out exactly who is out there, where people are living and what physical, medical and emotional conditions they’re grappling with. The homeless registry was that best first step.” |
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