Aiding Homeless Population

Your expose on “the Fort,” the bottom-rung of New York City’s municipally managed shelter system for the homeless, painted a most distressing picture of all that can go wrong in providing emergency shelter for the homeless. However, your readers should not be left with the impression that the fort depicts the typical shelter program around the country, most notably the programs in our community.

Neither the City nor the County of Los Angeles operates shelters. Unlike New York, Los Angeles’ short-term housing system is entirely operated by the private not-for-profit sector. Countywide there are 160 shelters with a total of 8,000 shelter beds that provide housing and social support services to the homeless.

Nor are the stays in shelters open-ended. In most programs, people participating must agree to partake in programs designed to help them become as independent as is possible. These services often include job counseling and help in saving money toward permanent housing. Average emergency shelter stays generally do not exceed 60 days. Additionally, there is a growth in the transitional housing sector, which provides subsidized rents, supportive services and stays of up to 24 months.

These programs depend on community resources and volunteers to keep their programs operational and provide quality services to help break the cycle of homelessness. Unfortunately, the development of resources has not kept pace with the growth of the homeless population. But there are many agencies that have demonstrated effective methods of assisting clients in their return to mainstream society.

RUTH SCHWARTZ

Executive Director

Shelter Partnership Inc., Los Angeles