Ending Homelessness

Los Angeles County is the homeless capital of the nation, with 73,000 people homeless every night. According to the 2007 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count:

• Almost 40% are women, youth, and children.
• About a third are chronically homeless, meaning they have been homeless for a long period of time and face one or more disabilities.
• The main reason cited for becoming homeless is losing a job, followed by eviction.

Five Things YOU Can Do

• 1 Use your voice: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants fund a variety of crucial homeless services, and this bill is currently up for reauthorization in Congress.
  
  Contact your Congressional Representatives now and urge them to support the reauthorization of this crucial bill, using the sample letter template below.

• 2 They Count. Will You? - 2009 Homeless Count Demographic Survey: The LA Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) needs volunteers to interview homeless individuals on the streets to collect information on the causes of their homelessness and the resources most likely to help them. To sign up or for more information, visit www.lahsa.org or email hc09@lahsa.org.
• 3 Get Involved Locally: Enter your zip code or click on your region below to find out more about homelessness in your local community, and how you can get involved in the solutions.

• 4 Join Local Coalitions: Help end homelessness by getting involved in local coalitions.

• FAITH Matters is a network of faith groups and individuals throughout the county who have come together to address homelessness through community engagement, public awareness, policy, and planning. To get involved, contact Grace Yi of PATH Partners at 323-644-2213.
• Beyond Shelter sponsors two countywide homeless advocacy groups - the L.A. City/County Coalition for Homeless Families and the Coalition for the Right to Housing in Los Angeles. To get involved, contact Rebecca Tull at 213-252-0772 or info@beyondshelter.org.
• 5 Stay Informed: Get information on the latest research and publications on social issues facing L.A. County, by visiting United Way’s Poverty Resource Center.

United Way is dedicated to ending homelessness through the Pathway Home Initiative, which works to mobilize the community, advocate for policy change, and focus resources on the only solution to homelessness – housing, with linkages to services. Homelessness is a crisis, but with your help, it can be solved.