Homelessness is NOT a Choice (featuring LAHSA)
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has a tough job. As the primary homeless services agency for Los Angeles County, LAHSA is responsible for helping to end homelessness in 88 cities spanning 4,083 square miles – that’s an area larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined!
Thanks to dedicated staff members, the agency continues to make amazing strides. In 2019, LAHSA helped a record 21,631 people move from homelessness to some kind of permanent, supportive housing. This is thanks to the fervent, resourceful and compassionate people serving on LAHSA’s team.
Take Martha Trujillo for example. As an outreach worker for LAHSA, Martha has a big heart and doesn't take no for an answer. She commits to her clients, as is the case with Noemi. Homeless people often have years of trauma. The longer a person is outside, the harder it is for them to accept help. Noemi was pregnant living in a tent addicted to drugs. Even though Noemi kept pushing Martha away, Martha kept visiting. Eventually, she got Noemi into rehab.
Today, Noemi is sober, in housing, and she has a job.
"She's more than a case manager to me, she is family,” Noemi said about Martha.
Martha shows us that if we don't give up on people, we can end homelessness.
And homeless services everywhere continue to do better than they ever have. The problem is more people are entering homelessness than getting out due to the affordable housing crisis. The latest homeless count reported 58,936 people are experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County alone. Of course, this is a good guess at best. The number of homeless people in every city is far greater than what's being reported.
Agencies like LAHSA need more support from the public and elected officials. There needs to be more support for solutions, more support for affordable housing options, more support to provide basic needs services. The public must take action and show their support for agencies like LAHSA that are out on the street everyday saving people.
Invisible Stories is a mini-doc series that goes beyond the rhetoric, statistics, political debates, and limitations of social services to examine poverty in America via a medium that audiences of all ages understand, and can’t ignore.
Watch more Invisible Stories mini-documentaries on homelessness https://invisiblepeople.tv/invisiblestories
Your voice can help end homelessness. If we do not fix the affordable housing crisis, homelessness will continue to get worse. Click here https://invisiblepeople.tv/getinvolved to tweet, email, call, or Facebook your federal and state legislators to tell them ending homelessness and creating more affordable housing is a priority to you.
Executive producer: Mark Horvath
Producer/editor/cinematographer: Alex Gasaway https://www.youtube.com/alexgasaway
#losangeles #homeless #homelessness
==================================
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/invisiblepeople?sub_confirmation=1
Invisible People’s website:
http://invisiblepeople.tv
Support Invisible People:
https://invisiblepeople.tv/donate
On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/invisiblepeople
Invisible People’s Social Media:
https://www.youtube.com/invisiblepeople
https://twitter.com/invisiblepeople
https://www.instagram.com/invisiblepeople
https://www.facebook.com/invisiblepeopletv
Mark Horvath’s Twitter:
https://twitter.com/hardlynormal
About Invisible People
There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, a living wage or the countless reasons that put a person at risk. This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.
We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.
This isn’t just talk. Each year, our groundbreaking educational content reaches more than a billion people across the globe. Our real and unfiltered stories of homelessness shatter stereotypes, demand attention and deliver a call-to-action that is being answered by governments, major brands, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens just like you.
Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.
