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Hearing a lot of LA and CA politicians celebrating their success at getting all medically vulnerable people who are homeless into hotel rooms.
I’m trying to get people into those rooms, and the success stories are not based in reality. They are giving people false hope. (thread)
I’m trying to get people into those rooms, and the success stories are not based in reality. They are giving people false hope. (thread)
For a week I’ve been working on trying to get a senior woman and her disabled daughter into a motel.
They were evicted from their home after 18 years -- landlord raised rent by $1000 a month. This is legal. Happened in early March before eviction protections went into place.
They were evicted from their home after 18 years -- landlord raised rent by $1000 a month. This is legal. Happened in early March before eviction protections went into place.
They’ve been sharing a motel bed but are two days from running out of $. Disabilities make sleeping in a car impossible and a group shelter dangerous in a pandemic.
But to get on the voucher *wait list* they need to have been living in a shelter, car, or on the street for days.
But to get on the voucher *wait list* they need to have been living in a shelter, car, or on the street for days.
So I have to tell two disabled older women on the brink of homelessness to sleep on the sidewalk for a few nights during a pandemic before they can *start applying for the wait list* for motel voucher.
And case managers are telling me they get dozens of calls like mine a day.
And case managers are telling me they get dozens of calls like mine a day.
Homeless service providers tell me they're slammed with requests for motel rooms they don't have.
One just told me she cringes every time politicians brag about how many rooms are lined up, because she knows she’ll be flooded with calls and will have nothing to offer.
One just told me she cringes every time politicians brag about how many rooms are lined up, because she knows she’ll be flooded with calls and will have nothing to offer.
Part of why LA's motel voucher program isn't fully operational yet? We've had to start it from scratch.
Cities like NY have huge voucher availability. That’s why 97% of homeless people are sheltered there. In LA it’s 25%. A voucher program here basically didn't exist until now.
Cities like NY have huge voucher availability. That’s why 97% of homeless people are sheltered there. In LA it’s 25%. A voucher program here basically didn't exist until now.
So much chest-thumping going on about how we’re protecting LA's homeless from COVID — we have nothing to celebrate here. Don't offer things you don’t have.
The only truth is that we waited too long to act on homelessness, so now even more people will die than already were.
The only truth is that we waited too long to act on homelessness, so now even more people will die than already were.
(I did manage to get a woman, her boyfriend and her newborn into a motel for a week with an extraordinary assist from LAHSA caseworkers. Another org I set the family up with months ago was able to take over their care. That was great. Wasn't part of any COVID response effort.)
