HOMELESS NMNK - THERE IS NEAR NO HELP FOR THE CHILDLESS, THE CLEAN LIVING, THE LAW ABIDING

This is a sobering post, because I'm one of thousands in Southern California who loves their independence and prefers it. 


Over the last year the stats are that there has been a 23 % increase in homelessness IN ONE YEAR.  It's estimated by a census, which means those who were available to be counted and is probably an extremely low count, that 50,000 are homeless in Los Angeles.  It's difficult to understand stats from this area, because the COUNTY of Los Angeles has many cities that are or are not included in certain stats. Some of these, such as Santa Monica, have their own stats.


Over the last few months several people I know have been effected by the RAPIDLY INCREASING COST OF HOUSING, and since over 60% of those living in the CITY of LA are RENTERS, and the cost of owning a home is making it increasingly impossible to do so, so many people are STUCK where they currently live, if indeed they are free from rental increases. 


If you are young, vital, recently educated, and just starting a career in this big city, you may be able to deal with paying a couple thousand for a one bedroom apartment, or three thousand to share with a roommate.  BUT IF YOU ARE NMNK, you may not WANT to deal with room mates after college days. You may equate adulthood with being able to afford independence.


My street has been effected by the construction of yet another "EXCLUSIVE" building, and we are so sick of hearing that term as well as the term LUXURY when the square footage is cramped, the parking is not adequate for the residence of the building or the street, the faucets are not gold plated, and the carpets are not plush and laid over concrete.  For two years we put up with noise, violations to the city ordinances about when hammering and  yelling must cease, dust and garbage, and trucks bringing materials and carting away refuse. Then the place opened, with a Major Domo kind of man, very smooth, as the leasing agent representative.  He assured everyone who asked that they would have no trouble getting tenants.  He said from out of state, such as from Manhattan.  Overall, it sounded like to me that these would be people transferred by their companies, or who were so used to ancient buildings, small spaces, and higher prices, that they would not know better here - at least not for a while.

It took six weeks to get the place rented, and the cars overflowing our street were expensive.


A security guard/doorman was assigned to the spot, a good idea, since we have graffiti, vandalism, and so on in the area.


Soon after this, the landlords on the street began raising rents, usually with 30 days notice, a small period of time to entrap tenants, with$300 a month rent increases.  As some people fled, unable to pay this rent, the signs of availability started to go up.  An old building displaced a senior citizen with a rent of $1575.00 for a one bedroom.  A building that had a sign up from the City of LA telling tenants to put their rents in escrow because the owner had failed to do demanded repairs, fired the management company, raised the rent, and did the repairs.


On I could go.


I presently have an associate, a mom with two children, who has been renting an RV in a driveway for nine months, another associate, a single mom, who has after two years in with her mom, been granted a single in another town for a miracle $400 a month, another person with a disabled child who after over 20 years in the same place was given 6 months notice of a DOUBLING of RENT, and at month 5, near homeless, was granted a senior building voucher and got in there, someone else who could no longer afford after 23 years living in a vehicle, and so on.


SO I STARTED LOOKING FOR RESOURCES - HELP FOR THESE PEOPLE.


If you are NMNK you have near no resources.
If you are a single mother yes, a family yes, drug addicted yes, mentally ill yes, and already on SSI or SSDI yes.  But if you have not brought children into this world you can't afford, if you are employed or self employed, if  you are healthy, if you are sane, THE STREET is WHERE YOU MAY END UP.


I'm asking YOU to check out what your area has when it comes to resources for people like us!
Advocate for us to be recognized as worthy of help.