West LA Homeless fundraising to place two caseworkers in West LA- area
By Sam Catanzaro
A grassroots group of local resident volunteers are fundraising to bring specially-trained case workers to West LA in a model inspired by the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness.
On April 22, West LA Homeless, a grassroots organization made up of West LA and Westwood resident volunteers, announced its GoFundMe campaign to help address what is calls “the most serious humanitarian crisis our city has ever encountered.”
“This homeless problem is so pervasive that our city, country, state, and the federal government have not been able to solve the challenge, in spite of numerous initiatives and millions? Billions? Of dollars of taxpayer money,” the organization said in a press release.
The group formed by West LA and Westwood residents is a volunteer-based and is centered around the notion that “every person has dignity and deserves to be treated with brotherhood and compassion.”
In an the press release West LA Homeless said it had successfully reached out to HOAs, Westside Neighborhood Council, Councilman Paul Koretz, among other stakeholders to raise funds to launch the program and now it is asking the public to help sustain it through.
“WLAH will place two caseworkers, specially trained, in the West LA area to address the needs of our unhoused population. They will determine the cause of their homelessness and match their needs with the resources available in LA and LA County where there are hundreds of services providers available. Also if they qualify they will be assigned temporary or permanent housing,” the group said.
The group touted the the PPTFH (Pacific Palisades Task Force for Homeless) as an example of how such a program can be successful.
“Their concept was to engage Case Workers specific to the Pacific Palisades area on an OUTREACH basis to gain a personal relationship with as many of the unhoused as possible, gain their confidence, and find a solution to their individual challenge,” WLAH said. “The Case Workers are specifically educated on all the options available to find placement in as many cases as possible. The result is that PPTFH has reduced homelessness in Pacific Palisades from 200 to 74 with additional hundreds placed in a proper solution for their challenge.”
Visit gofundme.com/f/help-fight-street-homeless-in-los-angeles to view the fundraiser.
