The recent column by Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times urging city officials to find housing for the homeless not just call the cops to sweep them off the streets aligns precisely with the message of the Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition.
“Permanent Supportive Housing is the key to getting our homeless community members’ lives back on track.  And we know it will also save us money through reduced police costs, emergency room visits, etc,” said Scott Epstein, the Chair of the Mid City West Community Council, and leader of the coalition.
Learn more about what can be done at the Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition Summit on Homelessness on Thursday, July 9th from 6 to 8 PM at the ACME Theatre at 135 N. La Brea Avenue. Community members are invited to attend and learn how they can get involved in addressing homelessness locally.
The Midtown LA Homeless Coalition is made up of members representing a wide variety of neighborhood organizations, business groups, government agencies, and social service providers working together to build a local response to chronic homelessness in the Midtown region. The Coalition is working to support the implementation of the countywide Coordinated Entry System (CES) in the Midtown area. That approach focuses on connecting homeless individuals to permanent supportive housing, and has been proven to be effective both in addressing the needs of those living on the street and in reducing costs for cities.
Antquan Washington of the Center at Blessed Sacrament is leading the coordination of services in the Midtown area, and hopes that the Summit will be a call to action for the community. Â “There’s a lot community members can do to assist in this effort,” Washington says. Â “We will need help reaching out to homeless neighbors and helping them obtain the necessary documentation to be housed. Stakeholders can also help by attending coalition meetings, raising funds, lend professional support, and more.” Members of the public will have the opportunity to sign up for these different volunteer opportunities at the event.
Light refreshments will be served from 6 to 6:30, followed by a program which will highlight the challenges that our chronically homeless neighbors face, and unveil the coalition’s 100 day goals.
Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition is presented by the Mid City West Community Council, LAMP Community, and The Center at Blessed Sacrament. To learn more and  RSVP, go to the Midtown Summit website. or check out their Facebook page.
