Hollywood 101: Down in Hollywood

July 1, 12:28 PMHollywood Events ExaminerI.J. Ross

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The streets of Hollywood can be difficult to navigate...

What happens when you relocate to Hollywood and run out of money? How about people that already live here and need assistance? Hopefully, this article can shed a little light on the issue, since it seems to be swept under the rug in many instances.

Hollywood is one of the most transient regions in the United States. People flock here seeking fame and fortune, and much of the time end up facing the realities of the streets. There are also those escaping abusive home environments, and others that are mentally ill.

Joel John Roberts, CEO of People Assisting The Homeless or PATH, said in an interview with me today that of the approximately 73,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, about a third are called "chronic homeless," which is defined as people who have been on the streets for either more than a year, or have experienced homelessness 4 times within 3 years. This population includes many U.S. military veterans. The rest are "episodic homeless," which are those who experience the streets for a shorter period of time. PATH provides healthcare, mental healthcare, help with employment, substance abuse counseling, and other services to the Los Angeles homeless community. They even have a beauty salon.

"Homelessness is a multifaceted issue," Kerry Morrison said, Executive Director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance. "There's really no single remedy to the homeless issue." She is also part of a loose coalition of organizations that form Hollywood Forward, which provides various services for the homeless. She also revealed to me that she recently conducted a "snapshot" or rough count of the number of homeless people in Hollywood, and a very conservative number her team came up with was 500. That was earlier this year, and included the area between Western and La Brea Avenues, and Franklin and Santa Monica Avenues. "It's really hard to get an accurate count, since much of the homeless population are so transient, and move between different regions for different programs." she said. Kai Stansberry, the Press Officer for PATH, estimates that the total homeless population could be as high as 2,500. Both of these figures might well indeed be right, at different times, since the population is so fluid with people moving in and out of Hollywood on a constant basis. Fran Hutchins, who works for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority says that her agency will be conducting a comprehensive count by the end of September of 2009. Whatever the exact number is, the bottom line is that these people need help.

If you know of anyone at risk of being homeless, or are experiencing homelessness and need some help, here is a list of places in, or close to Hollywood that people can go to:

People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), 5627 Fernwood Ave, Los Angeles, CA - (323) 960-9041.
Los Angeles Youth Network, 1754 Taft Ave, Los Angeles, CA - (323) 467-8466.
GettLove, also on Taft, in-between Hollywood Blvd and Selma Avenue (no address), Los Angeles, CA - (323) 962-5683.
Homeless Care Project, 3324 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA - (323) 660-7959.
Homeless Services Program, 340 N Madison Ave, Los Angeles, CA - (323) 644-2026.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (although located in downtown LA, is still a good resource), 453 S Spring St # 12.