California
Related: About this forumMore homeless camps are appearing beyond downtown L.A.'s skid row
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Over the last two years, street encampments have jumped their historic boundaries in downtown Los Angeles, lining freeways and filling underpasses from Echo Park to South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency, received 767 calls about street encampments in 2014, up 60% from the 479 in 2013.
Some residents believe the city is exporting its downtown homeless problem to their neighborhoods. But social service agencies and volunteers say it isn't that simple. They say that although downtown development and skid row cleanups are squeezing out some homeless people, many camps are filled with locals.
Soaring rents, closed shelters and funding cutbacks are pushing residents from neighborhoods such as Highland Park and Boyle Heights into the streets, where they cling to familiar turf.
Read the whole article at: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-homeless-encampments-20150125-story.html
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)Dignity Village started out 15 years ago as an encampment, that in turn evolved into a 'tiny house' village.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_Village
http://www.tentcityurbanism.com/2014/08/dignity-village-thirteen-years-later.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dignity-Village/116452415056947?sk=photos_stream
From day one, this democratically operated, membership-based 501c3 run not-for-profit has had 5 simple rules,
1) No violence toward yourself or others.
2) No illegal substances or alcohol or paraphernalia on the premises or within a one-block radius.
3) No stealing.
4) Everyone contributes to the upkeep and welfare of the village and works to become a productive member of the community.
5) No disruptive behavior of any kind that disturbs the general peace and welfare of the village.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)KamaAina
(78,249 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)Sad but true with no end or solution in sight .
Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)coming north from downtown to South Pasadena gives you a real glimpse of the problem, especially around Highland Park. Union Station in Pasadena is legendary for helping people get off the streets (or out of arroyos), but so much more is needed. The homeless count should be very telling, bearing in mind far from every homeless person is counted.
PasadenaTrudy
(3,998 posts)is ground zero for gentrification right now. Not good.