To the editor: As usual, columnist Steve Lopez is right (“For mayoral candidates and all of L.A., here’s the homelessness conversation we must have,” June 6). It shouldn’t take an election year to get some much-needed attention on homelessness. This is a solvable issue, with cities like Bakersfield and Houston giving us blueprints.
Prior to the pandemic, Bakersfield reached the “functional zero” level of homelessness by aligning local agencies, nonprofits and outreach volunteers to transition people off the streets permanently. In the greater Houston area, there’s a “Housing First” initiative called The Way Home. Much like Bakersfield’s program, it unifies local government and coordinates a database to find solutions. These are just some examples of how the homelessness crisis in L.A. can start to be solved.
In Los Angeles, we have become immune to seeing these human beings who never set out to become a statistic of hopelessness and despair. We look away because it’s easier than admitting our city has two faces: one of affluence, wealth and beauty and the other of squalor, filth, chronic illness and cold, hard stone sidewalks for a pillow.
There is no panacea for a perfect city, but every human being deserves a chance. Not just in an election year, and not just because officials want to hide the ugly truth from 2028 Olympic Games visitors.
People are fed up and want change. Isn’t it about time? A city is only as good as the people who live in it, and we need to do better — a lot better.
Frances Terrell Lippman, Sherman Oaks
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To the editor: When looking at the “problem” of homelessness, different folks see different things. Some see our unhoused brothers and sisters who have fallen through the safety net, while others see a dangerous blight on our neighborhoods and businesses.
While both can be true, of course, a person’s lens dictates their approach to a solution. That is, ought we help, or ought we remove?
I suggest that all too often, a voter’s lens is shaped not by careful analysis but by unexamined habitus. And that may be the real problem of homelessness.
Lee McCoy, Sherman Oaks
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To the editor: Lopez’s column about mayoral candidates needing to talk about homelessness was spot on.
What is tough for me is defending my state to my friends, who say California is a bust on dealing with the problem and that we’ve spent billions yet the gains are insignificant. My question is, who is tracking the spend and where is all the money going? My fear is that executives or leaders who are responsible for the spend make ungodly salaries and not enough is getting to the worker bees trying to solve the issue. I wish the Los Angeles Times would have a tracker constantly reporting on the spend.
Wayne Pearl, Westlake Village
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To the editor: Lopez makes thoughtful points regarding the homelessness issue in Los Angeles.
This humanitarian and civic crisis has been decades in the making. It resulted from economic changes, substantial job losses and high living costs. That compounded with a lack of civic leadership and a refusal to address this issue in the ‘70s. When homelessness was starting to noticeably increase, residents still failed to hold themselves accountable for their resistance to solutions (NIMBY and other barriers) but with expectations for quick fixes. Then there was the incompetent management of the funds provided by voters to address the issues related to homelessness.
The program and financial scandals are inexcusable. And we know that health (mental and physical) and drug-addiction issues add to the overwhelming challenge. I share the despair and frustration of my fellow housed residents, especially after we voted to increase taxes on ourselves to provide money for solutions. However, a more than 50-year-old problem of human neglect will not go away in five to 10 years.
Our fellow human beings need and deserve our help. We have to demand accountability from civic leadership and agencies responsible, and be patient. I don’t think the problem is intractable, but the solutions are not quick and easy campaign soundbites either.
I hope one or more mayoral and council candidates or members will pay attention to Lopez’s column.
Jo Ann Dawson, Northridge
