As the thermometer plunged toward the freezing mark Thursday night, Roland Jones donned seven T-shirts and four sweat shirts and pulled a sleeping bag over his wheelchair. And then, outside near the corner of 6th and San Pedro streets in skid row, his home of the last six years, Jones tried to go to sleep.
Over the last few weeks, Jones and other homeless friends have repeatedly tried to find shelter at some of the county's cold-weather shelters in downtown Los Angeles but he said he has found that "they are all filled."
Recently, said Jesse Krohmer, community development director for the Long Beach Rescue Mission, "winter really kicked in big time." As temperatures have dipped into the 30s and cold winds have blasted the region, many service providers said, they have turned people away because the facilities were full.
"I just don't like to think about it," said Jim Howat, the Volunteers of America's Los Angeles group director of homeless services.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a joint city-county agency, administers 16 winter shelters in Los Angeles County, adding about 1,800 beds a night to services already offered in the county. Each evening around 5, people can line up at access points around the county to be driven to those shelters, where they can stay until early the next morning.
The shelters, which also offer case management for the people who stay there, run from Dec. 1 to March 15 and are operated by charitable groups and churches.
Volunteers of America operates shelters at National Guard armories in West L.A., Culver City and Glendale with a total of about 450 beds.
"We don't have a choice," Howat said of turning people away. "We have an agreement with the National Guard that we won't operate over capacity, and we just can't. It's just sad."
Two shelters run by People Helping People, one of which is part of the city-county cold-weather program, also have been at capacity, said Darron Moore, program manager of the organization's winter shelter program.
"When we first opened Dec. 1, we'd go downtown and pick people up," Moore said. "Now people have been just walking in. I believe it's from the cold weather."
Some providers of homeless services said they find that the date also makes a difference in the shelter load.
"The first 10 days of the month, they get [public assistance] checks and are OK," said Howat, whose organization also runs a skid row drop-in center. "But by the end of the month, the money is gone, the food stamps are gone and we get many more people."
Friday morning on L.A.'s skid row, shopping carts were loaded high with blankets and sleeping bags. Giveaways, sponsored by local missions, were in full swing. Several homeless people said that during the holiday season, food seemed to be plentiful. But shelter was not.
Rayshawn Evans Walker, a former New Orleans resident, said that when the temperature started dropping, he tried repeatedly to get into local winter shelters.
But he said that in seven days trying, he got in only twice. "They're just so crowded."
Walker, known on skid row as Pork Chop, said he fled New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But after his federal assistance ran out, he said, he found himself on the L.A. streets, where he has been about six months.
"We're not doing too good," said Walker, 36, huddled near two friends. "On a scale from 1 to 10, we're doing about a 4."
On December 17th, on a chilly Sunday afternoon, we celebrated our gathering at Love LA with our annual Christmas Banquet. We were grateful to God for giving us dry weather, as it rained the night before. The afternoon consisted of: food from Boston Chicken, lots of volunteers to serve the food, festive christmas music by the Love LA praise team, a rap performance by Daniel, a special message by our brother Dwight, and the giving of gifts.
A grassroots effort begun in 1993 by a handful of deacons from Young Nak Korean Ministry to feed the homeless, has now become a thriving parking lot worship community of 200+ people, one of the largest worship gatherings in Hope Central. Volunteers help with set up for worship, lead praise, may participate in small groups, help with food and drink distribution, and take prayer requests. This is a 'hands-on' ministry opportunity to reach out to the poor and hungry, both physically and spiritually.
Get Involved! We serve every Sunday from approximately 2:30-4:30pm. •If it rains, we'll meet inside at the Union Rescue Mission- Men's Day Room.
| Current Location |
Union Rescue Mission Parking Lot (San Julian and between 5th and 6th St)
Volunteer parking available at the Union Rescue Mission- underground parking structure
Map of Union Rescue Mission
| Upcoming Events- in 2010 |
•A collaborative effort w/YNCC's HPM (Healthcare Professionals Ministry) & LA Christian Health Center (formerly LA Mission Community Clinic) •Every other month, starting March
Love Ministries serves to R.E.A.C.H. the community of the Greater Los Angeles area and Tijuana. We believe in being in the margins, not in the center. A grassroots effort begun in 1993 by a handful of deacons from Young Nak Korean Ministry to feed the homeless of Skid Row has multiplied to numerous sites.
Relational- Ministry is always about relationships. We seek to not be a transactional ministry but one that engages within the community.
Empowerment- We seek to not only serve, but to empower the people we serve.
Absorb- We're not about serving from afar, but we get our hands dirty. We go to where the people are. We go into the inner city neighborhoods with the love of Jesus, despite risks and dangers.
Compassion- Ministry is also about caring, and going the extra mile when there's a need.
Heart- More than just serving, its our posture and knowing the heart of God and following His heartbeat with prayer. To be transformed by God as we're led by the Spirit.
click to enlarge
