Down And Out In Beverly Hills
I've been in Los Angeles for about a month. I wondered what it was like to be homeless here. Is it any different than being homeless in Chicago?
Turns out the reasons for homelessness are the same. Drug and Alcohol addictions, physical illnesses, lack of work, mental illness exists in both places.
It's pretty much the same with one difference.....it's warmer here.
I spoke with someone who had been on the street for one year. When I mentioned I had lived in a shelter, his question was did it help. I said it helped enough to get me out of there and to California. I don't think that was enough for him.
He wasn't going to give up his independence to live in a place where it may be safer but would be subjected to a lot of rules. It's easier to make that decision when you aren't going to freeze to death sleeping outside.
I took the above picture in Westwood Village. Home of UCLA. The Bruins!
You associate the area with smart college students and lots of businesses catering to them. My daughter works there, too.
You wouldn't think Westwood and then move on to homeless. You'd be surprised.
The scene in this picture occurs throughout the village and also many other affluent areas of Los Angeles. There are lots of restaurants so it's easier to get food. Plus, it's easier to get money from people who have money. Makes sense.
Why live downtown when you can live in 90210.
This is part of a year long series called Faces of Homelessness.
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