As Los Angeles calls for a $1.9 billion investment in programs to help the homeless, what appears to be truly helping is direct outreach. According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, four six-person outreach teams are descending on Skid Row, on a mission to find housing for the over 44,000 homeless people who are living in tents on sidewalks and doorways.
These teams of mental health specialists, addiction counselors, and other service providers are “gathering names and stories and trying to link people with services and ultimately get them off the street and out of the revolving doors at hospitals, courts and jails.”
The article quotes Marc Trotz, L.A. County’s director of Housing for Health, saying:
“I would have thought skid row had tons of outreach … but in reality there isn’t. I never see anyone kneeling down helping somebody…. If you’re really serious about areas that have high concentrations of homeless people, you have to treat this like a natural disaster or a health emergency, which it is.”
Herb Smith, President of the Los Angeles Mission, said the approach looks to be an effective outreach effort by government agencies. And it could be one of the many things that are needed to actually connect homeless programs with the people they’re designed to serve.
In similar outreach, the Los Angeles Mission has been helping lead the volunteer effort to count the city’s homeless. Working with Mayor Garcetti and City Councilman Dawson-Hughes, the Mission has been coordinating demographic surveys and collecting input for the 2016 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count.
Seeing this type of impact is inspiring at Big Change Advisors. Just as we help clients get their boots on the ground to drive outcomes for business, we like to see direct outreach in support of the cause we’re passionate about: Finding solutions to help the homeless in Los Angeles.
This is why a percentage of fees paid to Big Change Advisors goes directly to support the Los Angeles Mission, one of the nation’s largest service providers to the homeless. Through this model, businesses can invest in their own future and the future of at-risk people, families, and seniors throughout the Los Angeles community.
To learn more about the serious solutions for business and for L.A.’s homeless that can be achieved by partnering with Big Change Advisors, contact us.
Steve Pomeroy is the founder of Big Change Advisors, a unique M&A consulting firm in Los Angeles that helps businesses achieve big goals while making a big impact on society. To request a free consultation, contact us.
Comments are closed.