As the year draws to a close, the City of West Hollywood is sharing a few ways that people can support the efforts of the city’s Homeless Initiative and contribute to collective efforts to address homelessness:
Financial Contributions
For those who would like to make financial contributions to organizations that provide services to people experiencing homelessness in West Hollywood, there are several community partners that provide direct services:
• Ascencia — www.ascenciaca.org/donate
• Housing Works — www.housingworksca.org/donatenow
• Los Angeles LGBT Center — www.lalgbtcenter.org/how-you-can-help/donation
• Step Up on Second — www.stepuponsecond.org/ways-to-give
Donations of Non-Perishable Food Items
West Hollywood’s partners at the Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles / SOVA Community Food & Resource Program operate two neighborhood food pantry and resource center sites in greater Los Angeles. For detailed information about donating items, visit the JFSLA/SOVA website.
Donations of New and Gently Used Clothing
West Hollywood supports the efforts of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Youth Center on Highland. Each January, the city hosts a clothing drive to respond to the essential needs of LGBT young people, thousands of whom find themselves without a home or support. The city will be accepting items in collection bins at West Hollywood City Hall, located at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd. at Sweetzer, from Jan. 2 until Jan. 31. For more information, call (323) 848-6833. For information about how to donate directly, please visit www.lalgbtcenter.org/how-you-can-help/donate-clothes.
Contribute to “Real Change” Donation Stations
The City of West Hollywood debuted its “Real Change” donation stations in 2018. Donation Stations at four locations in the city look similar to standard parking meters, but they stand out because of their bright purple domes and blue-and-yellow signage. The donation stations offer basic information about the city’s Homeless Initiative and accept both coin and credit card contributions.
They are located at the West Hollywood Gateway, along La Brea Avenue; at Plummer Park, adjacent to the tennis courts; at Santa Monica Boulevard at Robertson, and at West Hollywood Park, on the San Vicente Boulevard side of the park. Funds from these meters are used to purchase emergency supplies for the city’s homeless outreach teams.
Support United Way’s HomeWalk
West Hollywood partners with United Way of Greater Los Angeles for its annual HomeWalk and is one of the first municipalities in the region to become an “Everyone In” city. Everyone In is a community engagement initiative by a coalition of philanthropic, business, labor, and community organizations that will give Angelenos one place to track and measure progress toward ending homelessness. The HomeWalk event raises funds for homelessness and increases awareness with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness in Los Angeles County. HomeWalk will take place on May 18.
Community members are encouraged to take part and register with West Hollywood’s team at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/team/827568. In addition, the United Way has published a holiday gift guide with items that help support services for people experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles region.
West Hollywood’s Homeless Initiative addresses homelessness with a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, collaborative response. If you are concerned about a community member who is homeless, call the West Hollywood Homeless Initiative Concern Line at (323) 848-6590. If your concern requires time-sensitive assistance during nights or weekends, call the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310) 855-8850. In an emergency, call 911.
For additional information, please visit www.weho.org/homeless.
I’m all for doing what we can individually, but when the city starts programs to provide for the homeless, our homeless population will multiply; possibly exponentially. If we build it, they will come! Because I clearly can’t help everyone who needs it, I limit my efforts to just the one guy who stays just a few feet from my building. I give him the leftovers from my meals at home and at restaurants, and earlier this week he told me he needed a notebook and pen, and a stamped envelope, so I got it for him. The rest of the… Read more »
Let all the Churches, Synagogues, Temples open their doors to the homeless and the illegal immigrants. Religious organizations don’t pay any taxes in the USA. Their mouthpieces, ministers, rabbis, priests, etc., get big tax breaks. So anyone who is a disbeliever is saddled with subsidizing these religious types believing some old dreary male sky God is running the show. Most of these churches and temples are empty all week. And West Hollywood is like 22% who believe in the God business. Bible and Torah beaters tell us non-believers how to live our lives as was seen in the WEHO City… Read more »
Agreed. Cleanliness is next to Godliness in mind. body and spirit. Let these religious organizations step up and offer a variety of practical solutions without postulating. It’s called “Anonymous” giving.
If churches open their doors to the homeless, as you suggest, two things will happen; the homeless population here will multiply, and the the churches won’t be fit for use on Sundays. The Good Samaritan in the Biblical parable didn’t take the needy man into his own home where he might have put himself and his family in danger; he took him to where he could be taken care of by people who were equipped to do that. The Samaritan knew nothing about this man’s character or history, but he did what he could to address his immediate need, which… Read more »
I’m a 5’2′ woman over 50, and have been physically attacked on two occasions by people living on the street in the past six months. Both attacks occurred between 8:00 am and 2 pm while I was walking down the street on Santa Monica Blvd between La Cienega and San Vicente.
Helping people is fine but when is enough, enough? So much money has been thrown at this issue. I don’t give beggars money ….
So let things continue as they are? You see anything improving by doing that? I drove around the city yesterday, and was quite saddened to see how many homeless people were on the street, on a major holiday, while I was coming home to a grand meal with friends.
Easily could have constructed shipping container facilities at the abandoned Walgreens Project at Crescent Heights & Santa Monica one for women, one for men and have a facility there for them to check their belongings while tending to one’s needs.
Would be a simple, effective first step.
We hoomans provide more care for rescued pets.
Please also consider thanking the manager at the laundrymatt near edinburgh thank for allowing many homeless to wash up in the sink. I watch as these men or woman try to clean a shirt or take a shave. Our city should provide something but with all our riches and brilliant brainpower the best we go to is nothing. And if we don’t figure out a ‘better way’ our new 200 million dollar park will be the west-sides skid row.
Larry Block – can’t you open the bathroom in your store to them? They could wash their underthings in the sink; there’s be two options for them.
And your house, Mikey?
or free t shirts
It seems that only the LALGBT Center is providing metal health and addiction services.
Create jobs and give them a hand up, not a hand out…