It is very common to see homeless people on the streets of Los Angeles. This is a problem that has persisted in the city since the beginning of the 20th century. Back in that time, California was known for offering many job opportunities in farming, and many young men were hopping on trains from all over the country to arrive in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, many of those men often ended up finding themselves without a job, a place to stay, or even food to eat. To help these people, many churches began to establish shelters in the area of Los Angeles that would eventually become Downtown. Even as the farm landscape changed to a big city environment, these shelters remained a refuge for many individuals that found themselves homeless in the area.
Nowadays, the homeless population of Los Angeles is made up of much more than just young men looking for work. Many economic and social changes have resulted in both men and women of all ages turning to the streets of Los Angeles. Some of them are there as a result of substance abuse that has left them moneyless and jobless. Others are veterans from various wars that cannot find the resources to get back to their normal lives. Additionally, many of these people suffer from mental disabilities that limit them from finding a job or being accepted in the rest of society.
Since there are a lot of different causes that lead to homelessness, it is easy to see why finding solutions to helping all of the homeless people is so difficult. Although there are many programs that focus on providing the homeless food daily, it is much harder to find programs that try to assist the homeless in finding jobs, and stable housing. In order to finally find a solution that will effectively help decrease the number of homeless people in the city, a lot more individualized attention must be placed on individuals based on their physical and mental health and circumstance.
