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[LSNN] Are we doing enough to help those who are homeless?


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Are we doing enough to help those who are homeless? 

 

As Sandy Shores man shares with LSNN his experiences on the street, we ask if enough is being done to help those in need

 

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By PHOEBE HOLTER

 

Los Santos, SA - Eric used to live on the streets of Los Santos. He once was one of those afflicted by one of Los Santos’ worst epidemics: homelessness. Though, not everyone who goes through that experience comes out the other side like this now Sandy Shores local has done. 

 

The routine nature of seeing groups of men and women on the streets of Los Santos has served to normalize witnessing such suffering. The problem is ever present, particularly in the downtown area of the city. Rows of tents line the sheltered areas underneath overpasses, as groups of desperate people band together in areas where they’ll be both relatively out of the public eye and away from the elements. 

 

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Tents underneath an overpass in Los Santos

 

Eric was one of those people: “they led me to the homeless people's gathering spots, it was under a bridge. Each slept close to a fire they started.” It wasn’t how he started off in life. He had graduated highschool, worked his way as a bartender and then went on to run bars in LS County. 

 

"By the mid 90s I was the county local runnin' two bars and livin' the American dream. You know, house, 4X4."

 

Like many Americans who find themselves without a home, a few unexpected events in life took all of that away from him. “Being homeless was the last thing I could think would happen to me but life doesn't give a damn” he told us from his caravan in Sandy Shores. For the next ten years of his life, he’d find himself without a reliable place to call home. Survival meant panhandling, relying on charity outreach and working off the record jobs. 

 

"Living such a life you wouldn't really focus on what's goin' on around you. Today's like yesterday's like tomorrow. You want to survive."

 

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Another angle of the tents beneath the overpass

 

Eric found himself as the recipient of abuse and harassment from members of the public. Insults, such as being called a “leech” and being told to simply “get a job” were thrown at him on a daily basis.  “I held up a sign, I asked for their money. You do make enough to survive by the end of the day”, he recalled. 

 

The sad truth is that Eric’s story of his time on the street is just one of countless others. The names in each of these stories change (be it Danny, Josh, Chelsea or Janelle) and often the endings change too, but the suffering doesn’t. 

 

Efforts to assist those in need are visible too. Previous Director of Public Social Services Cherisse Bianchi spoke to LSNN last year about the efforts being undertaken. The Satan’s Rejects motorcycle club, also held a “Ride for Salvation” event to raise money to alleviate poverty and homelessness.

 

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Hope Health Group in Little Seoul

 

In Little Seoul, Hope Health Group provides a wide range of services to those suffering financial difficulties. From a soup kitchen to emergency shelter (though not for long term stays), no doubt the lives of many of us who find ourselves on the streets are enriched by their tireless effort. 

 

Despite all of this though, the majority of respondents to an online poll responded that the number of homeless people was “staying roughly the same” or increasing.

 

There is clearly no one solution to homelessness. but the question remains: are we doing enough to eradicate it? A brief walk around downtown Los Santos would make that question difficult to answer. We can all play our part, a little bit of kindness can go a long way.

 

The one upside here is that people are breaking the cycle. After all, Eric made it out. Let’s hope others can too. 

 

 


 

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Edited by MotionSickness
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  • books changed the title to [LSNN] Are we doing enough to help those who are homeless?

Username: AmandaLockford

Comment: Using the library computer for this like I do every once in a while to check the news. There is NOTHING being done to help us. I've been homeless & living at the camp in strawberry since I was 16 & in the last week alone I've been beat up, bullied, mugged, & attacked like 5 times.

 

Even the police don't help us, despite them constantly saying they are. Every time I call them for help with the payphone they ignore it completely. When I asked why, they told me its because all the payphone calls are automatically declared as prank calls, they don't even bother to see if it's true or not. 2 weeks ago I got my nose broken by someone that mugged me and when I called 911 on the payphone, nobody came. I saw like, 4 police cars drive right past but none stopped, none of them even slowed down. So I had to walk all the way to the hospital, bleeding & crying the whole way...

 

Its easy for people to say "I'm gonna do this & that to help" & easy for the police to say they are actively helping the homeless, but in reality, nothing gets done... its time to stop saying & start doing.

Edited by PeopleKind
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