| Local officials say more than 80,000 people in Los Angeles County have no regular housing. Here in the run-down section of the city called Skid Row, survival on the streets is a daily challenge. Deena has lived on the streets for three years. "It's cold. It's cold. It's not nothing to brag about," she said. "It's just the position I got myself in." Last night, she slept on the sidewalk, but some evenings, Deena sleeps at a local shelter. The Los Angeles Mission is one of several religious charities that offers a meal, a bed, and counseling for the homeless. Herb Smith, the mission's president, said, "L.A. does have by count the largest homeless population in the country. This particular geographic area of Skid Row has always been the area where homeless tend to concentrate." Many on the streets have long-term problems, including addictions to drugs and alcohol, or mental illness. Jorge Espinoza is a Los Angeles Mission chaplain. He knows what it is like on the streets - he was an addict and once homeless himself. |
