La Donna is a homeless entrepreneur who struggles with constant threats of displacement from the city, making it impossible for her to build forward momentum to get out of homelessness. Tanya lives with her son, who suffers from seizures; her husband has skin cancer and lives in the tent next door. He panhandles and is unable to get work because of his condition. Both women live in a homeless encampment in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
How do homeless people better their lives when they are constantly being cut down? And being homeless is hard enough. Encampment sweeps and the criminalization of homelessness make it incredibly difficult for people to establish themselves enough to one day no longer be homeless.
Los Angeles is spending tens of millions of dollars on homeless sweeps and the criminalization of poverty that does NOTHING to solve homelessness. In many ways, encampment sweeps make it harder to help people. The constant displacement causes trauma. Sweeps are cruel and a waste of taxpayer money.
Cities all over America are putting more resources into using homeless people out of sight than working to get people off the streets. With homelessness continuing to increase, the growing criminalization will make homelessness worse.
In Los Angeles, please support Services Not Sweeps
Nationally, please support Housing Not Handcuffs
We all must advocate for more housing and support services and stop homeless sweeps at the local level. At the same time, we must continue to pressure state and federal legislators. Your voice can help end homelessness. If we do not fix the affordable housing crisis, homelessness will continue to get worse. Click here to tweet, email, call, or Facebook your federal and state legislators to tell them ending homelessness and creating more affordable housing is a priority to you.
Executive producer: Mark Horvath
Producer/editor/videographer: Jonathan Thang
More stories on homeless sweeps:
Los Angeles Homeless Sweeps Destroy People’s Lives
Rats and Police Sweeps: Homeless in Los Angeles https://youtu.be/9Iv3x4Gx8Jg
