Homeless Population

Foreclosure battle Re "Fighting her parents' foreclosure in court," Aug. 5 It's not often that something truly inspirational appears in the news these days, but the dedication and abilities of Zeenat Ali — the former medical student who has singlehandedly fought Deutsche Bank to save her parents' Diamond Bar home from foreclosure — have restored an exhilaration not felt in years. Brava, Zee! The law may not necessarily be on your (moral) side, but you'll always inspire us by doing what is right.

Time was when "beach bum" was a phrase of endearment in laid-back Ocean Beach. No more. This normally quiet neighborhood is being torn by a dispute over the recent emergence of a beach subculture of unkempt young males sleeping in doorways, urinating in public places and panhandling aggressively. The flash point was the appearance of bumper stickers proclaiming: "Welcome To Ocean Beach. Please Don't Feed Our Bums." The stickers — sold at a local landmark business, The Black, better known for the sale of bongs, posters and jewelry — are flying off the shelves and cropping up on shop windows and cars around town.

An L.A. city-county report showing a 38% drop in the homeless population has been met with consternation by the region's homeless service providers, who say the findings are inaccurate and could hurt their fundraising efforts at a time when the need is great. The providers have written newspaper opinion pieces, public letters, blog postings and Tweets -- all taking issue with the census, conducted over three days in January. The study found that the number of homeless in the region dropped from 68,808 in 2007 to 42,694.

Los Angeles County's homeless population has dropped 38% since 2007, according to a survey conducted earlier this year by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. The count, which was conducted over three days in January, pegs the region's homeless population at 42,694 -- down from 68,808 in 2007. "We know that things are changing," said Michael Arnold, executive director of the homeless services authority. "We know, we can sense, we can feel that there's a change out there.

Re "L.A. housing plan to be unveiled," Sept. 28 Given today's economic climate, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's vision to expand the availability of homes that are affordable to all Angelenos is all the more crucial. More than ever, we need affordable homes. This is no longer just an issue about the homeless but about all of us, who may find ourselves in harder times with reduced choices. We need to ensure that everyone has access to a home so that those teetering on the brink don't slip off and swell the largest homeless population in the U.S. We will not be able to grow our economy or become a world-class city if workers don't have a place to live and those facing hard times end up on the streets.

Re "Jessica's Law not working as intended," Aug. 11 The unintended consequences of bad law are beginning to show, as was predicted. The statistics in The Times indicate a recidivism rate of 3%, one of the lowest for all crimes -- and not the 50% touted to pass the law. Yet state Sen. George Runner continues his scare tactics without regard to financial or human cost. He says 70% of voters approved the measure. Sure they did, based on his baloney statistics. I guess we can thank him for making us less safe by adding to the homeless population.

There was a time when residents in this liberal college city would greet homeless people by name. They'd stop to chat with Scanner Dan, the grizzled guy with a walkie-talkie buzzing at his hip as he asked for change. They'd offer odd jobs to a man known as Snowball, who was rumored to have been a smuggler for the Chicago mob during Prohibition. Then two violent slayings in less than three months shook residents in the state capital, which is also home to the main campus of the University of Wisconsin.

It's known in many circles as a "quiet crisis" -- a surging population of older Americans over the next 15 years. And for those who serve the homeless in Los Angeles, that portends a dramatically worsening situation. The nonprofit Shelter Partnership spent the last two years studying the plight of Los Angeles County's homeless elderly -- a population, it concluded, of 3,000 to 4,000. The study, which is being released today, marks the first time that the region's elderly homeless population has been studied.

Supervisors set aside $150,000 Tuesday for a report that would propose solutions for the homeless population in the San Gabriel Valley. An additional $1.2 million was approved to fund whatever initiative is proposed. County officials met with the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments in November to discuss a regional approach to helping about 11,000 homeless people who live in the valley at any given time. Funds will come out of the $100-million Homeless Prevention Initiative, established in June 2006.

Almost half of Santa Monica's homeless population is at risk of dying prematurely, is predominantly white and male, and has spent more than a decade sleeping on the streets, a city report found Thursday. The report concluded a seven-day project that involved 60 city employees, county social service agencies and Common Ground, a New York-based nonprofit agency that conducts surveys on the homeless. Of 277 people counted sleeping on the streets last week, the group was able to interview 261 of them during the early morning hours Monday through Wednesday.