Jul 02

Homeless Crises Hits California Students Hard

Adding to the Student Loan Crises are Savage New Figures on Student Homeless and Students Facing Hunger and Food Shortages.

by Uncle Paulie

 

The above chart, for the year 2013 (at least 4 years ago) shows the number of homeless kids in Public Schools state wide.  This would include presumably all grades up through 12.  The total of 64,218 would be at least a few percentage points higher today if current trends are applied.

The situation with the California State University system is not much better.  Their current report says that out of 470,000 students in the system, around 12% are in “unstable housing”, the politically correct term that is generally thought of as “homeless”. So by their own very rough count, 56,400 students in the system are homeless.

Even more shocking, if possible, is that about 112,800 students suffer from “food insecurity”, meaning in plain English that they are not getting enough to eat and some are actually starving at times.

What Needs To Be Done

Waiting for some future minor student housing is out of the question.  Action needs to be taken now.

Student Housing

  1.  Let students at CSU park and sleep in their vehicles overnight in the parking lots.
  2.  Remove “no parking at night” signs from the surrounding area.
  3.  Look into buying used RVs, vans and Motor-homes to use as temporary student housing.
  4.  Offer courses for credit for students to creatively “fix up” and make the vehicles look cool and  artistic.
  5.  Beef up shower and bathroom facilities.  Keep these open late at night.
  6.  Increase security on campus to protect kids sleeping in their vehicles at night.
  7.  If on campus parking is not enough then off-campus parking lots should be considered.  There’s  plenty of office buildings with empty parking spaces at night.
  8. . If not enough bathing and shower facilities are available then coupons or “chits” should be .issued to students to use local health club facilities.

Food

  1.  This is a very serious problem.  A long term solution is that the CSU system is going to have to  get into the food production business.  Property has to be acquired and students can volunteer  for credit to plant food gardens.  The schools should be able to grow a large part of their own  food needs. Fruit trees should be planted all over the campus areas.
  2.  Short term students and faculty need to form “Food Drives” to collect food from anywhere you  can, markets, bins placed in Starbucks and Post Offices and of course setting up outside the big  markets and have a canned food drive.
  3.  Farmer’s markets can be contacted to supply excess food from the day’s sales.
  4.  Some public schools are already putting in gardens to grow food as a credit.  This should be  expanded until the system can be self-sufficient.
  5.  Local residents should be encouraged to plant, with student help, gardens in their front yards.  Tax credits can be given to the residents who cooperate.  It might be possible to draw a 2 mile  circle around each school and give the tax credits in that special district to residents who enlist in  the program.
  6.  Many other ideas will come forth to give the schools housing and food security.  The next step  will be to cancel all student debt, jail crooked loan companies, and lower the costs of college for  all.

 

Jan 30

For Seniors Some Great Programs

Seniors in Los Angeles Area Have Access to Great Programs

Here’s a few great programs for seniors in the L.A. area.  Similar programs may be available Statewide.

Burbank TC #61.  TRANSPORTATION  Check out Metro, which operates the buses and trains, including the subway system.  If you want to get around the area without driving your car or RV, you can apply online for a senior tap card.  You can do this online.  www.metro.net.  A senior tap card will get you rides for 75 cents Peak hours, and only 35 cents Off Peak.  This includes a free transfer to another bus or train within 2 hours, meaning you can scoot a long way around the city for 35 cents Off Peak.  There are many other programs for seniors, special passes, etc., including some available at senior centers in cities other than Los Angeles.  Santa Monica, for example, has a fantastic bus system, The Big Blue Bus.

SCAN2.  HEALTH If you are on Medicare and need a supplemental plan, try SCAN.  It’s free.  Along with it you get a free Silver Sneaker Fitness card.  This is good at thousands of gyms across the country, including exercise equipment, pool, steam/sauna (when available).  You can go to many different gyms, so that means that you will have access to showers as well as fitness.  One of the problems living stealth in a vehicle or living in an RV is shower and clean-up.  Although there are shower programs in some cities and facilities, this is a great solution for seniors.

Free Thanksgiving dinner at a Presbyterian Church

Free Thanksgiving dinner at a Presbyterian Church

3. FOOD  When you are living in a vehicle or RV, food becomes an issue.  RVs usually have good cooking facilities, but if you are in a car or van it is a little harder.  Small camp type stoves are good, but you need to be in a sheltered area to use it, away from prying eyes of residents who will call the cops if they see anyone using a cook stove on the street.  Some people go to a park where there are camping or BBQ pits.  The big parks in L.A. like Griffith Park have campsites where you can cook dinner.

Another way to go is to eat hot meals for free at Churches and other Food Coalition sites, like those we frequently post on this website.  Please note that there are hundreds of free hot meals served in So. California every day.  Check around the area you are staying in, the local city, the local churches, and look for food banks.  The County, through Senior Centers, have hot lunch programs for a couple of bucks. These are decent meals, and are served around the County at designated park buildings and Senior Centers.  The Senior Centers in some cities are really great, with free computers to use, free wi-fi, exercise programs, libraries, good bathrooms, etc.  They have all kinds of free or cheap programs so check them out.

Even if you are living in a vehicle, a senior can have a great time in Southern California.  Although many of us do not have large Social Security checks, if you don’t have to pay rent or utilities then you can have enough money to get by on using the strategies like those listed above.

Send any information you get or comments to unclepaulie@rocketmail.com

 

 

Jan 27

Hollywood Food For The Hungry – New Location

Weekdays Dinner is Served at 5pm

5941 Hollywood Blvd. Photos by Uncle Paulie

5941 Hollywood Blvd. Photos by Uncle Paulie


IMG_5423Dinner is served here, 5941 Hollywood Blvd., Walk in the driveway and kitchen is just to the right. At this time it is served Monday through Friday only.  Saturday and Sunday is still back at the corner of Sycamore and Romaine (The Line) at 5pm.

IMG_5426

The new location for the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition is inside the Salvation Army Weingart Center.  Tables and chairs, restroom to wash up.  Please thank the wonderful staff and volunteers of the Coalition for all their great work.

Sep 13

North Hollywood Free Food Update

Food For Homeless in NOHO

by  Mr. Food Dude (anon)

Apt 042

The breakfast that was held each Saturday morning at St. David’s church hasn’t been going on for quite sometime.  The property was sold to the neighboring Oakwood School.  They have been buying up a good deal of property in the area.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
On the final Sunday of the month Angel Hanz still provides some pet care products, water, toiletries, and various services such as haircuts, vet examinations and pet grooming from volunteer providers.  But wha is available will vary from week to week.  There is also a group that dispenses some warm food such as pasta and also ice cream.  Angel Hanz usually gets underway at about 1pm.
Another small group shows up between 2 and 2:30 pm.  They used to be affiliated with a number of churches in LA such as New Life, and Tapistry, but now just one family is providing the meal and they are no longer affiliated with either of those churches.
The meal is always the samefried chicken pieces, white rice and plain beans.  They no longer bring desserts, but they do have some soft drinks.  They used to be able to bring more when they were backed by their church.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
The Hope of the Valley Mission has relocated from Sun Valley to a church at Tyrone and Victory in Van Nuys.  I don’t know if they have any meals on the week ends anymore but they do provide lunches during the week.  They also have a number of other services but the best thing to do to find out about them would be to contact them at their new locatoin, which they are sharing with the church. I don’t remember the church’s name or have their phone number. (Editor’s note:  See our updated info on Hope of the Valley on this website)
———————————————————————————————————————————–
The 1st Baptist Church of North Hollywood has discontinued providing a meal on the 3rd Sunday of the month, but I believe that they still provide a Tuesday morning breakfast at 10:30am.  They use to have a mobile shower truck show up there, but it can now probably be found at St. Matthew’s Church on Camerillo Street (just west of Lankershim).  On Wednesdays about about 11 or 11:30 am the church provides a meal and bag lunches to go.  I don’t know what time the shower truck is there, but it is probably on Wednesday as well.
————————————————————————————————————————————-
I may have previously mentioned the “Soup Lady” (Linda) who has been bringing food to *North Hollywood Park on Magnolia, west of Tujunga between and the over pass of the 170 freeway.
She arrives between 10:30am and 11am.  Linda is a very loving women who has been doing this for a while.
The variety and amount of food can vary from week to week, as can the number of volunteers and attendees.
Linda generally makes something that she brings, and often it is soup.  Vegetables, healthy.
Sometimes there are hard boiled eggs, often over-cooked.
Most of the other food is anything but healthy.  There are a lot of packaged sweets, and some bread, donated by super markets.
Sometimes a lot of volunteers show up and at other times few.
Unfortunately, the best or “proper” food handling practices aren’t observed.  None of the people handing and distributing food are wearing plastic gloves.  At times some of the food is handed out by young children. One volunteer who has attended often, will clean fingers that have gotten food on them in her mouth and then continue handing food.
It is terrific that these people come and donate their time and efforts, to help economically disadvantaged people, but they really should have to have some training in food handling and be supervised. Most of the common ailments going around are spread by hands.
Food handling practices often leave a lot to be desired when it comes to free meal distribution, but this particular meal, seems to me to be the worst offender.  There are too many people touching and handing out the food.  They unload cars and put things in carts and then on the tables.  Linda does have some sanitary wipes, but I don’t think that all of the people handling food are using them or using them appropriately.  I don’t think that it is a good idea for kids to be handling the food that are going to be distributed.
The other available Saturday meals that take place in Burbank weekly, at a rotation of churches in more sanitary controlled environments.
–   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   –   
I mentioned that the 1st Baptist Church of North Hollywood on Fair and Otsego have discontinued their Sunday meal that was held on the 3rd Sunday of the month.  However they are still providing a meal on Tuesday mornings for those who arrive at 10:30am.  It is generally a good meal and most is home made and donated by the participating church members.
–                                                                                       
On Tuesday’s at about 5:30pm a group of people bring food to North Hollywood Park. About half of the food is homemade.  This meal happens quite quickly, and they are packed up and gone in 30 to 40 minutes  
There is no lighting there, so I don’t know what is going to happen when we go back on standard time. Most of the providers have jobs and so getting there earlier probably isn’t likely.  I will let you know when I know.  This group started bringing food in July of 2015.
–                                                                                     
* All of the meals provided at North Hollywood Park occur at approximately the same location.
–                                                                                       
The pantry at the First Christian Church of North Hollywood, which is held on Monday and Friday mornings lost the person who used to bring food from a Trader Joe’s, which is somewhere in the middle of the Valley.  They still give out the usual bag of packaged and canned food, but it just isn’t as good as what was coming from Trader Joe’s.  It would be great if there was another person who could get food from TJ’s and bring it to the church parking lot on Monday and/or Friday mornings.  The church is on the south east corner of Colfax and Moorpork in Valley Village.  The church donates the space but I believe that the pantry is actually under the auspices of a synagogue on Riverside in Studio City.
—————————————————————————————————————————————-
The is a new entry from me: ↓
Free Taco Tuesdays
Check out the links below for more information:
As of Aug. 2016 the plan for Free Taco Tuesdays will to be held on alternate Tuesdays (2nd & 4th) at 5221 Cleon Street in North Hollywood from 4pm to 9pm (at least until “standard time’ starts again) (818) 626-7000.
However this meal has moved around a lot, so check their Facebook page before going.
The meal is just little tacos and up to four can be requested at a time.  Gaining popularity guests take a number and wait until it is called.  with only one cook it can take a while. Bottle water is provided and canned soft drinks are available for $1.
Vida-Life Ministries supports this effort and Jessica “Jesse” Alvarez is the women behind the Taco Tuesday as well as her “best friend” Chris (Chriztopher Garza) does the cooking.
They lost their place to live in the beginning of Dec. of 2015, and have been homeless ever since.  Living in a Dodge Charger and a donated RV which stores all of the equipment that is used in preparing and distributing free Tuesday tacos.
The event has been growing and hopefully it will remain on Cleon Street, but it is best to check the links for changes. The latest info from their Facebook page is every Tuesday on Cleon Street.
Even though they were homeless, Jesse and Chris started Taco Tuesday in March of 2016.
Recently tables and chairs were donated to accommodate the turnout.
https://www.google.com/#q=taco+tuesday+for+the+homeless –
https://www.facebook.com/TacoTuesday4Homeless –
@tacotuesday4homeless –
Sep 15

Hollywood Homeless May Face Starvation

West Hollywood Food Coalition Under Assault by City, Cops, Big Real Estate Corporations

Class War Rages in Hollywood

Food TruckThe class war is intensifying in Hollywood, as it is nation-wide.  With millions of foreclosures each year, more and more people are being put on the street.  Combined with the exporting of good jobs to China, it’s hard for many to survive on the minimum wage jobs that still exist, and especially since a lot of these are part-time jobs.  Paying rent of $800 or more for a single apartment on a part-time minimum wage job is tough.  More people than ever are living in their vehicles or on the street.  One reason a lot of homeless go to Hollywood to “live” is that the image-myth of Hollywood attracts thousands of tourists from around the world, making pan-handling easier there than say, Pacoima or Long Beach.

But Hollywood continues to have a massive development scheme.  Big buildings, condos, and towers continue to be built.  Billions of dollars are pouring into the area’s real estate.  And if there is one thing the real estate moguls don’t like to see, it’s homeless people.  “It’s bad for business.”  It gives the lie to the image of growth and success that the moguls are trying to polish up. If they don’t keep up the “Rah Rah” then their buildings may end up vacant. Although the breaking point of rents is fast approaching, the big investors who now own so much of Hollywood’s commercial and office buildings, seem to be oblivious to the further eroding of the economy.  So the word is out: Get rid of the homeless.  Push them out to somewhere else.  Anywhere but Hollywood.

A Lesson From The History Books

One way is to take a lesson from the history books.  When the American Imperial expansion was in full swing, the main obstacle was the Native American tribes, who had been residents of the land,  now called “The United States of America”, for thousands of years.  Solution: kill off the buffalo, food supply for the Natives.  This ultimately weakened many tribes into submission and made them dependent on food from the government.  This same tactic is now being pushed in the Hollywood area.  Cut off the food supply, harass them at every turn, arrest them, push them out.  This combined assault by the City of Los Angeles and it’s big business backers is now threatening the 27 year old Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition (GWHFC).

The GWHFC has fed about 200-300 folks a night for 27 years.  Operating on the corner of Sycamore and Romaine in Hollywood, help is there with a hot meal and often with volunteers who help the seniors and homeless with issues like health, legal problems, and psychological counseling.  Now comes the class war:  the Health Department demanded that all the tables and chairs be removed from the sidewalks; microscopic inspection of the food prep building; citations for anything imaginable; cops trolling the food lines trying to find homeless who have warrants outstanding; cops and B.I.D. police hanging around looking to cite anyone.  If you ever wanted to know what it was like to eat a meal in a Nazi food distribution during WW2 (if there even was one), then this is it.  Even during the great depression, big mobsters like Al Capone set up food kitchens in Chicago and fed thousands on the streets.  The politicians of today aren’t even as nice as the 30’s mobsters.  They hate the thought of feeding anyone, other than their honorable selves, of course.

Homeless Treated Worse Than Animals by Cops, City Politicos

If you are a senior or homeless and would like a free hot meal at the GWHFC nightly food distro, get ready to be treated like a dog.  Not by the good folks at the Food Coalition, who are trying to cope with this attack, but by a heartless, cruel City and their squadrons of Cops.  There are no tables to sit down and enjoy a meal.  You have to sit on the ground.  There’s no place to wash your hands, no bathrooms or porta-poties. Men, women, and children grovel on the ground for their gruel because the Food Coalition can no longer put out chairs and tables.

Americans, Unlike Other Humans, Do Not Ever Have To Go To The Toilet – An Entire Nation of Anal Retentives

Business people and some residents complain about the damage done or the annoyance in the neighborhood.  “I saw a homeless guy pissing on a tree.”  What do you expect?  There’s no bathrooms in the area and a lot of Hollywood businesses and restaurants try to keep them out of their bathrooms.  If the City can’t provide some free bathrooms, then you get what you deserve.  An outsider or visitor from another planet would notice right away that Americans never go to the bathroom.  These places, if they exist at all, are hidden away in secret corners, even in Shopping Malls.  Contrast this with Europe.  Go to London or Paris.  Bathrooms everywhere. In London the “Water Closets” are manned by old pensioners who exist on tips.  They work shifts and keep the places clean.  Think of all the seniors here in Hollywood.  A lot of them would like a job like that, just as soon as America joins the rest of the civilized world.  Meanwhile, it’s “piss-o-rama” on the back streets of Hollywood and will continue to be until the City of L.A. and the Hollywood business people wake up to THEIR responsibility to provide bathrooms FOR EVERYONE. (Hey, even the beloved tourists have to “go”)  And they could also find a suitable building in the area of Romaine and Sycamore and let the good folks at the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition go about their humane efforts to feed the hungry.  It is a responsibility for everyone to pitch in and help.  So to the Hollywood Fat Cats and Moguls: call off the Cops and sour-faced bureaucrats and lend a hand in finding a solution. Make the world a better place by becoming anal-expulsive.

Hidden Camera Shows Cops Lining Up Homeless “Suspects” at Sycamore and Romaine

Aug 22

Los Angeles Area Food Distro

SOVA Food Bank Distribution

Click here SOVA to go to website to get complete information on their programs.

Here is some of the information, please visit their website.

METRO –

Our new Metro pantry is located in West Hollywood at 1140 N. La Brea Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90038.

The METRO pantry is located on the east side of La Brea. Metered parking is available on La Brea as well as on surrounding streets.

WEST –

Our West pantry is located in the Pico-Robertson area of West Los Angeles at: 8846 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

The WEST pantry is located on the south side of Pico Blvd. one-half block west of Robertson Ave. Metered street parking is available on Pico Blvd. and surrounding streets as well as in a parking lot located just a few doors west of the building.

VALLEY –

Our Valley pantry is located in the middle of the San Fernando Valley at: 16439 Vanowen St., Van Nuys, CA 91406

The VALLEY pantry is located on the north side of Vanowen St. one-half block east of Hayvenhurst Ave. Our building is located off the street behind a row of storefronts. Follow the driveway that is between Taqueria San Jose and Costa Azul Restaurant to our parking lot.

Pantry Hours:

Metro

Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

(2nd and 4th Sunday of each month ONLY)

Monday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Tuesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Thursday NO Food Distribution

Counseling services by appointment only.

Friday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

West

Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

(1st and 3rd Sunday of each month ONLY)

Monday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Friday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Valley

Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

(Open every Sunday except holiday weekends)

Monday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Tuesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

Friday 10:00 am – 1:30 pm

 

 

Food Circles and Food Meet-Ups

Aside

Why You Need To Organize a Food Circle Now

About a year ago, when it was evident that more and more people are becoming either homeless or “financially challenged”, some of my friends started to seriously worry about having enough to eat.  Many of us were going through times when there was just no money to buy food.  Constant hunger blinds you to a lot of other things, and the human body needs to eat.  Living in a vehicle makes it harder to eat at all, much less eat healthy.  If you have some money left over from your job, or if you have an income that is at least modest, you can eat at restaurants every day.  However, many now do not have that much money – it gets expensive to do that.  If you are living in an RV you at least have a refrigerator and cooking facilities.  If you are in a van or car it gets tougher to prepare meals.

There’s things you can do when you are in a car or van to help on this, but it is another subject for another post, and I welcome reader comments on your experiences.  This post is about creating what we call a “Food Circle” or Food Meet-Up.  When the realization hit that food was becoming a problem, we started to exchange information about where to get cheap meals, places to get free food, where to “dumpster dive” for food, and other topics.  The information led to us getting food and then distributing it (for free of course) to each other and to other needy folks.  Now a part of our lives has become constant searching for food solutions, the first of which is GETTING the food.

Talk to a few of your friends about this and form a mini food “co-op”.  Find out where to get free food.  Each person gets a bag or two.  Markets and market dumpsters are good for fresh stuff. I will have more detailed posts on places to get food, but now GET ORGANIZED.  I don’t mean elect presidents and secretaries, this is not the film club.  Get a few of your friends and agree to get food for free (or cheap) and share it.  Meet at least once a week.  Give your excess to others who are unable to physically participate.  Once you start looking for food you will find it, but believe me, with friends helping friends it is much easier.  10 -20 people is a good number for a Food Circle.  Everyone goes to different places and gets food.  At the weekly Food meet up you share it.  This will give you a new attitude on the real meaning of life and friendship.  There is nothing better that sharing food and love with your friends, and then with others you don’t even know.  You can even have a food “picnic” once a month, where your group goes to the park and have a fun pot-luck food festival.

In some parts of the cities the problem of hunger is really overwhelming.  You can’t do it all, but you can start with one Food Circle and help your friends.  Meet up now, and get started in a meaningful way.  Urge others to do the same.  When this first started, some of us were really embarrassed that things had gotten so bad that food was such a problem.  The truth is that the economy is not good and getting worse.  The VALUE of your dollar is going down, the more the banks print money, the more the money is worth less.  It’s called inflation.  Think back to 1960 (if you are old enough and still have some memory cells).  A gallon of gas was 25 cents.  A pack of cigarettes was 25 cents.  A cup of coffee was 5 cents or 10 cents, the same with a coke.  A paperback book was 25 – 35 cents, comics were 10 – 15 cents.  Are you starting to get the picture?  You could rent an apartment in L.A. for $50 bucks a month.  How much are all these things now?  Everything has gone up 10 to 15 times since 1960.  Except of course, YOUR WAGES, if you even have a job.  Because of inflation, the minimum wage should be around $30 an hour, just to keep even with 1960.

When the government tells you that there isn’t much inflation, they are lying.  They don’t count food, rent and gasolene, some of the most important things in your life.  Now you can clearly see the seriousness of our situation.  Don’t feel embarrassed about it, it’s a crushing fact.  Now all we can do is to help each other out of this.  Solutions are there for us.  We are thinking about a new slogan:  “Starve a banker, feed a Senior”.

Future posts will cover:

Where to get Free food

Where to get cheap food.  Much help is around for Seniors especially.

How to prepare food in your car or van.

 

Jan 19

More on Free or Cheap Food

We have also found that many cities, especially the big cities like Los Angeles, have many free food centers, use the internet to find them.  Remember, YOU ARE NOW A HUNTER-GATHERER, you must devote some of your time to “hunting up” some food.

And don’t forget the local “Farmers Markets” in your area.  Food is cheap, lots of good veggies and fruit.  You can walk around munching on “samples”.  At the end of the day the farmers will often give away what is left, for free or cheap, because they have to get rid of it before it spoils.  I have bought a lug of tomatoes, for instance, for $1.  Meet up with other gypsies and SHARE the food you have foraged. 

Dumpster diving is also fun.  I have never met a dumpster I didn’t like!  Look behind markets, drug stores, bakeries, etc.  You will be amazed at all the good food that is thrown out every day!  Because some asshole sued some of the fast food chains, many lock their dumpsters at night.  If you find a nice one that is open you can get meals for many people. Remember:  the chicken or burgers cannot be kept until the next day.  Anything left is thrown out.  Every Starbucks for instance, has to get rid of “expired” packaged food when the expiration date comes up.  If you can get to the unlocked bin you can eat for a week.  The so-called “expired” food is usually good for a few days, keep a cooler of ice available for storage.  My rule is that if it smells bad I don’t eat it. Err on the side of caution, if you puke it up blame yourself for being careless or stupid.

As my friend Blaine has said many times: The worst meal I ever had was delicious!  Enjoy your free food! Send us your comments!