More than 200 people jammed the courtyard for the opening of the new A Bridge Home Shelter in Watts November 13. Mayor Eric Garcetti addressed the crowd, along with Joe Buscaino, LA City Councilman for the area, in CD 15, and other dignitaries. The Mayor said this shelter, at 2316 E. Imperial Highway, is the ninth to be completed out of a planned 26. Each of the city’s 15 council districts is ordered to build at least one of these new generation, more humane, bridge housing shelters.

A November chart on the Mayor’s website (copy below) lists 8 of the new shelters completed of 25 pledged. Mayor Garcetti reported that there are actually 9 of 26 finished.

Research on Homeless People With Pets

While we often think that homeless people seldom have pets because of not having a real home to provide for their pets, this is typically not the case. In fact, many people become homeless because they would prefer to be homeless with their pet than in a home without them.

Providing their pet with love and care often gives them a feeling of normalcy that they wouldn’t otherwise have under those circumstances. As long as the person is able to keep their pet well-fed, cared for, groomed and healthy, there is no reason why the two shouldn’t be allowed to stay together.

Many homeless state that their pet took care of them as much as they took care of the pet. Some even go so far as to say that their pets gave them a reason for living. These are the very reasons why it’s so important to provide the large number of homeless people every opportunity possible to keep their pets with them or provide them with temporary shelter.

Links to Resources for Homeless People with Pets from 365 Pet Insurance

LAHSA has asked us to post the Facebook video link below about the 2019 Homeless Count, with their introductory comments:

Every year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) compiles and analyzes the data that you, our dedicated volunteers, collected about the number of homeless residents in our community. We provide analysis and data to help build better solutions and, hopefully, a better tomorrow for everyone.

We invite you to watch this video about the results of the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. It discusses homelessness in Los Angeles County, what is being done to end it, and what still must be done.

Click Here To Watch

To learn more about the Count and the data collected, please use the following links:

2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Press Release

2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Presentation

Current and prospective homeless service providers: Here is information on how to apply for a contract with a Los Angeles County department or the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) for a share in the Measure H funding for expanding homeless services in LA County.

A downloadable PDF of this information is available at the bottom of the article.