Large Los Angeles homeless shelter now charging $7 per night

[Liberal_in_LA]

Skid Row shelter charges fees as economy toughens

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Skid Row resident Dadisi Komolafe points indignantly to the sign reading "Union Rescue Mission," and grumbles that the name no longer fits since the shelter started charging for a nightly stay.

"They should change it to 'Union Hotel'," said the nearly toothless jazz musician, who sleeps on the street. "If you have to pay to stay there, it's not a mission. A lot of people are getting turned away."

For decades, four missions have given out "three hots and a cot" for free in downtown Los Angeles' Skid Row, where 4,000 down-on-their-luck people cram a 50-block area to form the nation's densest concentration of homeless people. The overflow from the shelters — nearly 1,000 people — spills nightly onto urine-stained sidewalks in a bedlam of tents, cardboard boxes and sleeping bags.

Two months ago, Union Rescue started charging $7 for an overnight stay, and cut its three free meals a day to one.

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"We've increased our sustainability, but we really think people are feeling better about themselves if they're not just taking handouts," Bales said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyzwTVSeiO04zQzfQuT8Wfacee8g?docId=87b14e55928d4c1aa798739f27973a55

[leftstreet]

1. LOL using that logic, the military should be holding bake sales

Earning their own bomb and aircraft carrier money, feeling better about themselves

:puke:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[Liberal_in_LA]

3. Heard an interview with the head guy - he sounded just like a rightwinger

His view of the homeless is that they are lazy parasites.

[REP]

4. That's like a cruel joke, only it's not funny

I could see asking those who stay to pitch in with some chores - cooking, cleaning, filing, whatever - but asking money from those who have so little, if any, is just mean.

[rucky]

5. Help people by making things harder for them.

That's the conservative way.

[TK421]

8. Conservative fucktards think everyone in this position put THEMSELVES there

as if it was a deliberate act,and when you try to explain to them why that is false, they just don't have any time for you or your reasoning. Fuck these shitheads..they should have been drowned at birth

I know people like this, and they are complete assholes...selfish, self-absorbed, and totally unaware of the world around them

[kestrel91316]

6. All the people who volunteer there need to go on strike and demand pay.

Because taking volunteer labor is just another form of "parasitism" and laziness.

[izquierdista]

7. Someone please tell me,

Having been away from L.A. for a long time, are there still wall to wall tents on the lawn at City Hall?

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. I don't think s. the big tent community moved to an empty lot. Organized themself into a community

with a leader, Ted Hayes. Tried to keep it going as a permanent community with these structures. The area was called "Dome Village"


Image from this site: http://readymadeblogs.mydevstaging.com/blogs/readymade/category/travel/

http://news.cnet.com/2300-1025_3-6227524-13.html

Dome Village in Los Angeles features transitional shelters for homeless people. Eight common domes include a community center, kitchens, and bathrooms. Each dome offers 314 square feet of living space. The shell of polyester and fiberglass is supposed to be easy enough for a pair of people to assemble within four hours with a screwdriver and a wrench. Craig Chaimberlain designed the 21 panels making up each structure to be connected by Teflon bolts.

Eventually Dome Village was shut down.

[Pigheaded]

10. They either charge or close

The realities of this economy are harsh.

PH

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. You're kidding right?

:puke:

[EFerrari]

13. It's not realistic to expect homeless people to have $7.

They're charging the wrong people.

[Pigheaded]

15. K I am dense

Maybe I am ignorant.
I thought these four were purely charity run.
Donations are running out.
They are out of funds.

Where else do they get $$$ ?

PH

[EFerrari]

16. That's a real and a fair question.

When I've worked on this, we went to city hall and asked for money (fought is a better word) and we also tried to make money in other ways in the community. There are times donations are down. Then, you have to go get them. It's a continuing struggle, it's never over.

[Odin2005]

11. Yay, lets kick 'em while they are down some more!

Bastards.

[Shagbark Hickory]

14. I can see charging a dollar or two but $7? There's motels along the interstates that only charge a

few times that.
I hope they at least get turn down service and a concierge.
And a shuttle to the airport.