Homeless People Displaced by LA Fires in Need of Shelters and Support

Just as the Los Angeles fires have uprooted thousands of homeowners, many homeless people who lived in recreational vehicles or beneath underpasses in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena area have similarly been displaced.

Mel Tillekeratne – co-founder and executive director of The Shower of Hope, a nonprofit that provides homeless people in LA County with hygiene services – said that the fires especially affect the unhoused community on multiple levels. While both homeowners and homeless people have had their belongings destroyed, the latter are unlikely to have their valuables insured, and without an address, are unable to receive assistance from the state or federal government.

Smoke affecting the air quality is another issue of concern. People who are outside 24/7 are constantly inhaling dangerous pollutants. Many old homes in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas that burned down contained asbestos and lead, Tillekeratne said, which homeless people are now breathing in. From where he lives in MacArthur Park, he can smell the smoke in his home, even with an air filter on.

With the ash and dust in the air, Tillekeratne said there’s been an uptick in people wanting access to showers and the nonprofit’s other programs, including the Safe Parking Program, but they’ve also received more calls about people looking for shelters.

With so many homes that have been destroyed, Tillekeratne said that shelters are now prioritizing people who have been displaced over those who were already homeless.

“We’re getting calls from people saying, ‘I don’t have a place to go. I can’t get into a shelter … because I wasn’t displaced by a fire, but I’m still homeless,’” Tillekeratne said. “For us, there is an uptick in people that we need to serve, but I think it’s the things we don’t see that are more troubling.

“If this is the case one week into the disaster, what’s it going to look like three months from now, because we all know that insurance companies are going to drag their feet,” he continued. “The sad truth is people are going to forget and we’re going to hit [a new] normal after six weeks.”

Rowan Vansleve – president of Hope the Mission, a nonprofit that helps the unhoused community with homeless support services and emergency food – said they’ve seen a spike in some mental health episodes, including overdoses. He said the harmful smoke in the air, combined with the stress and anxiety left by the fire’s devastation, is overwhelming people who are already struggling with the trauma of living on the streets.

“The other thing that we have seen is a number of the communities that we’ve been working with are accessing our services – the shower program, the meal programs, case management services – at our access centers at a much higher rate,” Vansleve said. “It’s obvious from the trauma of what everyone’s going through together that they’re reaching out and then looking for more support.”

The fires have not only posed a danger to people but to the nonprofit’s facilities as well. Vansleve recounted how flames could be seen from the balcony of a shelter in Woodland Hills, filling the people there “with just terror and fear.” Buses were ready to evacuate the occupants, but fortunately, they were not needed and everyone inside was kept safe.

He also said the nonprofit’s shelter in North Hollywood lost power for nearly a week, relying on generators for their shower units and placing battery lamps throughout the site. They struggled with heating, however, requiring the generosity of neighbors to supply blankets and heavy winter coats to keep the occupants warm.

Although the nonprofit’s shelters are safe and running, they’re already at capacity, meaning they can’t take in more people. For those in the shelters currently, who struggle with mental health and addiction, Vansleve said that a crisis like this sends them into a spiral, so they’ve been searching to get mental health support for everyone.

Fortunately for Hope the Mission, the community has stepped up in providing aid. The nonprofit has been hosting a donation drive at its headquarters in North Hills and other facilities where anyone can drop off items including clothes, shoes, baby supplies, cleaning products and small household appliances.

These items will be distributed through free shopping coupons redeemable at the nonprofit’s thrift stores, through its shelters and housing services and other partner agencies working with fire victims.

When Vansleve put out the call for donations on Sunday, Jan. 12, he said the response he got the next morning was “overwhelming.” On just the first day, they received more than 30 pallets worth of items to donate. The plan was to host the drive until Wednesday, but with such a great amount of support, it was extended to Monday, Jan. 20.

“One of the things that keeps me going is just the incredible generosity of the people of LA and beyond,” Vansleve said. “We’ve had to do some pretty crazy things to raise money like [bicycling] across the country and spending time on the street ourselves, but one thing has always been true: people from all across LA are continually generous … when we’re really low and we’re struggling to keep the doors open.”

Hope the Mission is accepting donations at its headquarters at 16641 Roscoe Place in North Hills from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. between today and Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, as well as at all their thrift stores during normal business hours.

The nonprofit is also partnering with the Hospital Association for Southern California for the Eaton Wildfire Donation Drive on Sunday, Jan. 19, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Pasadena at 351 S Hudson St.

To learn more about Hope the Mission and its locations, call (818) 392-0020 or go to https://hopethemission.org/.

For more about The Shower of Hope and its locations, visit https://www.theshowerofhope.org/about.