Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

Part 1

Homelessness - no one wants to see it, or talk about it. Most of us simply feel guilty. We think, but for the grace of God, there goes I.

I am the daughter of a man who grew up in an orphanage in New York.

My family is no stranger to being poor. My father was one of 13 children and was sent to live in an orphanage in New York after his father died. When I look into the eyes of a homeless person I search for a piece of my own family. I try not to judge, but to help when I can.

I am also the mother of two children.

If I see a possible threat to my children or my community, my protective instincts kick in, and I go “Mama Bear”. This is what happened early on the morning of October 28, 2014. It was 7:07 a.m. on a crisp fall day, and I had just walked my junior high school kids to the school bus at the corner of Grayfox and Fernhill adjacent to the Point Dume Elementary School playground.

After the kids got on the bus, I noticed a white beat up Van with curtains drawn closed and an out-of-state license plate parked adjacent to the playground. Something in me felt uneasy. Another mother who had dropped of her son walked over to look at the out of place vehicle too. We started a conversation and both agreed that it would be a good idea to stay vigilant just in case a child gets abducted from the school. I took out my cell phone and took a picture of the van and the license plate - - - just in case.

We started to walk away from the van when I heard the door open. All of the sudden a young woman about 30 or so years old burst out and screeched “My name is Nicole. I am not a child abductor, I am just homeless looking for a safe place to sleep. This is why I slept here next to the elementary school in my van.” Her hair was red and unkempt. Her eyes were blue and filled with pain.

Our mother hearts melted, and we walked over and to ask how we could help. We managed to help her get a shower. (The Picture above was taken shortly after she cleaned up). Barbara, the other mother with me at the bus stop in October, did an amazing job of helping her with clothes and even helped her get a job as a waitress and mental health services over the course of the next several months.

We thought we could help. We thought Nicole would do great. She got on meds, she got the job and she seemed to be on her way.

About a month or so after this incident, I got a call from Carol Moss who was meeting with Sandy Liddel at Malibu Methodist church to discuss homeless issues. I went to the meeting and we formed the Community Assistance and Resource Team (CART) to help people like Nicole.

During the CART meetings we met with Pacific Palisades Task Force members and other organizations. We wanted to learn more about how we could stem the growing homeless crisis. Many homeless neighbors joined CART and we got a better understanding of many of the issues they faced: from lack of warm showers to no affordable housing to losing everything after one horrific auto accident.

CART collaborated with City of Malibu, LA County, and numerous other homeless providers to do our first “Homeless Connect Day” in the fall of 2015. The Day took place at the old LA County Court House building next to the Library. In essence, it was a a one-stop-shop where homeless could meet various providers - from DMV ID issued cards, to mental health providers, to job training programs, to free hair cuts and foot massages. The event gave homeless opportunity to get help, and gave our community the opportunity to see lives transformed to the event.

One year later on the exact same day, October 28, 2015, as fate would have it I saw Nicole again at the Homeless Connect Day in Malibu. She had lost her job, had gone off the medicine for the mental health issue and was again disheveled and distraught, and nearly in tears.

I asked how I could help. I tried to introduce her to some of the service providers, but what she really wanted was a ride to the local pot dispensary. She explained the marijuana simply helped her function.

I gave her a ride, but it broke my heart to see this young woman suffering. At that moment, I realized I was not equipped to give her the help she desperately needed, and any money I gave might be enabling her to simply tread water instead of getting out of the deep end.

The Malibu Task Force on Homeless was formed about three months later in January 2016 to focus on one task - raising the funds to hire professionals social workers in Malibu whose helping people like Nicole on a full-time basis. This approach is novel, but has been shown to be effective in the Pacific Palisades.

Will it help?