Union Rescue Mission, The Way Home

This winter, twice as many homeless families sought emergency shelter – LA Times

by Dan on Sunday, March 29th, 2009, Filed Under General, In The News | View Comments

Alitha Chism, 28, reads a bedtime story to her children Friday at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown L.A. The family was evicted after Alitha’s husband Amos, in back, lost his job and their apartment went into foreclosure.

Jia-Rui Chong of the Los Angeles Times writes about the increase in families who sought emergency shelter this past winter.

The number of homeless families in Los Angeles County seeking emergency shelter over the winter nearly doubled this year compared to last, according to figures from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

By the end of this year’s winter shelter program, which wrapped up this month, 620 families had sought vouchers for motel or hotel stays. Last winter, there were 330 families.

Union Rescue Mission CEO Andy Bales was interviewed for the article.

The Rev. Andy Bales, the mission’s chief executive, speculated that foreclosures were probably throwing more families onto the street than individuals. And recently laid-off individuals were probably more likely to find a friend or family member to take them in, he added.

“When you bring the whole family into a house, the welcome wears out sooner,” he said.

Click here to read the whole article.