There is a strong misconception about the homeless capital of Los Anegels, referred to as Skid Row. Due to the change in the economy, there is a rise in population on Skid Row, and it encompasses every walk of life to include, women, children, families, pregnant girls, professionals, teachers, servicemen, and individuals who just 3 months ago owned their own home. The face of Skid Row has changed dramatically. It was believed that Skid Row was populated mostly by drug addicts, mentally disabled individsuals, and those who chose such a lifestyle. That is simply untue. The problem deepens when we add into the equation the lack of services provided by the shelters in the local area. These shelters are privately and governmentally funded, but provide little to no assistance to the people who need it.
Operation Skid Row is a grass-roots group of individuals passionate about helping those in need.. . with what they need. We are not affiliated with a church or any other type of organization. What the people on Skid Row may need is defined many ways, and could be a blanket, food, clothing or a bottle of water. However, sometimes it includes only an ear to listen, and a heart to sympathize. We conduct only "hand-to-hand" donations drops which translates to the action of handing the people personally what they need. We do not donate to the shelters. The reason for this is because of the extreme problem of internal theft and weakness in infrastrucure. We will continue to try and work with the shelters, but until they can assure us, and our donors that the people in need actually receive the donations, we will continue to conduct business as usual, on the streets.
We, at Operation Skid Row are not ignorant to the fact that distributing dsonations is not the key to solving homelessness, and we are aware it is a "temporary fix" until the politics change. We as a society also need to change our idea of homelessness, and as a community come together to assist these people in need. It will truly take "a village". Donations is just the beginning to what we hope to accomplish. An important goal of ours is housing, job placement, and most importantly transplanting the people on Skid Row to another area. This is a tall order, but we are determined, passionate and resourceful souls with strong hearts and solid minds. We will make a difference.
