SET UP FOR FAILURE- THEY NEVER HAD A CHANCE

by Garry Featherstone

In my first article posted in the Beach Head I explained why I thought it was a bad idea to house the homeless in Motels without certain conditions. Let me be clear. In my opinion, the homeless that are addicted to drugs, or the ones suffering from some form of mental illness, should be treated for such before being placed in permanent housing. My reasoning is as follows.

Because you remove the unhoused from the streets, does not change their drug habit, nor does it change their behavior. After being placed in a motel, that person is still a drug addict and his or her behavior does not change. They still go out all times of the day and night and collect and look for things that will support their habit. Whether it’s recycling, searching through garbage, or just plain stealing, nothing has changed.

My point, as we speak, 75% of the homeless that were housed in a motel, continues to get high. Nothing has changed. All of the Motels the homeless were placed in, are supervised by St. Josephs. St. Josephs are at these motels 24 hours a day.

The problem is that the people that are supervising the homeless, have limited experience dealing with people addicted to drugs. Even though they don’t recognize the symptons, even if they did, what would they do? Nothing is being done now which is my point. The same habits continues, even under the supervision of St. Joseph’s.

After inspecting each motel over weeks, I must tell you that what I observed enhances my opinion that the homeless were set up for failure. What I can tell you is that St. Josephs is not taking this undertaking very serious. How could they when the homeless continue to display the same behavior they displayed on the streets. Bottomline, the homeless are still addicted to drugs while under St. Josephs supervision.

Why do I care? Because removing the homeless from the streets was only done because the well to do were complaining, led by City Council Woman, Traci Parks. It’s so obvious. Look who they removed. All the homeless by Golds Gym and Google. Money, Money, Money.

They never attempted to removed those on Venice Blvd, under the freeway pass, and the surrounding area. Look at those on Jefferson Blvd. But now that one of the homeless guys died in a fire, and this fake ass black woman who lives in Playa Del Rey, keep complaining, just maybe they’ll clean that area up.

Please keep in mind that the homeless are not getting real drug treatment while housed at these motels. It’s a waste of time.

What I’m explaining to you, I explained in a letter to mayor Bass, and city council Woman, Traci Parks. I was ignored, and I understand why. No one gives a damn whether the homeless make it or not, as long as they are not around the well to do. They accomplished their goal, with the help of Mayor Karen Bass.

It is not hard to get the homeless to go to motels to get out of the cold and rain. However in a article I just read, they are praising Traci Parks for getting the homeless off the streets.NEWS FLASH: They are still drug addicts.

Look around Venice and you will see Homeless Men and Women sleeping in doorways of stores, up and down Lincoln Blvd. They are sleeping on side streets, alleys, and these homeless people display the same behavior as the ones housed in motels. My problem with this is Traci Parks and Mayor Bass, were only concerned with getting the homeless out of the white folks area.

Bottomline, it is my opinion that the homeless placed in motels were set up for failure. I base my opinion on the way they live at the motels. Nothing has changed. Bicycles and motorcycles all over the place. Rooms are filthy and nasty. Some rooms have been damaged.

They are still collecting trash, and most of them stay under the influence everyday. So, you’re going to take this product and place it in a apartment and hope for the best. The homeless have been tricked and set up for failure.

The first thing that should have been done was to attempt to provide drug treatment to those that are addicts. Every person suffering from some form of mental illness, should have been evaluated by a doctor, and started receiving treatment. If drug addicts were enrolled in treatment, by the time they get ready to look at an apartment, some of them will be clean and sober and ready to go forward. They are sitting in these motels doing absolutely nothing.

I want you to keep something this in mind. You cannot blame the homeless because they were pretty much forced off the streets. They were placed a position in which they could not defend themselves against.

I want everyone to think about this. The city continues to allow the Coastal Commission to allow the wealthy to build all over Venice, in most cases under questionable conditions. The builders submit plans for one thing, and build another, then come back and submit a revised copy of those plans. What about the homeless. When is the city going to build a Treatment Center in Venice. Oh, I forgot, the well to do don’t want them in Venice. The same way the Coastal Commission is allowing the wealthy to build what they want, I’m sure they can bend the rules for Drug Treatment Center.

If you were going to open a hospital, you must recruit staff to run it. Staff that know what they are doing. When the Mayor undertook this SAFE PROGRAM, she should have recruited men and women that know what they are doing. That’s not the case here. When you see what I see on a daily basis, it only reinforces my opinion that the homeless were set up for failure.