Solutions

(Photo blurred for anonymity)

Larry has a biting wit that has always been pretty dark, revealing a self-proclaimed sense of hopelessness. During his 18 years on the streets, he slept with a knife in his hand for protection nearly every night. But after just four weeks in housing, Larry’s demeanor has taken a remarkable turn.

Eight communities gathered in Los Angeles this month to participate in the first Acceleration Boot Camp, a 3-day training event designed to reinvent the way local organizations move their homeless neighbors into permanent housing. The event builds on the success of previous Housing Placement Boot Camps, which targeted housing systems for homeless veterans.

Maybe it’s the woman on your block who sometimes asks you for spare change, or the homeless veteran you walk past every day on your way to work. Everyone has a story about a homeless neighbor, but too often we feel like there’s nothing we can do to help.

Fernando was born into a family plagued by alcohol and drug addiction and spent many years in and out of prison. During his final incarceration he resolved to do whatever it took to turn his life around, but walking away from his old life hasn’t come easy.

Ernie served in the Navy for seven years during Vietnam before returning to Arlington, VA. He worked for a defense contractor for many years, but was eventually laid off and forced to seek sporadic work as a day laborer. When he threw his back out, even these temporary jobs became impossible. Two years ago, with no income and limited ability to work, Ernie began sleeping under a wooded overpass in Arlington County.

Holly, a U.S. veteran and former combat medic, spent over 10 years homeless on the streets of Phoenix, AZ. Battling post-traumatic stress disorder with almost no medical attention, she suffered threats, violence and the sudden loss of her husband, all without the security of a home.

Calvin, a 72-year-old homeless veteran, lived on the streets of Bethesda. MD for decades. Suffering from heart disease, liver disease and chronic frostbite, research shows that Calvin was unusually vulnerable to death, yet somehow, he continued to beat the odds.

In 1980, Esmerido fled Cuba and the Castro regime on a makeshift boat bound for Florida. After securing legal residency in the United States, he eventually found his way to Southern California, where he worked as a day laborer and farm worker for several years. Then, in 1999, battling heart problems and drug addiction, he became homeless on the streets of Los Angeles.

This week's Monday move-in story pays tribute to William Larry Major in Charlotte, NC, and the local Campaign group that helped him find a permanent home before his death. William Larry "Chilly Willy" Major spent two decades as the most famous homeless man on the streets of Charlotte. Eight months ago, however, he moved into a permanent apartment with help from the Urban Ministry Center, a local group leading the 100,000 Homes Campaign on the ground.