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Homeless in Lancaster California get free tickets to go away
Nonprofit pays for people to bus to places where they have family or other support systems. Mayor R. Rex Parris says Lancaster has become a ‘dumping ground’ for other cities’ homeless.
Andrea and Greg Killgore were already living on the streets in Las Vegas when they decided to relocate to Lancaster in early March. They thought their job prospects would be better in California.
But the couple were unable to find work and feared they would soon end up back on the streets.
Since January, the Grace Resource Center has offered to cover transportation expenses for homeless people to return to their home states or wherever they have families or other means of support. So far the group has spent about $2,500 to help more than a dozen people leave Lancaster through the Opportunity Bus Pass Program.
"It’s to help people get well and start over," said Steve Baker, the center’s executive director.
Mayor R. Rex Parris is a strong advocate of the bus program, even contributing $10,000 of his own money. He said he is upset by what he believes is an unspoken policy by Los Angeles agencies and others to use his city as a "dumping ground" for the homeless.
"The more economically disadvantaged people they can ship to the Antelope Valley, or encourage to go there to live, then they don’t have to pay for services for them," he said.
Homeless people who have chosen to relocate to Lancaster are putting a strain on local police and social services, Parris said. The city’s own needy should come first, he said.
"We have an obligation to take care of our own homeless," he said.
There are an estimated 73,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County, including at least 2,000 in the Antelope Valley, on any given night, according to statistics from the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Anecdotal evidence suggests the number is rising because of the economic downturn, said Christine Marge, officer of the agency’s Basic Needs program.
Jonathan Powell, a spokesman for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, disputed allegations that the city was encouraging its homeless to relocate to the Antelope Valley or anywhere else.
"We’re doing everything possible to get our homeless families the services and shelter they need to get back on their feet," he said.
Powell said Los Angeles’ social service agencies view accusations of homeless dumping by other municipalities as "urban legend, to deflect from their lack of achievement on this issue."
Some homeless advocates take issue with the philosophy behind homeless busing programs.
"It makes the assumption that someone has some fabulous support system someplace far away," said Anat Rubin, director of public policy at Lamp Community, an advocacy group based in L.A.’s skid row, who acknowledged that she was not familiar with the specifics of Grace’s program. "If someone is living on the street, the likelihood they have some great support system someplace else is slim."
So far, most beneficiaries of the free bus program in Lancaster have been local residents who chose to go elsewhere, according to the Grace Resource Center.
Several homeless people who learned about Parris’ views when he visited the center in January said they were offended.
"The way the mayor put it, ‘homeless go home,’ I didn’t like that. That was kind of cold," said Grace Guijarro, 57, of California City, who lives at the Lancaster Community Shelter. "Not all homeless are . . . robbers and killers."
"I think it’s very narrow-minded," said Isis Wickham, 26, who is also homeless. "He’s stereotyping all of us. It’s not like we want to be here."
In addition to hot meals and showers, the Grace Resource Center provides emergency groceries, clothing, counseling and other services to at least 8,000 needy residents each month, officials said.
Baker, the center’s director and a pastor for more than three decades, said that he and the mayor have different motivations for the bus pass program. But they agree on its goal: to reduce homelessness in Lancaster and help people get their lives back on track.
"We’re not in the business of shipping people out of here," Baker said. "We’re in the ministry of compassion. We know that God can turn people’s lives around."
Baker said he talks to more than two dozen people each day who come to the shelter seeking advice or assistance. "When I see that they are sort of jogging in place . . . I ask the question: ‘Do you have a relative anywhere?’ " he said.
If the answer is no, he inquires: "If you could go anywhere in the country and start over, where would you go?"
As for the Killgores, the couple said they were happy for the helping hand and a chance to reconnect with family. "I’m so excited," Angela Killgore said shortly before departing for Denver. "It’s going to be a fresh start for us."
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=5588
Posted by Veterans Today on Mar 30 2009, With 0 Reads, Filed under Of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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This is just another disgusting program to sweep the “human dirt” under the rug. The government “service worker” probably asks the homeless person something like: “do you have a relative, ever had a relative, know someone, or ever knew someone…who doesn’t live here.” Then they slap the homeless person on a bus out of town to “visit” this person to avoid the responsibility of taking care of the homeless person themselves. Despicable. I am sure that many of these homeless people are also veterans.
In order to qualify for the Opportunity Bus Pass, we screen the recipient finding out if there is a place they can go where there is a viable support group. We then contact the people at the other end to make certain they can and want to help the person requesting the bus ticket. Only after we know someone who will help them and will be there to pick them up, do we purchase the ticket.
This is a good thing that should be expanded everywhere. Imagine the number of children who are forced into prostitution, because they can’t get back home.
But then again, no good deed should go unpunished.
Mr Mayor
Thank you for taking time to express your self here, you are certainly welcome to come back at any time and be heard regarding any veterans concerns you and the community of Lancaster California may have.
If any good deed you embark upon is rewarded with ‘punishment’, please let us know at Veterns Today, you may be surprised to know that we have many friends in high places looking out for the best interests of veterans and their families and in this instance the communities who are shouldering their share of the social burdens associted with homelessness among veterans.
Baker said he talks to more than two dozen people each day who come to the shelter seeking advice or assistance. “When I see that they are sort of jogging in place . . . I ask the question: ‘Do you have a relative anywhere?’ ” he said.
If the answer is no, he inquires: “If you could go anywhere in the country and start over, where would you go?”
I know I am just a poor old disabled infantryman, but that last question makes me really wonder if they are sending them to relatives or friends to help or just sending them on a one way vacation to wherever it is they want to start over? Otherwise why ask the question? P.S If they say they want to come to South Carolina discourage them, we have the 2nd highest unemployment rate in the nation, my cousin who usually is able to find a job within days had now been out of work for 5 months, the longest period of his life, he’s 46.
If any of the vets are homelss how about hooking them up wth the VA instead of buying them a one way ticket to anyplace but Lancaster.
Did you know that there is one homeless shelther in Lancaster, and they only take in 10 people a day…the rest is out of luck. I can see why the Mayor would want to send people away…But the fact still stands that there will always be people in need of help and will always hit rock bottom over night, not knowing where to turn. I belive the Mayor should build a bigger buildind (shelter) to house people that hits rock bottom, since he’s building all these other places…Or maybe I should run for Mayor and show him how it’s done.lol (Maybe I will)
http://www.rockbottomtv.com ((coming soon)) showing people what really goes on…
Any comments, please replay to (( rockbottomtvdotcom@yahoo.com ))
Mr Mayor good job. you are helping them to get a better life,movieing to a new state and a new city,, i was in lancaster ca 12 years ago. nice city.a city with tax money can help out some but your taxs can help out all the time. but mr mayor you are for geting your past, lancaster is made up with peple from all the states like la. isi bet if you ask most of the woman and guys that live in lancaster ca, they are from indiana ky or from any state . but they are not from lancaster ca. so you need to think about this. if it was not for woman and guys moveing to your city you wold not have a city.. carl
Considering the fact that the city of Lancaster not only seeks out but relies on HUD funding projects in an adverse economy to financialy support itself while knowing at the same time that these programs bring low income individuals or families into the area on the brink of economic failure or more clearly said, the edge of homelessness I read what the Mayor is saying is this. The City of Lancaster would like all the Federal and State funding it can get it’s hands on used to support the poor and disadvantaged through governemnt grants and programs but they really don’t want to take any responsibilit for what the programs bring into it’s City as a cross section of people. And with that said, it appears their risk management would view this issue in a manner as follows. It economically feasible to recieve the funding which brings that crowd into the area because the cost of a ticker out of town is insifnicant to the money per head government fudning brings in. And the City of Lancaster is doing it’s communit a favor how?