A recent count revealed 58,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County. Of those there are 17,000 who are chronically homeless.
“The chronic homeless population — defined as those who have been on the streets at least a year or multiple times and suffering mental illness, addiction or physical disability — increased 20% to more than 17,000, despite increasing numbers placed into housing.”-LA Times
The problem of the homeless with severe mental illness seems almost insurmountable because this population often resists offers of assistance and current laws which prevent forced hospitalization state that a person must be a threat to themselves or others and unable to provide for their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter.
This is a positive story about the efforts of a small Southern California community, how they were able to bring a homeless woman, known as Pretty Blonde, to the mental health care she needed and reunite her with family. I read about her in the LA Times article by Steve Lopez, The Mystery Homeless Woman of Pacific Palisades and the village that helped her home.
LA Time video about this story.
Featured image ‘Almond Blossoms’ by Vincent Van Gogh via wikimedia.
We Are The World Blogfest #WATWB is a monthly blogging group, hosted by Damyanti Biswas, that have come together to post news stories “that show love, brotherhood and humanity.” You can click on the link above if you would like to join in. WATWB is co-hosted this month by Michelle Wallace , Shilpa Garg, Andrea Michaels, Peter Nena, Emerald Barnes.
Notes Tied On The Sagebrush 
What an interesting story. I admire the stick-to-it-tive-ness of those people who eventually got the ill woman to the right place. Talk about doing a kindness to strangers. We all don’t always remember how lucky we are to be mentally healthy enough to care for ourselves, do we?
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I like the way they accomplished this and it shows how there can be a way to help. So wonderful that this woman was reunited with her family. Thank you, Ally. 🙂
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This makes me think of the movie The Soloist, also about Steve Lopez and his encounter with a homeless man on Skid Row, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx. So glad that this had such a happy ending.
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Yes, I thought of that story too, that was a true story about a classic musician. It was very touching that this woman was reunited with her family who had been so worried about her. Thank you, Russell. 🙂
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This is a wonderful story of perseverance and caring.
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Makes us believe there can be positive endings to these people’s stories. Thank you, Tonya. 🙂
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The laws that confound this situation are so hard to understand. It feels good to know that, at least one woman we get the help she needs. Thanks for sharing this story, Deborah.
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The laws were created to protect people with mental illness from being institutionalized, hospitalized, or given treatment against their will. People are working with the homeless and mentally ill here. There were some bonds just passed that are going to fund millions of dollars for our homeless problems. It is just that with the laws meant to protect people it creates this fine line. In the article, I believe they said that there are agencies working to make it more flexible. I just like the example this case sets, that these homeless mentally ill people can be helped. 🙂
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My mother worked (switchboard) at a State Mental Hospital. I worked there one summer. It wasn’t perfect but neither were the programs they put in place before it closed. A lot of those patients ended up living on the street. I don’t have the answers, but I wish they had given it more though before acting.
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There wasn’t a good community mental health system in place in many places. Now I think it needs to be outreach. I know here there is talk about having Case Managers at the shelters to work on getting people off the streets into housing and hooked up with treatment. It is going to take some time though because there are so many people who need help. 🙂
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What patience and perseverence everyone involved must have had in order to get this woman to trust them enough to help, and to find out her identity. How wonderful for her parents to have her home again and getting the help she needs.
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It is wonderful the way people came together to help. So great it worked out for this woman and her family. 🙂
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It is so amazing that so many people got together and made a difference in that woman’s life. Thanks for sharing an inspiring story!!
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Yes they have a community group that works with their homeless people. Happy to share this story. Thank you, Shilpa. 🙂
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Thanks Deborah, an extraordinary story and kudos to Klopper for his ‘amateur sleuthing’ which paid off so well …
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Kudos to all the team that did not give up and it was good sleuthing. Thank you, Susan. 🙂
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