On Saturday, Meredith Lewis drained two cell phones’ batteries to zero trying to find an unhoused woman accommodations for just one night.
But Lewis, a volunteer with Ktown For All, said she still kept running into “a brick wall of bureaucracy.”
Ktown For All has been in “heavy communication” with Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), according to Lewis.
In preparation for the storm, LAHSA sent out email flyers with emergency contacts, backup contacts and addresses for shelters.
The Ktown For All team, composed entirely of volunteers, tried every single number, and the only response they got was a “pre-recorded message saying that there was nothing available.”
Lewis added that the situation felt “Kafkaesque,” and “like a dark joke at [their] expense.”
As the “Pineapple Express,” California’s second most powerful atmospheric storm — deemed “potentially life-threatening” by officials — delivered over four inches of rain on Sunday, the over 75,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles are facing heightened challenges.
The combination of rain and a recent drop in temperature added to the dangers and risks L.A.’s unhoused population faces.
According to Lewis, “Hypothermia is a huge, huge risk factor.”
“You wouldn’t think because we have such a mild climate, but hypothermia can set in from exposure and temperatures as high as 50 degrees,” Lewis said. “And if you’re wet, then you can start becoming hypothermic even [at] higher temperatures.”
Ktown For All preemptively passed out donated blankets, warm clothing, hand warmers, water, tarps and trash bags to unhoused persons to keep them as warm and dry as possible in these conditions.
“My Office of Housing and Homelessness Solutions directed an increase in interim shelter and vouchers ahead of [yesterday’s] weather warnings. Angelenos in need of shelter can call 2-1-1 for transportation to a shelter or visit any of the listed locations,” said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
Last Tuesday, LAHSA announced that they were opening additional shelters to help the homeless community during these drastic changes in weather conditions. This annual “Winter Shelter Program” provides temporary emergency shelters, access to supportive services, and motel vouchers to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
In a statement released on Wednesday, LAHSA CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum stated, “Thanks to the support of our partners at the city and county, LAHSA is glad to offer this resource to keep people safe and dry during storms like we expect this week.”
Over 5,400 individuals utilized the expanded shelter program in 2022–2023 (a 652% increase over the previous season), according to LAHSA.
Despite these additional shelters, most of the Los Angeles homeless population was left to endure these harsh conditions without adequate shelter.
Lewis said it was “impossible” to find shelter for an unhoused woman she tried to help on Saturday.
“Just not being able to do anything, having phone calls, you know, hung up on us. Every door closed, every time we tried to try a new path. It was just profoundly demoralizing and dehumanizing,” Lewis said. “I don’t know if she’s okay.”