5,000 Expected at Homewalk for the Homeless
Friday, Nov 14, 2008 | Updated 4:42 PM PST
Walking for the Homeless
LOS ANGELES-- The United Way of Greater Los Angeles expects 5,000 people to participate Saturday in the second annual HomeWalk, a fund-raising event intended to bring attention to the problems facing homeless individuals.
Last year, 3,000 participants raised $500,000 to move homeless men and women into permanent supportive housing.
"This is not a walk where people just walk around and finish. We really design it as an opportunity to educate people," said Elise Buik, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
"We know that if we get folks into housing with services, they can permanently stay off the streets," she said. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky are expected to participate in the event.
There are an estimated 73,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County, according to a study released last year by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
"We know that more people are accessing the food shelters, so we're just seeing a different type of population accessing services, which puts strains on an already strained safety net," Buik said.
Nonprofit groups and LAHSA will have booths at the HomeWalk at Exposition Park, where participants can pick up information on volunteer opportunities.
"It's a way for people to learn about the issue firsthand in a different way," Buik said.
