A new book on homeless families in...

A new book on homeless families in Los Angeles debunks some common assumptions about homeless people and describes their uphill battle to maintain self-esteem.

“Homeless Families: The Struggle for Dignity,” by Donald Miller, professor of religion ethics at USC, and his former USC colleague, Barry Jay Seltser, now a senior social science analyst with the General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C., was partially inspired by the work of Miller’s friend, Alice Callaghan, an activist Skid Row priest.

Callaghan--an Episcopal priest and former Catholic nun--in 1981 founded Las Familias del Pueblo, a drop-in social service center on the edge of Skid Row for Downtown garment district workers and their children.

“Our project began when she decided to try to start a shelter for families,” Miller said. “We found 100 homeless parents to interview and she found the money to conduct the study the book was based on. But nobody wanted homeless people in their neighborhood,” Miller said.

The interview subjects ranged from a former registered nurse to a runaway ex-juvenile delinquent. “Our research found the typical homeless person to be a minority single woman with one or two small children, who has made some bad decisions or been subject to some very difficult circumstances in life,” said Miller, whose academic specialties are religious ethics and the sociology of religion.

The authors pored over transcripts of the narratives evoked by interview questions and found some common threads.

The homeless find that welfare employees and many members of society at large assume that “they are on drugs, expect handouts and are not trying,” when actually physical or sexual abuse, desertion by a man, a medical crisis or a late paycheck is the reason for homelessness, Miller said.

“The reason you and I won’t end up on the street is that we may have a credit card, relatives willing to help out or some other backup system,” he added.

What results is an almost overwhelming assault on the essential human dignity of homeless people, he said, when their sense of autonomy, stability, accomplishment and community is eroded.

“The moral theme that runs through our book,” he explained, “is that all government, church and private institutions must honor the dignity of the person.”

The book concludes that “It is not only . . . the dignity of the homeless themselves that is undermined by their continued (lower) status and treatment, it is our dignity as well.”

The 154-page book, published in December, 1993, by the University of Illinois Press, is available in hardcover and paperback.

DATES

* Father Greg Boyle, recognized nationally for his work with gang members, is a keynote speaker at “Coming Together: The Community and Criminal Justice,” a bilingual English-Spanish conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Center for Community Reconciliation scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday at Chapman University. Speakers include law enforcement officials, community organizers and former gang members. For registration information, phone (714) 633-6551.

* Catholic Lawyers of the Inland Communities invites attorneys, judges and other law-related workers of all faiths to the fourth annual Red Mass at St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in Riverside at 6:30 p.m. April 28. The Mass is a centuries-old tradition invoking God’s blessing and guidance in the administration of justice. A reception follows; 7050 Brockton Avenue. For information, phone Cynthia Ludvigsen, (909) 885-6820.

* The New Families branch of the Focolare Movement, a Scripture-based ecumenical movement, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will present Family Fest ’94 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 24 at Loyola Marymount University. Talks on diverse family life experiences, songs and audiovisual presentations will be featured. Admission is $4 per person, $6 per couple. (310) 390-1402.

* An “Interreligious Trialogue” of Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at University Synagogue in Irvine. At the synagogue’s 8 p.m. services Friday, “Jews, Christians and Muslims Searching for Peace in the Mideast” will be the topic of a talk by Ron Young, director of the U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East. 4915 Alton Parkway. (714) 553-3535.

* The Very Rev. John H. Tidy, dean of the Anglican Cathedral of St. George in Jerusalem, will preach at All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Sunday. A forum on the Church in Jerusalem will follow each service. 504 N. Camden Drive. (310) 275-0123.

* St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church of Studio City is launching a twice-monthly HIV-Positive Support Group on Tuesday. The group, which is open to the community, will meet at the church at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Beginning in May, it will hold monthly dinners. The facilitator is Mike Meyer, a registered nurse who holds a master’s degree from Trinity Lutheran Theological Seminary of Columbus, Ohio. 11031 Camarillo Street. (213) 650-7009.

* St. John’s Lutheran Church in Gardena will celebrate its 70th anniversary the weekend of April 23-24. Patterned after a church in England, the quaint, white-frame church was built in 1903 for a boys school and was later moved to its present site. 1204 W. 163rd Street. For a complete celebration schedule and free reservations, phone (310) 324-2346.

* A family-oriented Carnival and Renaissance Faire continues through Sunday at St. Martha’s Episcopal Church in West Covina. Hours are noon to 11 p.m. today, 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday. 520 S. Lark Ellen Avenue. (818) 919-5745.

HONORS

* The School of Theology at Claremont will present its Distinguished Alumni Award to the Rev. James W. Pierson of Wilshire Christian Church at 4 p.m. Sunday at the church. Celebrations are planned. (213) 382-6337. The school will bestow the Kilgore Creative Ministry Award on the Rev. Cecil L. Murray of First African Methodist Episcopal Church at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on campus. (909) 525-3521.

* The Rev. Kenneth C. Ulmer, pastor of the Faith Central Missionary Baptist Church, last month was consecrated as a bishop in the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Inc., an association of charismatic Baptist churches.

* The Rev. James Lawson of Holman United Methodist Church will induct the late Rev. Glenn E. Smiley into the Hall of Honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolence, headquartered at Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church, at 10:45 a.m. today at Hollywood Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 662-1715.

* Areta Crowell, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and an elder of First Presbyterian Church of North Hollywood, has been named a trustee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation. She will serve on its human resources committee.

BRIEFLY

The newly published “Directory of Services for Women and Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles,” listing testing, care, medical and legal services and support groups, is available at no charge from the Los Angeles Shanti Foundation, 1616 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 962-8197 or (818) 908-8849.