A life sentence on the streets

Contrary to false assertions in Peter Dreier’s contribution to the Dust-Up on L.A.’s housing crisis, Central City Association (CCA) and its members—including L.A.’s largest homeless service providers—have devoted substantial resources to aiding downtown’s homeless.

Under the leadership of Carol Schatz, CCA has proposed viable solutions to the homelessness crisis and encouraged its members to make significant contributions to downtown service organizations. In addition, CCA’s sister organization—Downtown Center Business Improvement District—has provided jobs for hundreds of homeless individuals in transition.

CCA opposes institutionalizing homelessness on the streets of downtown and the rest of L.A. We believe sentencing people to a life—and death—on the streets violates basic human dignity. Instead, we advocate for supportive housing and regionalizing services, so the most vulnerable can recover outside criminal hands in Skid Row.

Now that the downtown renaissance has exposed L.A.’s homelessness tragedy, it is time to stop pointing fingers and start working together to find sustainable solutions.

Chris Essel is chair of the Board of the Central City Association of Los Angeles.