Last Sunday after we finished publishing City Editor Paul Anderson’s two-part series on homelessness in Costa Mesa, we received an outpouring of feedback from the community about this issue, including some pleas asking how you can help.
While the problems related to homelessness are myriad, the how-you-can-help part isn’t difficult at all. The best thing you can do is just donate money or time at our area charities that serve the homeless. They are all suffering in the tough economy as they struggle to meet the rising need and the drop-off in donations. Social service representatives say they are seeing an increase in formerly white-collar workers who used to pull down large salaries asking for help. Few are immune to the recession.
But that’s just triage. Giving money or help on the front lines is, of course, noble and necessary, but what can we do long-term to get more shelter for the homeless? Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution. Many of those on the streets grapple with mild to severe mental illness. Rescuing them will cost a great deal of money.
