What have we become?

[JDPriestly]

19. K&R.

The number of homeless people in the County of Los Angeles is just overwhelming.

I agree that as individuals we can do small things to make this better.

But when the numbers of homeless are so high and when they have been so high for so long, this is a social problem that requires government action.

Years ago and for a number of years, I did fund-raising for a homeless project in Los Angeles. The best source of funding was government funding. Feeding, clothing housing and providing job placement, housing placement, psychological and social support -- and that is what is required to help homeless people -- costs a lot of money. Collections of small donations won't do the job. The reason is that it costs a lot to handle and collect and account for small amounts of money while the cost of providing just the essential needs of many homeless people is very great.

I have a friend who was homeless. After a long wait, she qualified for a subsidized apartment. Once she had a place to shower and a place to store things, a small kitchen, the basics, she became quite good at buying great clothes at second-hand shops. If you saw her, you would never think she had been homeless. She has been able to get medical care. She is a different person. I am waiting for her to find a boyfriend and get married. I believe it will happen. She is a great person underneath all the pain she withstood for so many years.

Miracles can happen.

It feels good when we help others. When the government helps, we don't as individuals feel all that good about it. But we should.

A voucher for subsidized housing is something we cannot as individuals give to a homeless person, but it is the key to a better life for that person. We need to urge our government to do more to fund homeless services and especially subsidized housing for homeless people.

In the best of all possible worlds, we would all have the brains of Einstein, the brawn of Mohammed Ali, the wisdom of Confucius, the goodness of Jesus and the patience of Job. But that is not this world, so we have to work together and pool our talents and resources to make the world better. ONE OF THE WAYS WE CAN DO THAT IS THROUGH OUR GOVERNMENT. We need more government money dedicated to help homeless people.