THE plight of Karen Clark, a middle-aged, mentally ill woman who for most of a year lived on a bus bench on Ventura Boulevard, was noticed by many people who worked or lived in the area.
It especially bothered Dennis Magalios, whose sympathy and conscience prompted him to offer help, which was rebuffed several times.
He did not give up as many would. Magalios was now determined to save her and did what none of the hundreds of people who passed Clark did - he got her help.
It took a while, and Clark herself turned away authorities several times. The laws allow people to refuse help, even if they obviously need it.
Clark eventually did get the help she needed, thanks to an equally determined Los Angeles police officer. But her story as chronicled by Daily News reporter Susan Abram is just one of the many tales of the homeless, down and out, vulnerable and needy people that surround us every day.
And although the Valley has the largest homeless population, after downtown Los Angeles, there is only one shelter where the homeless can live, and that's in North Hollywood. Beds there go first to homeless families, and there is a month-long waiting list.
The other shelters are mostly in downtown L.A. or El Monte. From Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, where Clark is now, she will be transferred to a facility with an orthopedic specialist. After that, she will be referred to a network of shelters that are difficult to navigate. In
the end she could wind up back on a bus bench.What do you think?
Should we have a better safety net for people like Clark, who for whatever reason are unable to take care of themselves, a group that includes veterans from our many wars?
Should this be an expanded government program? Where do we get the money? Is the solution in church and synagogue support? And where should we locate these shelters? It's hard to find neighborhoods that aren't ruled by NIMBY sentiments.
In these times of increased unemployment and foreclosures, the number of homeless is bound to multiply.
What shall we do?
