$1 Million Sought to Aid L.A.’s Homeless

A group of influential Los Angeles-area business, civic and religious leaders Tuesday announced formation of a major fund-raising organization dedicated to “breaking the cycle of homelessness” for many of the thousands of people living on the streets across the county.

The Greater Los Angeles Partnership for the Homeless, including Mayor Tom Bradley, Catholic Archbishop Roger M. Mahony and executives from several major corporations, has set a minimum goal of raising $1 million annually from private sources to expand shelters and social services.

The project, the most ambitious of its kind in Los Angeles, also would provide technical assistance and volunteers to agencies now serving the homeless, officials said.

Comparable to Olympics

At a press conference, David Carpenter, chairman of Transamerica Life Cos. and a board member with the partnership, likened the challenge posed by the homeless to that of staging the Olympics in 1984. “Today, we are officially issuing a call to action . . . to businesses throughout the Los Angeles Basin. . . .

“We demonstrated our collective power during the Olympics. It is waiting there to be called upon again.”

Mahony called the project a “great humanitarian effort” and Bradley, whose administration has been frustrated by the problems of the homeless on Skid Row and elsewhere, said an infusion of private funds is desperately needed. The government, he said, “has been struggling mightily with a problem that is beyond (its) capacity.”

The partnership, several months in the planning, was launched with a personal $500,000 donation by Fred Hayman, chairman of Giorgio Inc. and a board member of the new group.

The project is unique because, unlike some recent highly publicized concerts and fund raisers on behalf of the homeless nationally, it will be a permanent organization focused specifically on the needs of the Los Angeles area. Funds will be raised through appeals to corporations and foundations, as well as special public events.

The initial goal of $1 million annually is not large, compared to the tens of millions of dollars already spent on shelters and services each year for the county’s estimated 34,000 homeless people.

“The problem far exceeds the ability of $1 million to $2 million to (significantly) impact on it,” acknowledged Suzanne Campi, the group’s executive director. But with sustained and carefully focused expenditures, she said, “we think we can make a dent.”

Day-to-Day Assistance

Perhaps the most important contribution the partnership can make is to provide a new source of day-to-day operating assistance to the charitable and nonprofit agencies working with the homeless. One-time private and government grants to build shelters and homeless centers are far easier to come by than money to sustain any increase in services.

The first tangible assistance will come in the fall when five homeless service agencies in various areas of the county will be selected to receive $100,000 each, Campi said. The funds will be used to add emergency housing beds, counselors or other services. The intent is to create a series of full-service homeless centers across the county that not only provide emergency food and shelter but services to get clients back on their feet.

In addition to Bradley, Mahony and Carpenter, those serving on the partnership board include David Anderson, president of General Telephone; Paul Ziffren, former Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee executive; Wallis Annenberg, a community and Republican Party activist; W. T. Chamberlain, senior vice president of Arco; William Robertson, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman of the Leo Baeck Temple in Bel-Air. Bettina Chandler, a board member of the Downtown Women’s Center, is chairwoman of the group.