The Region - News from July 31, 1987

Ted Watkins, head of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, announced that the anti-poverty group has agreed to assist a grass-roots organization at the city’s urban campground on Santa Fe Avenue in its efforts to solve the homeless problem. Watkins said his organization will be an “umbrella management and operations advisory organization” to the Los Angeles Union of the Homeless. Formed after the 1965 Watts riot, the committee has been responsible for construction of more than 700 housing units in South-Central Los Angeles, and creation of several job, social service and commercial projects. Watkin’s announcement was a boost for the homeless group, which has had difficulty finding support for its concept of solving homelessness with collective living combined with education and job services. The campground is scheduled to close Aug. 10.