Photo courtesy of David Wagner and LAist.com
KPCC and LAist reported today on a study released by the California Policy Lab at UCLA examining the employment history of people experiencing homelessness. Using data from the California Employment Development Department and LAHSA’s Homeless Management Information System, the study “found that nearly half (47%) of working age adults enrolling in homeless services in L.A. had worked in the four years prior to becoming homeless. And about one in five were working in the same quarter they showed up in LAHSA’s system.”
Interviewed for KPCC’s article, Chrysalis client Flora adds her voice to break down common misconceptions, “…You’ll find out that a lot of these people that are homeless get up at four and five o’clock in the morning to go to work.”
The news article goes on to include thoughts from Chrysalis CEO Mark Loranger, saying that the people he meets at Chrysalis are skilled and that they absolutely have the ambition to work. “It’s just one disruption — either a loss of a job, a car repair payment or a medical situation — that causes them to lose their housing,” Loranger said. “You can’t hold a home without a job. And in some cases, it’s very difficult to hold a job without a home.”