First of all, there has been a tremendous response to our video showing the inspiration for Silver Lake Love. If you have not seen it, you can check it out on here:
Secondly, I received an awesome question about Silver Lake Love and how to fight the war on homelessness on my Facebook. The question was:
“I once ran into a post a few months ago, and the homeless people stated they didn’t just clothing, but a job more so. So how do we get these people who have lost their way a job? Nice job, by the way!”
This was my response:
Firstly, THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting that comment because part of why I do what I do is to raise awareness for these issues!
Secondly, Silver Lake Love is not about giving clothing to the homeless. The main goal is to show them that they are human beings, respected, a part of our society, and most importantly, LOVED. Designing awesome apparel and gifting it to them is just the method I’ve chosen to do this.
It is probably true that for some homeless, simply an income or a job would help them return to a certain level of normalcy. For those who simply need a job, there are many opportunities available, including: Project Homeless Connect in San Francisco, PATH in Los Angeles, and Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. With LA Mayor Garcetti declaring a “State of Emergency” on homelessness and putting $100mm to work, there will be even more of these opportunities in the near future.
However, since the causes of homelessness are so diverse, the solution is more complex than just “giving them a job”. For example, the largest cause of homelessness is drug addiction, and there are many causes of addiction. A job would not necessarily help these people escape the clutches of homelessness.
I think the common thread between all homeless persons is that they are deeply hurting inside or mentally ill. By the time a person becomes homeless he or she has exhausted all possible support networks or believes to have done so. Friends and family can no longer provide support or are unwilling to do so and any relationships left are often predatory in nature. it is very much a lonely and disparaging experience. Those who have never experienced this first hand can’t really comprehend this level of solitude. The problem of homelessness is less about a job and more about being loved, accepted, and being respected as a fellow human being. Without a feeling of being wanted by society, it becomes nearly impossible to restore and maintain healthy relationships, which is critical to getting off the streets.
There are already organizations that focus on food, shelter, health, and job opportunities. Silver Lake Love helps these people get off the streets by showing them that they are human beings, respected, a part of our society, and most importantly, LOVED. Thanks again for the comment
