What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Los Angeles is at a turning point. We are living in a defining moment. What happens next is up to us. Over the past few years, problems and challenges have shaken this city -- and tremendous opportunities for change have presented themselves. How do we rise to this moment and emerge a better place to live? What will it take to create a more just and a more equitable community? Working together, how are we going to create a stronger, forward-thinking Los Angeles? Mike Bonin, writer, teacher, progressive activist and former City Councilmember, looks at the issues and problems facing Los Angeles, examines ideas, and talks with the people who will lead us to a brighter future.
Produced in partnership with LA Forward.
What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Shared Housing: a quick, effective response to homelessness
As homelessness continues to increase nationally and locally, we need fast, urgent, and cost-effective solutions. Shared housing is a model where homeless people live together as a group, often in a single-family home, sharing a bedroom with a roommate. It does not require long waits for government-approved vouchers, and it does not require a ton of staff or bureaucracy. And it does not require new lengthy and expensive construction.
In this episode, Mike talks with people with lived experience with homelessness and shared housing: Natasha, who currently lives in shared housing after being homeless in Los Angeles; Sarah Gabriel, a former resident of shared housing managed by SHARE! (Self-Help and Recovery Exchange), who now works as a peer bridger for the agency, and Jason Robison, SHARE's executive director.
The Culver-City based SHARE! the Self-Help And Recovery Exchange (SHARE!), has been getting people off the streets quickly since 2005 with a model of shared housing called Shared Recovery Housing — a nationally-recognized and evidence-based treatment.
Shared Housing: A Faster, More Cost-Effective Solution to Homelessness (Mike Bonin)
Increasing Housing Options for Homeless Populations Through a Shared Housing Approach (HUD)
Shared Housing as a Solution for Single Adults (National Alliance to End Homelessness)