By Paul Lerner

What is the Homeless Food Program at Romaine and Sycamore?

Some of the crime problems in our neighborhood are caused by criminally-oriented vagrants who hang out in Poinsettia Recreation Center and other areas in our community. Many residents believe that one reason we have so many vagrants around here is the homeless food program at the corner of Romaine Street and Sycamore Avenue (one block south of Santa Monica Boulevard, and one block east of La Brea Avenue).

This program is operated by the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition, which is part of an organization called Special Service for Groups. It provides free dinners every day at 6:15 pm to dozens of people. Anyone can get a free dinner there, without proving that they are homeless, or providing any identification. 

Although the group is called “the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition,” it does not operate within the City of West Hollywood. It initially operated in Plummer Park in West Hollywood, but due to strong opposition from nearby residents, the City of West Hollywood forced the program out. The Coalition then set up operation at its current location, a street corner just half a block outside of West Hollywood city limits. Although this street corner is on an industrial block, it is only one block away from a residential area.

At the same spot, UCLA provides a mobile medical clinic each Wednesday, giving minor medical care for free. Each Thursday, the group Clean Needles Now sets up nearby, and exchanges clean needles for dirty needles from individuals who use intravenous drugs.

Melrose Action Neighborhood Watch has concerns about whether the food program and needle exchange program are attracting transients to our area who then commit crimes in the neighborhood. We are especially concerned because we have found that many vagrants in our neighborhood are drug addicts, alcoholics, or mentally ill – or a combination of these. According to an outreach worker for the nonprofit group PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), 85% of the homeless in this area refuse their help, saying that they prefer to be on the streets.

We recognize that the volunteers for the food program are trying to do good things. However, they do not seem to be aware of all of the unintended consequences of their actions. For example, they do not work closely with PATH to try to get people off of the streets. They may be enabling some addicts to continue using, rather than getting the help they need to get sober. Also, they do not have any sort of intake process to determine whether individuals receiving their services may be dangerous. And though they claim that they don’t see these individuals causing problems, the volunteers are only there one hour per day, while handing out food. They don’t see as much as us residents, who live in this neighborhood 24 hours a day.

Recently, Melrose Action met with Ted Landreth, one of the lead volunteers for the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition. Ted said that they want to work with us to reduce any problems in the neighborhood connected to the food program.

If you notice any problems related to the food program or the individuals who use it, call Ted Landreth immediately on his cell phone at (213) 631-0463.

Also, e-mail us at (click here to create an email) info@melroseaction.com
to tell us about the problems.

We are willing to take Ted at his word, and to make a good-faith effort to work with him and the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition. In return, though, we fully expect them to follow through on fixing any problems that their program causes in our neighborhood.