“At the age of 9 life took a dramatic turn and what helped weather the storm was dreaming of buying an abandoned Los Angeles Art Deco buildings to ‘house the homeless and teach them how to shave ’What did I know but I guess you could say it was a calling. My first paid job as a photographer was , of all things documenting an Art Deco building in San Diego that PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) was converting into permanent housing! An active PATH donor by the name of Wendy was suggested to me as someone I should connect with only for a totally different friend later suggesting I come help out a woman named Jules on skid row who happened to be one of Wendy’s best friends. The universe seemed to be speaking so I just listened. I was going through another dark period in my life and it was the only thing out of trying everything that set me free. Five years later, I am still here. I used to want to “end homelessness” but I no longer think I’ll solve the homelessness epidemic nor do I subscribe to the old ideas that politicians still toss around as I have learned so much about the depths of trauma , the powerlessness of drug addiction, the plight of being a woman of color in the US and the perils of mental health from being on the frontlines of the “problem.” It has taught me a more realistic way to actually help those who are or were homeless through consistency, compassion, empathy, persistence and …boundaries. What I found is by us just showing up , we provide a little bit of guaranteed weekly hope, a needed lift from the chaos …and fun too! If there is an acute situation, we go a step beyond and get people in touch with expedited channels. We have seen some move onto better lives off the street .
I also found that so many folks on skid row love fashion as a means of expression so we found a way to create a bridge between my hometown of Manhattan Beach, CA and those living on Skid Row. MB residents donate much of our clothes, even bedding, etc but they also ask questions as they want to connect and help when they hear the stories on the line and we give them an outlet to do so thus creating a sense of community and opportunities for service They really start to care about the folks in our line the same way we do. Having to show up early on a Sunday almost each week and making house calls across the city to pick up donations creates such a rich experience for me, old and new friends and those in DTLA. Mama D Feeds the Homeless may be small but we are mighty and we are mostly women! The ladies on the line are my sisters (the men my sisters too haha) and the people in the line I see as my friends. They teach me how to love “
