Stop #14: Midnight Mission, Skid Row (601 South San Pedro St.):
L.A.’s Skid Row contains the largest concentration of homeless people in the country. In this city with a history of tens of thousands seeking shelter every day, the Midnight Mission is the oldest continuously operating human service organization in the region. And it boasts “one of the most efficient direct service operations in the country.” During its 100+ years history, The Midnight gained a reputation as a refuge in a city when there is no other place to go. They claim to have built and opened “the new state of the art facility to handle the growing diverse populations that we now serve.” Multiple studies of the homeless populations throughout L.A. and California during the last several years have similar and familiar results. Chemical addictions, mental illness and other health care issues, lack of affordable housing, domestic violence, and just plain bad luck combine to create cycles of suffering and misery that are difficult to comprehend, much less solve. We are lucky to be traveling through these streets rather than living on them.
