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California’s Aging Homeless Crisis Is Dire — Our Government and Leaders Must Act
Governor Newsom speaking at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
More than 85,000 Californians over the age of 50 are homeless on any given night.
Nearly half of single homeless adults are aged 50 or older, and that percentage is increasing, with seniors now the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population.
An analysis of older adult homelessness just published by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative reveals that over 40% of homeless seniors first became homeless after the age of 50. For most of these individuals, the pathway to homelessness was very different than for those who first experienced homelessness at a younger age.
Many times, there was a catastrophic precipitating event, such as illness, disability, or death of a family member with whom they shared housing. The resulting loss or reduction of income left them unable to pay rent.
With very limited incomes and a woefully insufficient supply of low-income senior housing, they found themselves among the thousands of Los Angeles’ vulnerable elders struggling to stay housed.
At Jewish Family Service LA (JFSLA), with an array of services touching thousands of seniors across Los Angeles, we hear these heartbreaking stories every day. Thankfully, an innovative program called Home Safe has been helping to prevent many seniors and dependent adults in similar situations from becoming homeless.
Home Safe, funded by the State and administered by Los Angeles County in partnership with community nonprofits like JFSLA, has literally saved thousands of lives over the past five years.
Lenora is one such individual. Her downward spiral began with the development of severe, chronic medical conditions. She is barely able to walk and is unable to adequately care for herself. She lost her job. She is isolated, without a support network of family or close friends. Her apartment is classified by the city as “uninhabitable” and she has accrued significant rental arrears.
Through the interventions of JFSLA’s staff with the Home Safe Program, we have been able to stabilize Lenora’s situation and are on track to help her relocate to a safe and habitable housing unit.
Lenora was alone, in a terrible, precarious situation. Thanks to Home Safe, she is no longer facing these challenges on her own.
But Lenora’s story may not be the case for many others. Additional funding for the Home Safe Program is not included in Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal currently being debated in Sacramento.
Without future funding, the program will sunset over the next 12 months, leaving thousands of older and dependent adults without this lifeline.
I shudder to think of what would happen to Lenora without the Home Safe Program. And to William, Miriam, Anthony, Leandra, and the other individuals that JFSLA currently serves through the Home Safe Program.
There is an ancient Jewish teaching: Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved the entire world. The Home Safe Program is saving lives every day. It needs to stay fully funded.
All of our elders deserve to live in dignity and safety. We can, and must, do better.
Eli Veitzer is the President and CEO of Jewish Family Service LA.
The post California’s Aging Homeless Crisis Is Dire — Our Government and Leaders Must Act first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Dozens of Terrorists Eliminated in Central Gaza, Weapons Seized from UN School in Raid
Some rises after an Israeli strike as Israeli forces launch a ground and air operation in the eastern part of Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
i24 News – Israel Defense Forces continue to operate in the Shejaiya area at the same time as fighting in the Rafah area and in the center of the Gaza Strip, the army said.
In the Shejaiya area, forces of the 98th Division attacked dozens of terrorist sites with the help of airstrikes from the Israel Air Force.
Over the weekend, Israeli soldiers raided a UN school in Shejaiya, where terrorists hid and stored weapons, grenades and valuable intelligence documents
This is yet another example of how Gazan terrorists use civilian structures to carry out attacks against Israeli forces pic.twitter.com/9oA9KLJehC
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 30, 2024
A UN school was raided where terrorists hid and stored weapons, grenades, and sensitive documents. In addition, a Hamas command center was discovered in a clinic.
Since Saturday, division forces located weapons, raided and captured terrorist compounds, and eliminated a number of terrorists.
IDF strikes Hamas target in Gaza
Israeli forces continue to operate in the Shejaiya area while continuing to push in Rafah and in central Gaza
The IDF attacked and destroyed a mortar launch position located within a tunnel shaft in Rafah pic.twitter.com/JqTACvuMys
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 30, 2024
The 162nd Division meanwhile continues in the Rafah area, eliminating a number of terrorists in various encounters and destroying tunnel shafts in the area.
The 99th Division 99 the center of the Gaza Strip carried out raids and destroyed terrorist infrastructure in the area.
Also on Saturday, an airstrikes destroyed a mortar launch position located inside a tunnel shaft in Rafah.
The post Dozens of Terrorists Eliminated in Central Gaza, Weapons Seized from UN School in Raid first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Government Approves Danny Danon as UN Ambassador
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon at a briefing on Iranian aggression on May 6, 2020. Photo: Screenshot.
i24 News – The Israeli government unanimously agreed on Sunday to appoint Likud lawmaker Danny Danon as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, succeeding the current ambassador, Gilad Erdan.
Danon, who previously held this position, will soon serve a second term. Danon’s appointment to this important position comes at a particularly crucial time, as he is expected to represent Israel on the international stage as the country faces challenges at home and abroad.
“I am proud to return to serve the State of Israel as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations during this critical period,” he said on Twitter.
“As Israel faces battles on numerous fronts, each and every one of us must do his utmost within his skills and experiences,” he said in an earlier statement. “This is how I have behaved in the past, and this is how I will continue to behave in the future.”
I am proud to return to serve the State of Israel as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations during this critical period.
With Israel confronting challenges on multiple fronts, it is imperative for each of us to contribute to the best of our abilities and experiences. This…
— Danny Danon דני דנון (@dannydanon) June 30, 2024
“In the face of the diplomatic terrorism that is rearing its head these days, I am forced to present the truth and hold my head high for the people of Israel and our common future here,” he concluded.
It is expected that Avihai Boaron, a former member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, will enter in place of Danon.
The post Israeli Government Approves Danny Danon as UN Ambassador first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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‘Los Angeles Is Becoming Unsafe for Its Jewish Residents” Says Israeli Minister
Governor Newsom speaking at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
i24 News – Amichai Shikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora and Antisemitism, has urgently called upon California’s governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles’s mayor Karen Bass to address a concerning escalation of antisemitic incidents in the city.
In a strongly worded letter sent following a surge in antisemitic activities since October 7, 2023, Shikli expressed deep apprehension about the safety of Jewish residents in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is becoming more and more unsafe for its Jewish residents,” Shikli stated, emphasizing the urgent need for proactive measures to combat the rising tide of antisemitism.
He highlighted recent violent demonstrations on campuses that endangered Jewish students, alongside two serious incidents that he believes were mishandled by authorities.
One incident he pointed to was the tragic murder of Paul Kessler in November 2023 during a pro-Israel demonstration. Shikli criticized the court’s failure to classify the attack as a hate crime, stating, “It is shocking to see that the court did not recognize this as a hate crime. Paul was attacked for the sole reason that he was a Jew and a Zionist.”
Additionally, Shikli referenced an incident earlier in the week where an anti-Israel group disrupted an event at Adat Torah synagogue, resulting in an attack on Jewish attendees. Despite prior knowledge of the demonstration, law enforcement allegedly failed to take preventive actions to ensure the safety of Jewish residents.
Concerned about the city’s largest Jewish community in North America, Shikli urged immediate steps to enhance security around Jewish institutions and to ensure law enforcement is adequately trained to handle antisemitic crimes effectively. “At a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high, I urge you to implement measures to combat it,” he asserted.
The minister concluded his letter by proposing collaboration with local authorities and inviting the Los Angeles Police Department to participate in an international training program aimed at equipping security forces worldwide to combat antisemitism effectively.
The post ‘Los Angeles Is Becoming Unsafe for Its Jewish Residents” Says Israeli Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.