Walk through any neighborhood in LA, and you'll see fellow Angelenos without a place to call home. Mothers caring for children. Veterans who served our country. Hard workers who lost a job and couldn't find a new one. They are our neighbors, with dreams and aspirations, now struggling to survive.

Behind the statistics are real humans - over 70,000 across LA County,

including an estimated 18,000 homeless students in LAUSD alone. The actual number may be far higher. But we cannot reduce people to numbers. These are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues.

Circumstances like unaffordable rents, insufficient mental healthcare, and inadequate job training have denied many a stable place to live. But difficult conditions do not define anyone's dignity or humanity. Our unhoused neighbors retain their hopes, abilities, and courage even in the face of challenges.

With compassion, we can understand how any of us could end up on the streets

if we lost a job or faced a healthcare crisis without savings. Hard times can come suddenly. We all seek security for our families. We all hope for a community that affirms our talents and treats us with respect.

SecondGrace.LA believes if enough Angelenos unite to help, lasting change is possible. But first, we must see and value the humanity in each person without a home. They are not statistics, stereotypes, or problems to be solved. They are neighbors who need allies.

This crisis requires affordable housing, rent control, healthcare access, job training, and more.

Together we can advocate for real solutions. But lasting change begins when we relate to each other as equal members of one community. We all want a city where the vulnerable can live and contribute with dignity. Working side by side, we can build that city. But it starts with genuinely seeing, valuing, and connecting with all our neighbors—understanding that we all want the same thing—a better Los Angeles for everyone.