Across the country, homelessness is becoming
a crisis. I wanna know how you're gonna strengthen people
to get out of homelessness. Are you planning to do anything to stop the
increase of homelessness or is this just a welcome sign for the rest of the country? You need to disperse the problem. This is a decision between whether we keep
people on the streets or do we take them off the streets. And in some places, it's driving a divide
between the housed and the homeless. What does it take to be seen as a person? How's that feel, queen? Instead of a problem. What is so complicated about that? I get darker tones to put on and then I put
on the concealer to lighten up around the eyes and stuff. I don't even know what to get anymore. I have a hard time picking what it is that
I'm getting because I want to make sure that I'm not wasting my money on anything because, you know, I'm homeless. 29 year old Arien Williams has been homeless
for the last five years. She's part of a new wave of homelessness where
women are on the front lines. It's an epidemic that can be clearly seen
on the streets of Los Angeles. Sometimes I shower at the church on Gower. Most of the time it's in my tent with a lot of baby wipes and soap. When you see homeless people, your brain can't
fathom honestly how somebody could be out there. All it takes for you to be homeless is they
raise your rent and you lose your job and you're homeless for the next month. Point blank. One of Arien's most surprising survival techniques
involves beauty. This is my makeup bag. I use my makeup to cope with being out here,
to make me feel less homeless. Well, I've had a few jobs. I had to wear makeup
to work every day because that's what everybody else was doing and if I don't, then I'll definitely
stand out. When they find out when you're homeless they
treat you a lot differently. Whether I live inside or outside, I'm still
a human being. I still have needs and necessities just like the next person. For Arien, a thin layer of eyeshadow keeps
her connected to society, but it doesn't shield her from the realities of the street. What is it like to be a woman out on the
streets? If a woman is out here by herself, she is
a walking target. Every homeless woman I've ever met has been
raped. What kind of unique challenges are faced by
women who are experiencing homelessness? The challenge is that there simply aren't
enough resources. There aren't enough women-focused programs
or women-focused housing. Just 17% of the shelter beds in Los Angeles
are designated for women year-round, and many of them are in mixed gender spaces. The services that do exist are largely concentrated
on Skid Row. Skid Row has become a shorthand for the area
in cities where homelessness gets pushed to the margins. The most infamous case can be found in L.A.
where the city has historically tried to contain the majority of its homeless shelters, services,
and people. Today there are more than 2,000 people living
on the streets in an area that's less than half a square mile. It's become the site for some of the most
comprehensive services in the county, but it's also known as a dangerous place, especially
for women. Despite this reputation, Skid Row is also the
site of the only shelter in this city that refuses to turn away women. Union Rescue Mission. We refuse to meet ladies out on the street.
They feel like they've escaped from a war zone. To meet the overwhelming demand, URM blows
up hundreds of mattresses and puts them anywhere they can. On any given night, three to four hundred women
find shelter here. But it's just a drop in the bucket. What happens if this continues and there isn't
a massive intervention? I already think we're past the tipping point. The other day I got a call. There was a 26-year-old
woman who ran into our building naked after being beaten and raped. It is a FEMA-like, Red Cross-like disaster. And it's not just on Skid Row, it's everywhere
in L.A. In the midst of this disaster, one woman is
reaching out. One of each, make sure- One of each. Shirley Raines single-handedly started Beauty
to the Streets. A volunteer-run project that provides home-cooked
meals, makeup, and more. I don't think I can end homelessness. I think
it's a gangrene situation right now. We're trying to put a band-aid on a gunshot
wound. She comes to Skid Row every Saturday along
with a few friends. The Fighters For The World is a biker club
that offered to come out and support Shirley. Skid Row is like, alright, we don't care what
happens there. Keep everybody in one area, as long as it
stays there. So we decided to come down and lend our aid
to make sure they're safe. Yeah, I don't think I've seen a single police
officer since I actually got down here. Right, no we haven't either. It seems like you guys are sort of helping
to pick up the slack. Whatever the powers that be, however they're
working out their money, I don't think it trickles down here. It's very important to put something on and
see something other than what you're going through. It's gonna get warm in a second LaFonda, okay? There is nail polish too! This could be any of us out here. I think that's
the biggest thing people need to understand. There are real-life stories down here. There's real-life trauma down here. This could be you. I did the whole stay-at-home-mom thing. I never imagined that this would happen to me,
hitting rock bottom. Michelle Fennell is a 37-year-old mother of
four This is them, that's the family photo. Whose world was turned upside down when she
had to flee an abusive boyfriend. I was in a really bad domestic violence situation. My abuser was trying to kill me. I had to leave my apartment. I became homeless. There was really no resources
for me and my children. My children went to go stay with different
family members. After three years on the streets, Michelle
finally got housing. But the only option available to her was a single room occupancy unit. It means that she still has to be apart from
her kids, except for the occasional visit. What is it like not having your children living
with you? It's so hard. I have to be strong for my children,
and make sure we get back in, to where we once were as a family. I'm gonna stay here for a while till I'm able
to save up and transition to something else. Just the money to live in a regular apartment
is kind of like intense. Michelle's case is an increasingly common
one. The lack of housing options and support makes it easy to get knocked off your feet,
and incredibly hard to get back up. We have a responsibility as a community to
care for those who are in this crisis. We're not accepting people who've experienced
homelessness as our neighbors. But not everyone feels the same way. Hundreds of people, many who live and work
in Koreatown, raise their voices in protest today. Homeless housing has proven to be a hot-button
issue in Sherman Oaks. Not-in-my-backyardism is the biggest barrier to
any success of helping people off the streets. As the homelessness crisis grows, so does the
backlash. Some residents, fearing for their personal
safety and property, are pushing back against homeless services and shelters in their neighborhoods. Venice is the site of some of the most vocal
Not In My Backyard or NIMBY opposition. What has become one of the most expensive
beachfront neighborhoods in Los Angeles now fears it's being overrun by outsiders. Good evening everybody. We're here in Venice at a neighborhood council
meeting to learn about a newly proposed housing plan for the homeless and as you can see it's
a little bit chaotic. We could walk away from homelessness. That
would not solve homelessness. This is a decision between whether we keep
people on the streets or whether we take them off the streets. I think that's an easy decision. Thank you. I have heard the real and genuine fear of
women living on our streets in the encampments, who are afraid of being beaten or being raped. If we do not do this in Venice, the one thing
I can guarantee you is that the status quo will continue and the problem will continue to
get worse. We are going to go to questions from the audience. My name is Wendy Lockett, I'm from Venice
and I'm homeless. What do you intend to do to ensure that we
don't both have encampments and bridge housing, and we're just one big homeless community? We could take that same amount of money and
put somewhere else where we would actually get these people the homes they so desperately
need. What is so complicated about that? I am in favor of homeless housing, but I am
not in favor of containment policies. What you're doing I believe is encouraging
more weakness, and I want to know how you're gonna strengthen people to get out of homelessness? You need to disperse the problem. That's what
happens when there's a riot. You disperse it. That's... you're not thinking in those terms,
I don't understand why you're not. Cause I'll tell you why. Cause it's no longer just in one place or
another. It is everywhere in the city. Regardless of the NIMBY movement's intentions,
it stalls progress, hijacking the conversation of how to solve
homelessness and making it about who should have to deal with it. I wanted to know what the mayor had to say. Do residents, even wealthy ones, have a right
to fight where a shelter is going in a neighborhood? It’s literally the most complicated issue
I think I've ever dealt with, and ever will deal with in public policy, because it has
so many different elements. And each person is different. I think all of
us have a responsibility to solve homelessness. It's about getting to know one person on the
street. Figuring out what her story is and figuring
out what is that combination lock that we have to crack open to make sure she can get
back off the street and onward with her dreams. So the color she talked about. How's that feel, queen? What would you say to someone who argues that
hair and makeup shouldn't be a primary focus with the homeless? What I want to do is just restore dignity. Just make them feel important, and make them
feel beautiful. Now we are cooking with fire. All the women that I take care of right now,
I took care of them with food and water, and I didn't really get to know them that well. Until I started giving makeup and doing hair,
it's like the beauty salon. They open up when they're in the chair. I'm writing 'I'm still human' after being treated
like I'm less than human for being broke. You know? I feel like the world needs a reminder. You stay in the mission over there baby? Three weeks? How is it in there? I would say that we have to understand these
women are not out here by choice. Something happened. Somewhere along the line, they were broken. Somewhere along the line, they were damaged. Whatever broke them and put them on the street,
we need to start with that. It's been about three years. We are fleeing from my abuser and me actually
finding housing. Living in my own place, I'm able to figure
out my game plan. Because if I didn't have this apartment, I
wouldn't be able to go out there and worry about a career. You're not wasting any time. I can't afford to. I have my children, my babies, they keep me motivated. It's already lifting. How did it feel when you first sat down, and
Shirley was washing your hair? Alicia, it looks so good! What do you think everyone in the mission
is going to say? I think it's pretty awesome. How you look and, you know your appearance,
and everything is important to everybody. Cool. What she does here is powerful. Everybody needs to look pretty. Right? Alicia transformed before my eyes. And it wasn't just the shampoo and color. Shirley's kind words and compassion made Alicia
glow. They deserve kindness, they deserve food,
they deserve love, they deserve respect. You're not your situation on the street. You're not the tent that you sleep in. Open your eyes. And your name is gonna be on the back. Ooh! Look how cute, it's cute! Oh, don't cry, love. Don't cry love! It's clear that homelessness is an incredibly
complex problem and solving it here in Los Angeles and all across the country will take
time and resources. But just as vital is recognizing that behind
every struggle is a story. It's something that we can all do that costs
nothing and can make a difference, now. Thanks for watching Refinery29. For more videos
like this, click here. And to subscribe click here.
Obviously it's terribly sad that these people are homeless, but they seem like people who could earn a decent wage. So what I don't understand is why they live in Los Angeles where cost of living is ridiculously high. If I were put in a position where I couldn't afford rent I would move somewhere cheaper.