How many beds does it take to solve homelessness in Los Angeles County?

It's a trick question. Homelessness is a complex issue that, truthfully, will never be fully resolved. There is, however, a simpler problem that we can tackle right now.

One Open Bed is dedicated to finding basic shelter to anyone in need. Basic shelter comprises a bed in a safe place (shelter) to sleep with access to bathroom facilities, and the only requirement for entry is respect for the safety and well-being of other residents.

Sounds simple, right? Of course it's not, but it kinda is.

Our mission

Our mission is to find One Open Bed in Los Angeles County every night.

Currently our main project is the Weekly L.A. County Shelter Survey where we call every shelter and ask one simple question:

We then post the results of our ongoing survey here on our website.

We have created a simple web app that anyone can use on their phone to make and track shelter survey calls.

How to get involved

If you would like to help us, you need to start by doing a little homework.

Step 1: Locate your nearest homeless shelter (START HERE). Note how easy or difficult it is to find. If it was easy, great! But if it was difficult, think about what made it difficult and how it can be made easier.

Step 2: Contact the shelter and find out if they have an open bed and how to enter the shelter. Again, note if they have an open bed and how easy or difficult it is to enter the shelter.

After completing this exercise, you will have an understanding of the problem. If you would like to help work towards a solution, contact us and we will set you up with our app.

Unsheltered homelessness is a public health crisis and personal tragedy

Likely, within blocks of where you are right now, there is someone whose life has fallen apart, whose health is deteriorating, perhaps rapidly, who defecates and urinates in or on something that is not a toilet. They are in danger to themself and others. It is reasonable to consider this an emergency. However, this issue requires enough urgency to inspire action, but not so much urgency as to be demoralizing and energy sapping.

It is very easy to get demoralized when considering the complexity and the tragedy of unsheltered homelessness. That is why we are focussed on a part of the problem where we can be effective and achieve progress. We intentionally oversimplify the issue in order to get things done.