Neighbors in Silver Lake have been sounding the alarm, trying to prevent yet another death of a homeless person in a city where it happens far too often. We can't allow this level of suffering to become acceptable.
She is barefoot, caked in dirt, may be pregnant and is often naked as she wanders the streets of Silver Lake.They have been looping me in on their urgent emails and social media posts during the last week, as they gave updates on Kristal’s mental and physical condition and reached out to local officials for help. One resident said she came upon Kristal one night while driving on Sunset Boulevard.
Two social workers at a nonprofit told me some of Kristal’s background, saying she and her boyfriend were tough cases because of their illness and addiction, and their resistance to help. They’d been hospitalized, they’d been housed, and yet multiple interventions by various agencies had not helped turn them around.
On Thursday, O’Farrell sent a letter to the county mental health director, saying he feared Kristal will meet a tragic end if she isn’t soon given medical attention.“She was almost hit by a bus a week ago and by a vehicle this past weekend while crawling across Sunset Boulevard at night. The police responded to calls only to have her boyfriend … physically pick her up and carry her away refusing services,” O’Farrell said in the letter.
When Kristal woke up, I tried to engage, calling out to her several times. She didn’t respond or even acknowledge me. It was as if my presence and my voice didn’t register. Her face was dark with dirt — dark as charcoal. I couldn’t tell whether she was 20 or 50; years on the streets had erased the normal features of age. She lay back down, and I could see that the bottom of one bare foot was pocked with wounds.
Some cases are extremely complicated, said Dr. Jonathan Sherin, L.A. County mental health director, and he is working on new strategies to engage those who resist help. He said “the system needs a significant dose of additional resources” flexible enough to meet specific needs.
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