Help Lionel Reeves Find a Home
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Please meet Lionel Reeves. His friends call him "Detroit". Lionel has been homeless for 7 years. I first saw him when he moved beneath The 101 underpass at the corner of Franklin Ave and Vine St. Back then, a tent on the side of the road was a rare sight.
I worked at the corner of Hollywood & Vine for years - and would see Lionel almost every day as I drove to work. I would occasionally give him money - and say hi...and over the years, the one thing I noticed was that Lionel always had something positive to say - whether you had anything for him or not. Always a kind word for a stranger.
But then I stopped seeing Lionel - and figured he had moved away. But he hadn't. He was in the hospital - where pneumonia and infection required his legs to be amputated. I know this - because when he was released from the Hospital, he was back living on the same street corner. But this time with no legs. And yet he still had something positive to say to passersby.
Over the past 2 years I have been back in Hollywood on a regular basis for work, and I noticed things getting worse for Lionel...and getting worse for all of the homeless in Los Angeles. His electric wheelchair was gone - replaced by a standard push chair that cannot navigate his environment. And where Lionel was at one time the only homeless man in the area - he is now surrounded by tents. We have gone from crisis to epidemic - and it truly breaks my heart.
Like many of us in Los Angeles, I am sad and confused about the homeless in our city. I see it getting worse - and want to help, but I do not know how - or what - to do. And when I look to our elected leaders - I do not see the leadership we need on this issue. I only see it getting worse.
There are a lot of great people doing great things for the homeless in Los Angeles - but as the problem gets worse, I think more of us need to take a role in solving this human rights issue. So this is me doing that.
I look forward to learning from neighborhood movements like https://www.selahnhc.org/ and many others. I have a lot to learn. During that process I hope that this GoFundMe can start to provide for some of Lionel's immediate, basic human needs - and will create a "savings account" so that we are poised to strike as opportunities arrive to find him a permanent home.
The ultimate goal of this page is to find a permanent home for Lionel. This will take time and money. And a lot of education for both Lionel and myself - as we learn what resources are available - and what is the path to (and cost of) a permanent residence.
I was not sure what to put down for the financial goal of this project, as I anticipate the financial goal of this campaign changing as we learn more about what is truly needed for meaningful change. In the meantime, Lionel has daily health issues that need addressing - not to mention the basic food, water and shelter needs.
Here are some of our short term goals:
- Prescriptions for the right post-op medications
- Blood thinner medication
- Travel to a Dr. visit
- Get a P.O. Box mailing address
- Locate Birth Certificate
- Get California State Identification
- Open a bank account
- Find a mechanized wheelchair / scooter
- Improve temporary living conditions
-Access a local library (hence new wheelchair)
Part of these funds will be used to enable Lionel to help other homeless people and ease the suffering that surrounds him. He is eager to provide care and counseling to others - and you see this in action when you spend time with him. I find it quite inspirational to see Lionel so dedicated to helping other people when he himself is in so much need. People helping people. Inspirational stuff.
I will be updating this page as I learn more about solutions and friction points and will also post the costs as I discover them. It is my hope that this campaign will enable Lionel to make decisions for himself...for him to be in control of his fate -and to work towards a brighter future that includes a permanent home.
I want to wholeheartedly thank you if you are still reading this. I hope that together we can make a difference.
-jono hart
I worked at the corner of Hollywood & Vine for years - and would see Lionel almost every day as I drove to work. I would occasionally give him money - and say hi...and over the years, the one thing I noticed was that Lionel always had something positive to say - whether you had anything for him or not. Always a kind word for a stranger.
But then I stopped seeing Lionel - and figured he had moved away. But he hadn't. He was in the hospital - where pneumonia and infection required his legs to be amputated. I know this - because when he was released from the Hospital, he was back living on the same street corner. But this time with no legs. And yet he still had something positive to say to passersby.
Over the past 2 years I have been back in Hollywood on a regular basis for work, and I noticed things getting worse for Lionel...and getting worse for all of the homeless in Los Angeles. His electric wheelchair was gone - replaced by a standard push chair that cannot navigate his environment. And where Lionel was at one time the only homeless man in the area - he is now surrounded by tents. We have gone from crisis to epidemic - and it truly breaks my heart.
Like many of us in Los Angeles, I am sad and confused about the homeless in our city. I see it getting worse - and want to help, but I do not know how - or what - to do. And when I look to our elected leaders - I do not see the leadership we need on this issue. I only see it getting worse.
There are a lot of great people doing great things for the homeless in Los Angeles - but as the problem gets worse, I think more of us need to take a role in solving this human rights issue. So this is me doing that.
I look forward to learning from neighborhood movements like https://www.selahnhc.org/ and many others. I have a lot to learn. During that process I hope that this GoFundMe can start to provide for some of Lionel's immediate, basic human needs - and will create a "savings account" so that we are poised to strike as opportunities arrive to find him a permanent home.
The ultimate goal of this page is to find a permanent home for Lionel. This will take time and money. And a lot of education for both Lionel and myself - as we learn what resources are available - and what is the path to (and cost of) a permanent residence.
I was not sure what to put down for the financial goal of this project, as I anticipate the financial goal of this campaign changing as we learn more about what is truly needed for meaningful change. In the meantime, Lionel has daily health issues that need addressing - not to mention the basic food, water and shelter needs.
Here are some of our short term goals:
- Prescriptions for the right post-op medications
- Blood thinner medication
- Travel to a Dr. visit
- Get a P.O. Box mailing address
- Locate Birth Certificate
- Get California State Identification
- Open a bank account
- Find a mechanized wheelchair / scooter
- Improve temporary living conditions
-Access a local library (hence new wheelchair)
Part of these funds will be used to enable Lionel to help other homeless people and ease the suffering that surrounds him. He is eager to provide care and counseling to others - and you see this in action when you spend time with him. I find it quite inspirational to see Lionel so dedicated to helping other people when he himself is in so much need. People helping people. Inspirational stuff.
I will be updating this page as I learn more about solutions and friction points and will also post the costs as I discover them. It is my hope that this campaign will enable Lionel to make decisions for himself...for him to be in control of his fate -and to work towards a brighter future that includes a permanent home.
I want to wholeheartedly thank you if you are still reading this. I hope that together we can make a difference.
-jono hart
Organizer
Jono Hart
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA