97 Year Old Homeless Woman Receives Housing

Published October 20, 2009 @ 09:40AM PT

The 97 year old homeless woman from LA is no longer sleeping on the streets. Her story, published Friday in the LA Times, garnered national disbelief and prompted service providers to act quickly to move her into housing.

Bessie Mae Berger was 97 years old and living in a beat up 1973 Chevy Suburban with her two sons. The LA Times exposed their plight on Friday, detailing how the trio sleeps, moves from parking lot to parking lot, and occasionally panhandles for food. Their plight caught national attention, prompting LA and California authorities to take immediate action.

Today, the three are safely housed - together, as they wished - in the California Retirement Villa. It's a temporary situation, currently slated to last three months. But the organization says they are committed to helping this family obtain long-term benefits.

Let's breathe a collective sigh of relief now that one especially fragile woman and her two elderly sons are off the streets. What whatever you do, don't get complacent. There are thousands of other elderly homeless individuals hidden in cars, alleys, tent cities, and shelters across the U.S.

Where is the outrage that will move them into housing?

Image: Jek in the Box

Share this Post

Comments (4)

Wow - amazing...

The problem is there is just so many homeless nowadays from the very young to the elderly -

Good question...where is the outrage?

Posted by Eva Marie Woywod on 10/20/2009 @ 08:21PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Eva Marie
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
One outrage I know of was a homeless fast from a tent in Chapel Hill NC, when activist Terry Hallman called on the US to sign up to the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural rights. His senator John Edwards opened the Center for Poverty Work and Opportunity there at UNC soon after.

Back in 1996 he'd been a researcher on the Clinton re-election committee, where he wrote a critique and proposed replacement for capitalism, with compassion and conscience.

Obliged to leave the US and unwelcome in the UK, from 2004 on his major focus has been on a 'Marshall Plan' to end the vicious cycle of poverty in another country.

This homeless man's ideas a decade laterm, now touch some of the most influential and yet he's still very much under the radar.

http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=137296

He was offered the opportunity to

Posted by Jeff Mowatt on 10/25/2009 @ 10:13AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Jeff
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Thank the Gods that poor lady has a place to sleep at night! It just kills me - a 97 yr. old woman having to sleep in a car! What's UP with this &#@$% country!!!

Posted by Candyce Rice on 10/25/2009 @ 01:34PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Candyce
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
i multi-disabled spent over 8 years in homeless hell.

The HOUSING AUTHORITiES EVEN MANY ADVOCATEs fail or outright discriminate.

Bessie and sons have many and special disability related needs.

They are not represented by the advocates/LOBBYISTS for The developmentally delayed or eligible for the seperate funding streams where there is homeless prevention search assit move in assit furnishings moving help all ...

ONLY ONE GOOD REPORTER CHANGED THIER FATE.

they lost a N CAL voucher due TO ISSUES OF DISCRIMINATION and lack or access or equality in program and policy at the housing authority and through the social and non profit services.

AND IF MORE people are removed from institutions before there is accessible housing for the many homeless multi and/or severely disabled,

If ONLY ONE GROUP OF US DISaBLED continues to have the lobbyists, advocates and the lion's share of funding programs and access, even better medical access,

EXPECT MUCH MORE.

Posted by DARLENE MATTHEWS on 10/25/2009 @ 02:22PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by DARLENE
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.