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# Will it take a disaster to help our own?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/will-it-take-a-disaster-to-help-our-own-editor/
- Published: 2005-09-13T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:46:48.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless, Homelessness

*By Ken McCrae Santa Monica*

America has shown the world its true colors — that its individual citizens show compassion, and the desire and ability to help those in dire need — by their charity to those suddenly made homeless by Katrina, the great hurricane of 2005.

It makes me proud to be an American again, even though Bush still ruins, er, runs the country.

Providing assistance to those in need, Californians by the thousands have offered money, shelter, food, and even jobs to those suddenly plunged into homelessness.

But a nagging question lurks in the back of my mind: If we can come together in a concerted effort to provide relief to so many strangers half a continent away, why can’t we do the same for our local homeless? Certainly, many, though not all (as in New Orleans, where some residents resist efforts of rescue from potentially deadly conditions) of our local homeless population, given the same benefits of housing, food, clothing, and the opportunity to work, would be returned to productive lives, just as we hope to see our new influx of refugees from back East do so. (Didn’t we go through this in the ’30s? Seems to me that back then we put up road blocks to keep the “Okies‚” out.) Perhaps, when — not if — the “Big One” hits California, displacing millions, our homeless will be able to take advantage of the largess of the rest of the country and finally be able to get the help they need and deserve to get up off our streets.

At least they will have a big advantage over all those made suddenly homeless — they already know how to survive such conditions — they do it every day.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 13, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/091305.pdf?ref=smdp.com)