Californian Rises from Homelessness His Way
Local Hero Todd Olin
Todd Olin is a familiar sight, hard at work in his orange vest, cleaning up busy streets in the Southern California. Most motorists and pedestrians think he’s just a Public Works employee when they spot him trimming bushes, picking up trash, scrubbing sidewalks and removing graffiti in Venice, Marina Del Rey, Anaheim, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach.
Olin, 52, a native of Long Beach, is voluntarily working hard every day to not only beautify communities but to literally work himself out of homelessness.
“I’m hoping to inspire others–here and across the country–to work their way off the streets,” said the enthusiastic man, who usually pulls his carts of tools behind his bicycle. He said a couple years ago, he was injured when his motorized bike was hit. This led to the loss of a job and his apartment. Read the full story…>
Statistics on Homelessness
- Over half a million people in the U.S. were homeless last year.
- 66.7% of all homeless are single.
- In 2017, 30 states reported decreases in homelessness, while 20 states saw increases.
- California reported the largest increase, with 16,136 additional people experiencing homelessness.
- More than 25% (roughly 114,000) of nation’s homeless live in California.
- California reported the largest increase in unsheltered homelessness (13,252 people) as well as the largest increase in chronically homeless individuals (5,996 people).
- Los Angeles has the 2nd largest homeless population in the nation with over 55,000 people.
- 75% of unsheltered homeless in Los Angeles County had homes before losing them.
