洛杉矶加紧解决人们无家可归的问题（在线收听）

Los Angeles Steps Up Fight Against Homelessness 洛杉矶加紧解决人们无家可归的问题

LOS ANGELES—

Most big cities have some homelessness, but the problem is very visible in Los Angeles. City officials hope they can eradicate the problem and have pledged $100 million for the battle. Those who work with the homeless, however, say the festering issue has become a crisis.

大部分大城市都有一些无家可归者，但是洛杉矶的情况则尤为突出。城市官员们希望他们能够根除这一问题，与无家可归者一起工作的人称该问题越来越严重，已经成为一场危机。

“Homelessness has increased by about 12 to 15 percent.  The street homelessness or the encampments have increased more than 80 percent,” said Joel John Roberts of the nonprofit group People Assisting the Homeless (PATH).

“无家可归者已经增加了大约12%至15%。街道上的无家可归者或露宿者已经增加了超过80%。”“资助无家可归者”(People Assisting the Homeless)组织的Joel John Roberts表示。

On streets near the airport, people live in campers and recreational vehicles, and outreach workers offer help. People make the best of a bad situation.在机场附近的街道上，人们住在帐篷和游艺车里，外展服务人员提供帮助。人们充分利用最糟糕的环境。

“We have running water in there," one homeless woman said, pointing to her vehicle. "We have a stove, an oven. We can cook. We actually have homemade dinners in there.”

一名无家可归的妇女指着她的车说：“我们这里有自来水。我们有炉子，烤箱。我们可以煮饭。我们这里有自己制作的晚餐。”

For many, rents throughout the region have become sky high as the economy improves for those who are paid higher incomes.

对许多人来说，该地区的房租已经居高不下，而对一些高收入者来说，经济状况正在改善。

"And the pressure of people moving in to get jobs forces people out," said Herb Smith of the Los Angeles Mission.

“人们不断来到这里找工作的压力迫使一些人离开。”洛杉矶使命组织的Herb Smith表示。

Getting housing is not easy, even for those who work. L.A. resident Christian Lofland has a job and an apartment, but he spent time on the street and faced hurdles applying for housing.

获得住房并不容易，即使是对那些有工作的人来说。洛杉矶居民Christian Lofland有一份工作，有一座公寓，但是有时也要露宿街头，他申请房屋时也面临障碍。

“Credit check, background check, criminal history check, sexual [offender] registry check — everything that you can imagine," he said.

“信誉审查，背景审查，犯罪历史审查，性侵注册审查——你能想到的一切都要审查。”

The new funds will help with winter emergency shelters and other short-term measures, and those who work with the homeless say it should also include job training, counseling and substance-abuse programs to deal with the many problems of those who live on the street.

新的基金将帮助设立冬季应急帐篷和其他短期措施，处理无家可归人员事宜的工作人员表示，还应包括就业培训，咨询和药物滥用项目，帮助露宿街头人员的诸多问题。