Head of CA homeless services organization says ‘I can’t afford to live’ here anymore in L.A Times column

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The head of a homeless services organization in Los Angeles published an opinion column in the L.A. Times this weekend complaining about not being able to afford living in the city anymore.

Author Nathan Sheets declared in the piece that he and his family received an eviction notice and are having to move back to Indiana. His column criticized the California government for doing little to curb homelessness, slamming it for not even giving options to social workers like himself to live there and help the homeless population.

The executive director homeless services nonprofit, The Center In Hollywood, began his column, writing, "In August, my family’s Los Angeles landlord served us with a 60-day notice to vacate… This is the second time in three and a half years we’ve been served with this kind of notice."

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In a recent column, an L.A. social worker slammed the California government for not doing enough to keep housing affordable for social workers like himself so they can actually stay and help the homeless population.  (Fox 11 Los Angeles)

He added, "because of the double whammy of the housing affordability crisis in Los Angeles and the lack of housing security, my family isn’t looking for another place here — we’re leaving for my home state of Indiana, and I’ll soon have to leave my job." 

Sheets also acknowledged, "The irony of all this is that for more than 10 years my job has been to help prevent homelessness for vulnerable Angelenos."

He continued, explaining how he moved to L.A. in 2011 and started a career in social work that blossomed from volunteer work "downtown for groups that provided meals and other services to the city’s unhoused population."

Sheets mentioned how he started working at the Center in Hollywood, noting, "I was drawn to the Center because, along with its work doing outreach and helping those in need find permanent housing, its central focus was on creating safe space and building relationships with unhoused people."

However, the author noted drawbacks to the job, that have now affected him ten years later. He stated, "Though meaningful and important, work in homeless services is hard, the pay is low and the lack of housing security for those who do it has led to many leaving California to avoid the risk of becoming unhoused themselves."

He recounted warning one politician’s staff members that "many experts would end up leaving the field and moving away out of necessity."

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New federal data reveals that despite California spending over $17 billion to fight homelessness in the last few years, its homeless population has grown.  (Fox News Digital)

"In the time since this conversation, little has been done to curb this reality. According to some estimates, California lost a net 340,000 residents between 2021 and 2022. I have seen at least 25 friends move out of state, some of whom were among the Center’s staff," Sheets said.

He then declared, "It pains me to join them, but my family and I want to buy a home someday, which won’t be possible for us here."

The social worker called out state officials for saying they’d alleviate homelessness, then doing nothing to prevent the exodus of social workers who provide the care for homeless residents. 

"L.A.’s elected officials have declared that solving the homelessness crisis is a priority, yet the work to do this takes time, care and the dedication of people who work at places like the Center. If we can’t afford to live here ourselves, we can’t help the unhoused population we want to serve."

Sheets concluded the column, stating, "My family and I may not be able to stay here, but I hope the city’s leaders will prioritize this challenge so that others who work to help its unhoused population can continue to make Los Angeles their home."

Homelessness is so rampant in California that it accounts for nearly a third of the nation’s total homelessness, according to a study conducted by The Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco over the summer. 

Most of the California participants surveyed in the study claimed housing in their state is not affordable.

The California governor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

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