A Roof On Wheels For The Homeless
A long day on Los Angeles' skid row is about to turn into an even longer night.
CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reports an another housing crisis - where people have no where to live but the streets.
"This is a beast unlike anything I have ever seen before," said Montgomery Garnett, who has lived on the streets for nearly three years.
He said that those who don't get on a bus to nearby shelters face a cold, hard reality.
"It is just bodies lying all over the streets," Garnett said.
When night falls, everyone finds their spot - they will spend the night on the sidewalk.
Garnett used to sleep on the concrete, until a couple of weeks ago when a cart landed on his sidewalk.
It's a cart by day that doubles as a mini camper at night. It's called EDAR - Everyone Deserves A Roof.
"It's basically a portable bed, which is nice," Garnett said. "Off the ground."
Hollywood producer Peter Samuelson helped create the mobile shelter. A much needed idea in Los Angeles Country where 73,000 people are homeless, yet there are less than 21,000 beds in shelters.
"How can we go to bed at night knowing that there are men, women, and small children sleeping on pieces of cardboard, laying on damp concrete?" Samuelson asked.
So far, 60 EDARs have been made at a grocery cart factory in Los Angeles. At a cost of $500 each, they want to raise enough money to make 10,000 more by the end of this year. Some are sent to shelters for overflow beds.
Brenda Gardenhire is teaching herself new skills in the hopes of finding a job.
"My little portable home … my little apartment," Gardenhire said. "I'm so happy I have it."
She now has somewhere to come home to.
At night, the EDAR helps Garnett sleep easier. During the day, he can't help but show it off.
"This is the first step in fulfilling the American Dream which is getting my own home," Garnett said. "So this is a start."
And, as Tracy reports, a push in the right direction.
