Lakers star Kobe Bryant joined about 10,000 people participating in this year’s HomeWalk. The 5K Run/Walk annual event, hosted by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, aims to end homelessness by bringing awareness to the problem and raising funds to help those who need to find a permanent home.
This is the fifth year of the HomeWalk. The event started at 8:30 am on Saturday, November 19 at the Exposition Park with an opening ceremony. The Run/Walk begun at 9:00 am and ended at 10:15 am.
“I am touched to see that so many people are raising money for us,” said Trevor, a homeless man who was at the HomeWalk 2011. “I have been living on the streets for three years and thanks to all of the HomeWalk participants, I believe that someday, I will have a permanent house.”
Over the past four years, HomeWalk has mobilized over 18,000 walkers, raised $1.7 million and created organizations that have moved 9,000 homeless people to a permanent house.
According to the United Way, there are over 51,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County. Of those:
* 18% are veterans
* 40% are women and children
* 32% have a bachelors degree or higher
One of the leading reasons for homelessness is the loss of a job.
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