Just when I thought Southpark was going down the hill, they come up with a funny sketch. Now I've only been in LA for about 8 months and it's already something I have come to know this city for: an abundance of bums. At first I was a little scared because I come from a small homeless-less town. But now, they've really begun to become part of my life: talking to me when I'm lonely, sharing my beers, and even giving compliments in exchange for some quarters. I think I could possibly list each one on UCLA and in Westwood. My favorite is the balding man with the dreadlocks. I like him because he used to come in to my work with a flower and admire himself in the mirror. I also like the guy who hangs around BrewCo. I call him Santa Clause because instead of carrying around his cart all day, he stuffs his belongings in the front of his shirt, causing his stomach to look like it's spilling over his pants. However, not all of them are sweet and innocent. My roommate recently encountered a homeless lady at Tommy's who somehow got my roommate to buy her ice cream, then coffee, then water, and then to fetch some napkins–without saying thanks. Man, I can't even get my boyfriend to do that!

Anyway, here's some facts you can use to impress in your next conversation:

-There are ~80,000 homeless every night in the LA county
-30% to 50% are women and girls
-Single-mother families make up about 20% to 43%
-Most homeless people in LA are from LA (sorry Southpark!)
-Average age of homeless adults is 40 years
-About 50% of all homeless are high school graduates

And some vocab to add to your dictionary: 

-Britain: "rough sleeper"
-Spanish: "persona sin hogar"
-French: "sans domicile fixe"
-German: "obdachlos"
-Italian: "senzatetto" (without a roof)
-Portuguese: "sem-teto" (without a roof) or "Pessoa sem abrigo"
-Polish, Russian, Slovene: "bezdomny" or "brezdomec"        

Ciao!
-Sheena