THE SAVIOR OF SKID ROW

While I applaud the efforts of Alice Callaghan and her organization, I think there are other women who have also had a positive impact on the Skid Row area and the people who inhabit it.

Tanya Tull, the founder of Para Los Ninos and Beyond Shelter, has created programs that help families with children.

Maxene Johnston is president of the Weingart Center, which houses a number of programs, including Skid Row Mental Health and an alcohol recovery program.

The Los Angeles Men’s Place has Molly Lawry as its executive director. This agency caters to the mentally ill.

Jill Halverson founded the Downtown Women’s Center. Her agency provides services mostly to elderly and disabled women who have nowhere else to turn.

And there’s Martha Brown Hicks, president of the Skid Row Development Corp. Its many projects include Transition House, a medium-term shelter for men and women that specializes in job-readiness training and placement, and the San Julian Temporary Emergency Shelter, which provides overnight beds to the homeless.

HAROLD KATZ

FORMER CHAIRMAN, CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Los Angeles