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GBA Consults on Homelessness Report

Jim, Gary, and Tempra served as principal writers of the Bring Los Angeles Home: The Campaign to End Homelessness report, which is an important iteration of the County's ten-year plan to end homelessness. Community members involved came from government, faith organizations, health and human services agencies, advocacy groups, the entertainment industry, law enforcement, and business organizations, and some came from homelessness themselves, to formulate the plan and see that a wide range of interests were taken into consideration. The effort was conducted under the auspices of The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a joint powers authority between the City and County of Los Angeles, and the nonprofit Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness. The 2005 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, when combined with separate counts from Glendale, Long Beach, and Pasadena, estimated that on any given night, more than 88,000 persons are homeless in Los Angeles County.

GBA Presents at National Conference

In November, Gary and Jim gave a presentation at the prestigious American Evaluation Association 2006 Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon, entitled "Situational Analysis as a Process Evaluation Tool in Human Services Programs." Their presentation was well received by an audience of professional and academic evaluators and scholars.

GBA Advises Proposers for LA Care Oral Health Initiative

In fall of 2006, Gary and Susan served as consultants and advisers to agencies applying to LA Care Health Plan's funding initiative for oral healthcare. Approximately 30 organizations applied for funding under this initiative, and all were given the opportunity to receive feedback on early drafts of their proposals by the GBA team. Gary and Susan traveled to Los Angeles, where they were given two offices (with beautiful views of the city!) to receive and work with clients who represented a broad cross-section of healthcare providers.

GBA Team Serves on Faculty of CSU Chico

During the 2006-2007 academic year, three members of the GBA staff are teaching courses at nearby California State University, Chico. Gary teaches "Advanced Social Work Macro Practices" for the Master's of Social Work program, and Jim teaches "Social Work Research and Methods." On the other side of campus, Susan teaches "Communication Criticism," which is the writing proficiency course for the Communications Design Department. She also taught "History of Documentary Film" in the fall.

GBA Adopts Puppies

On the evening of December 21st, two absolutely adorable puppies were left in the driveway of GBA, to be discovered by Gary and son Grayson upon their return home from an evening of holiday revelry. The puppies became the central attraction of the office in no time, and everyone fell in love with them immediately. After taking extraordinary measures to find their owner, to no avail, it was decided that the puppies would become the newest members of the Bess menagerie, which currently includes two other dogs, four cats, two horses, one pony, two donkeys, and two potbelly pigs. The puppies have nearly doubled in size and weight over the course of their first month in their new home, thanks to abundant affection, care, and feeding by their new dad, whom they love quite obviously and profusely.