Welcome
Welcome to Westside Homeless Initiative Los Angeles (WHILA)
The Westside Homeless Initiative is a volunteer organization addressing the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in our community. Our mission is ultimately to help every person get off the street and into shelter.
How It Works: Community Photo Mapping
When you encounter someone experiencing homelessness in our community, you can help us map where help is needed by sharing a photo. It takes just seconds:
- Take a photo with your phone's camera (location services must be enabled)
- Tap "Share a Photo" and select the photo you just took
- Optionally add details about the location
- Submit — your photo will be reviewed before being added to our map
By tracking locations rather than individuals, we respect privacy while building actionable data that shows the City where services are needed most. Every photo helps us demonstrate the scale of this crisis and advocate for real solutions.
Location Map
Our interactive map shows the current locations where people are experiencing homelessness in our community.
Each pin represents a location documented through community-submitted photos. The map provides a real-time view of where help is needed and helps us track changes over time.
View Latest Photos
Dec 7, 2025
See recent community-submitted photos documenting locations where people are experiencing homelessness in our neighborhood.
Each photo helps us build a comprehensive picture of where help is needed and advocate for increased services and support.
Join Us
Everyone can help by sharing photos when they encounter homelessness in our community. You don't need an account to contribute.
Register as a volunteer if you want to take a more active role in WHILA's mission:
- Lead efforts: Help coordinate photo documentation and verification visits in your neighborhood
- Track progress: Access detailed data showing how our collective efforts are driving accountability
- Connect with others: Join a network of neighbors committed to solving homelessness through action
Whether you share one photo or volunteer regularly, you're helping build the evidence that gets people off the streets.
Our Community
We currently serve the Westside Neighborhood Council area. If we are successful, we would like to expand to adjacent neighborhood councils.
The Three Steps
Step #1: LOCATE — We are currently building a real-time map of every location where people are experiencing homelessness in our community — encampments, single tents, and places where individuals are sleeping. Through community-submitted photos, we track the geographic distribution of unsheltered homelessness as it changes day by day.
Step #2: OUTREACH — We advocate for the City and service providers to connect with people at identified locations to offer assistance, resources, and pathways to shelter. Proper outreach requires trained teams working with service providers to ensure every site receives appropriate support and access to services.
Step #3: FOLLOW UP — We are raising awareness by documenting the state of homelessness in our community. While we support the City and service providers, we are also providing accountablity to ensure we are all doing our best for our unhoused neighbors.
The Four A's
ACTION -- Every person sleeping unsheltered is at great risk, experiencing deteriorating mental and physical health. This crisis is happening now and demands immediate action.
ACCOUNTABILITY -- Our purpose is to help people get off the street and into shelter. We hold ourselves accountable through transparency and measurable results.
ADVOCACY -- A systemic failure of governance and policy has created this crisis. We advocate for practical changes that directly help people in our community move from street to shelter.
AWARENESS -- Homelessness is not a mystery. It's an observable, quantifiable problem with known solutions. By expanding understanding, we can align priorities to solve it.