Down And Out in L.A.

The hidden homeless add a new dimension to an old problem

They are technically not homeless people, but their living quarters make a mockery of the sentiment that there is no place like home. For the past two months Yolanda Gonzales, her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter have resided in a dilapidated two-car garage in Lynwood, Calif. Patches of dirt blotch the linoleum floor, electrical wires snake along bare walls, a door opens to a reeking kitchen dominated by a blackened stove. At $300 a month it is, alas, almost a bargain. "Nothing is affordable," says Gonzales, 42, whose daughter is on welfare and whose son-in-law lost his job as a handyman. "We...

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