Walnut Park homeless husband and wife desperate to get off the streets

As many as 75,000 people could be homeless on Los Angeles County streets, advocates say. Many of them feel trapped by circumstance and are looking for help.

"I want a space for me," says Imelda Bustamante as she tries hold back tears. She told me about her life on the streets.

She and her husband have been homeless for more than 4 years. They moved to Los Angeles from Riverside County just before the pandemic with the promise of a job. That job never happened.

"He's been picking plastic bottles and cans so we can survive. He's been looking for a job, but they won't give them to him," says Bustamante.

She says her camper can't move, it's falling apart and they are feeling stressed and desperate. She says the RVs and tents near the corner of Alameda and South 92nd street have become a small community where people try to help each other.

Richard Chairez told us someone dumped trash in the area.

"As long as we keep it all clean here we're all good," says Chairez.

Bustamante says in September she'll turn 65 and be eligible for Medicare. She hopes that will bring her some much-needed medical help.

"I have diabetes. I have heart failure. I have arthritis," says Bustamante.

Bustamante says she doesn't know where she can reach out for help. She says she tried and was told she couldn't keep her pets.

"And for me, this is my life because look at her. She just sees me crying and she comes for me," says Bustamante.

This is an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County. We contacted the office of county Supervisor Holly Mitchell. They sent a statement which says in part "Stories like this are why we must continue to work as fast as we can to get unhoused residents connected to services that meet their unique needs. LAHSA has deployed an outreach team to connect with the individuals in this area."

"I do not want to be homeless and it's not because I want to do something else. I just need a place to stay," says Bustamante.