Valley Men Run 125-Mile 'Ultra Marathon' To Stop Homelessness

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA — "If we're honest, I'm feeling a bit stupid having just agreed to this," Rowan Vansleve told Patch. Vansleve is nervous for good reason - he's agreed to run 125 miles across the San Fernando Valley from March 19-27.

But Vansleve, the CFO of homelessness nonprofit Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, is attempting to run five times the length of a marathon because he's trying to raise five times the amount of money he raised when he ran the Los Angeles Marathon.

"Looking down the barrel of 2021, and seeing what COVID has done to the homeless population, we're faced with a greater need than we've ever faced before - more and more people have become homeless, our resources are maxed out, and we're really in the depths of the homeless crisis with COVID on top of that, and then an economic decline - it is an absolute perfect storm," Vansleve said. "We want to open five times more beds, 500 more beds, right here in the San Fernando Valley to get people off the streets into what's called bridge housing...five times as many beds is five times as many expenses...well, if we need five times as much, why not run five times as far?"

That's exactly what Vansleve is doing, alongside Hope of the Valley CEO Ken Craft. To raise $200,000 to expand shelter capacity, Vansleve and Craft will spend the next week traversing the Antelope and San Fernando valleys, running anywhere from nine to 20 miles a day before retiring home to gear up for the following day. They are running from Lancaster to Palmdale to Agua Dulce to Santa Clarita to Pacoima to Burbank to Northridge to Simi Valley, moving between the organization's various shelters and thrift stores. Along the way, three formerly homeless men who took part in the organization's recovery programs will be joining them to run a four-mile stretch from Pacoima halfway to Burbank.

They will also be joined by various local figures like District 12 Councilmember John Lee, District 2 Councilmember Paul Krekorian, and District 3 Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who will participate in news conferences about initiatives to help the homeless. Lee has even promised to run the final mile with them in Northridge, where he will announce that the former Skateland roller rink is being converted into a 23,000-square-foot, 107-bed bridge housing facility named after late Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, a long-time Hope of the Valley donor. Trebek's wife Jean and son Matthew will attend the Trebek Center ribbon cutting on March 25.

"It is definitely a big undertaking, but we got asked by a donor, 'Isn't there anything else you can do to make money?'" Vansleve said. "I said, 'If you know what it is, do it.' We're in the middle of a war against homelessness right now, and every day is a losing battle for so many. In our city right now, over 1300 people died on the streets because they were homeless, because they were poor...we're gonna move our feet so that others can eat, because we genuinely believe at Hope of the Valley that everyone deserves to be inside."

Despite the pandemic and an ever-deepening crisis, the organization has seen some remarkable successes. At the beginning of 2021, Hope of the Valley had 507 beds in nine shelters. At the end of the year, they anticipate having over 1100 beds in 14 shelters, according to Craft. Many of those rooms will be in Tiny Home communities, which feature 64-square-foot houses with two beds, storage space, electrical outlets, heating, air conditioning, windows, and a locked door. Common areas have laundry machines, showers, and restrooms.

Residents stay for four to six months while they look for permanent housing, and have access to a wide array of social service, like mental health and drug and alcohol counseling, job training and placement services. One village on Chandler Boulevard in North Hollywood opened in early February, and another one is set to open in nearby Alexandria Park in April. Meanwhile, cabin communities are opening in Tarzana and Reseda, and the city is able to use state money to convert hotels and motels into temporary housing.

Vansleve and Craft said they believe that Los Angeles is better positioned than ever - and ever might be again - to finally end homelessness. He credits a court mandate that the city must provide beds for 60 percent of the homeless population if they want to enforce existing no-camping laws, state money for bridge shelters, and shifting sentiment among politicians and their constituents.

"I am convinced that if we can create the solution, we can definitely solve 99 percent of the homelessness problem," he said. "I've never seen more energy, effort and focus given than at this time right now...I believe now is the time. If we can't do it now, I'm not sure it will ever happen."

Visit here to sponsor their run.