LOS ANGELES - Randy Lobiano is visiting Los Angeles from his hometown of Manila in the Philippines.

As he checks out touristy locations like the Broad Museum, he says he was not expecting to see people without homes casually laying on the ground.

“I was kind of shocked, because I mean, when I was little, I would just see this city on TV. But then, in front of my eyes, it’s a bit shocking, knowing that America should be like what they say, American Dream,” he said.

But Lobiano says he’s still trying to figure out if it’s an American Dream, or an American nightmare.

As he grabs a cup of coffee, he observes a man holding a sign that reads, “anything helps.”

“Back in Manila, there are a lot of homeless, but I mean here, I think it's triple, I mean its kind of bad,” Lobiano said.

As Lobiano ventured deeper into downtown, he says even though he comes from a developing country, he wasn’t prepared to see the U.S., one of the wealthiest countries in the world, have tents outside where people are sleeping, and have rats roaming freely.

“Based on what I saw, it’s pretty much heartbreaking down there,” he said.

Lobiano believes, in addition to food and shelter, there should be a focus on job preparation to give each individual a sense of purpose.

“I mean instead of giving a fish, might as well teach them how to fish right?”