VENICE, Calif. – In L.A. County nearly 60,000 people have no where to call home and are forced to sleep on the streets, according to the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority. 

Without shelter or storage, many people facing homelessness have to carry all their belongings no matter where they go. Mario Villalobos has been homeless for over nine months. It’s a burden, he said, that prevents him from finding work.

“You can not do things, you don’t feel free you always have the feeling that if i’m looking for a job or doing something or going to the movies, it’s not very comfortable,” Villalobos said.

When Villalobos lost his job, he lost his only chance of paying rent. 

“I was sharing a room with two more people and it was too expensive we couldn’t afford it anymore and actually we got the eviction for that. And the drugs comes after,” Villalobos said.

Life on the streets led him using drugs like meth, he said. Now, he’s working on entering a drug rehabilitation program to get his life back on track. Villalobos is one of 150 people who came to the Venice Family Clinic’s Homeless Services Day, where those experiencing homelessness were connected with resources. Ron Kaplan is one of the exhibitors at the event. He’s spent years working with the homeless in Chicago, before creating the Citypak Project backpacks that were designed for the homeless. 

“We found many, many examples of people leaving homeless shelters with plastic bags and recycled school bags,” Kaplan said.

That’s why his organization and the travel gear company, High Sierra designed the Citypak Project backpacks with input from the homeless to include anti-theft straps, ballistic material to protect it from dirt and the weather, a durable rain poncho with other features. The organization also, filled it with other needed donations inside. The backpacks aren’t for sale but they are distributed with nonprofit partners with the organization. Kaplan said the Citypak backpacks are also connecting the homeless, like Villalobos with resources.

“I can’t solve homelessness. But this makes a difference and this creates a sense of dignity, a sense of safety and a sense of importance for someone who has something specifically made for them,” Kaplan said.

It’s a gift, that’s helping Villalobos and others experiencing homelessness focus on where they need to go.

“I’m just getting back my life step by step,” Villalobos said.

Villalobos said the bag will help him keep his things in one place, as he tries to sort out his next step and get his life back on track.