LA Activist Finds Couple in Bridge, Rallies City to Help

Juan Naula was cleaning trash along the LA River when he spotted something that stopped him in his tracks: a couple living inside the hollow concrete pillar of a bridge.

The cramped space barely qualified as shelter. The air reeked of smoke from fires they lit to stay warm. Yet this woman and her boyfriend had called it home for three years after losing their house to foreclosure.

"I want to cry," Naula told reporters. "This is not acceptable. I don't accept it."

Most people would have kept walking. Naula asked if he could bring food.

The founder of Clean L.A. With Me came to Los Angeles just 18 months ago with a simple mission: pick up trash and restore dignity to neighborhoods. What he found was far more than a litter problem.

Naula has discovered thousands of unhoused Angelenos living in conditions most residents never see. Some shelter in sewers. Others hide in drainage pipes. The couple in the bridge pillar represents just one story among countless others tucked into the city's forgotten corners.

But Naula isn't interested in counting problems. He's building solutions.

The Ripple Effect

What started as one man with trash bags has grown into a citywide movement. Naula hosts regular cleanup events where volunteers don't just pick up waste but connect with their unhoused neighbors in meaningful ways.

The woman in the bridge pillar told Naula she wanted help. That simple request sparked Naula to coordinate with other nonprofits to bring resources directly to people living in these hidden spaces.

His approach combines immediate relief with community building. Volunteers bring food, water, clothes, and hygiene kits. They also bring something harder to deliver: attention and care for people the city has overlooked.

Naula shares his discoveries on social media, turning invisible suffering into visible calls to action. Each post invites more Angelenos to join cleanup events or donate supplies.

The movement recognizes a truth many cities ignore: homelessness doesn't just happen on sidewalks and under freeway overpasses. It happens in spaces so hidden that people survive there for years without help.

By shining light into those dark corners, Naula is proving that one person's refusal to accept unacceptable conditions can mobilize an entire community to respond.

Those interested in joining can find Clean L.A. With Me online to volunteer at cleanup events, donate supplies, or contribute funds for essential items like food and hygiene kits.