Beverly Hills poor
Shari Able, a resident of HUD housing in Beverly Hills, walks in the neighborhood near her small studio apartment. The gleaming shops of Rodeo Drive are a brisk walk away. She said her federally subsidized apartment costs her roughly $200 a month. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Leon Kessler said he waited six years to get into the HUD building in Beverly Hills and has lived there for five years. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Shari Able sits on her balcony at sunset. Applicants must be at least 62, with a maximum income of $29,000 for one-person households. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Libby Wein recently landed in a $346-a-month, 420-square-foot studio unit after her husband suffered financial setbacks and then died. The adjustment from her previous middle-class lifestyle has been tough, she said, but she welcomes being back in familiar territory where she and her husband raised their children, with other seniors in similar circumstances. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)