LAT Puts Pressure On Supervisor Antonovich

The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board is putting pressure on L.A. County Supervisor Antonovich's willingness to fight NIMBYism ("Not In My Backyard").

I think the Times is actually highlighting a deeper issue in the fight to end homelessness--NIMBYism. Even if the funding is available, and the political leadership joins the struggle... how do we convince local neighborhoods to build homeless housing and services in their back yard? That is the deeper issue...

Here is today's editorial:
__________

Not In My Foothills

February 18, 2006

IT'S TOO EARLY TO KNOW how real it is, but the attention being paid to skid row and homelessness by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the county Board of Supervisors and many other community leaders is encouraging. Now comes the first major test of this supposed new resolve.

Last fall, Union Rescue Mission, a large skid row service provider, paid $7.5 million for an abandoned retirement community at the foot of the Angeles National Forest outside Sylmar. The mission is hoping to use the site to open Hope Gardens, a project that would give as many as 275 women and children — who currently sleep on skid row — apartments and support services for two years. The campus would offer job training, counseling for mothers and more than 71 acres of land.

In short, it is a far different world than the violent, rat-infested streets where these women and children spend their days and nights. The project would accommodate more than half of the estimated 400-plus single parents and children who live on skid row today.

This plan may fail, however, because a handful of neighbors who live nearly three miles from the property don't want anything to do with Hope Gardens. They say they're worried about crime and the possibility the children will set fires in the dry brush nearby. The real reason is that they don't want these women and children living anywhere near them.

Homeowners have every right to worry about their safety. But they're not really in danger here. Transitional housing such as Hope Gardens has worked well in the Salvation Army's Transitional Village in Westwood, where 40 formerly homeless families live, and elsewhere across the country. Many of the women aren't on skid row because they want to be or because they are incapable of becoming a part of normal society. They just need a break.

But it looks like they won't be getting one anytime soon. The mission must obtain a permit from the county to use the land to house families, and the county supervisor for the area, Mike Antonovich, appears cool to the idea. His office says he's concerned that the mission bought the land before getting enough local support, but that's disingenuous. What Antonovich really seems to be afraid of is feeling the political heat from a small but vocal group of constituents. The fate of Hope Gardens is now in his hands.

Most Angelenos see the city's homelessness problem, and skid row in particular, as a national embarrassment. They are right. But it's necessary to do more than simply acknowledge the problem. We must be willing to make hard choices and embrace opportunities such as Hope Gardens. And our elected officials must be held accountable when they put their own political benefit above the benefit of us all. Antonovich, who has spoken eloquently of late about homelessness, should show some leadership and help these families find a home.

Skid Row Legislation To Be Announced Today

Central City East Blogger has posted State Senator Cedillo’s press release announcing that at 12 noon today he will be presenting new proposed laws to deal with Skid Row. Here is the link.

Among those to be at the press conference are City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, Councilmember Jan Perry and Police Chief William Bratton.

This, of course, is not the solution to ending homelessness in Los Angeles County. But in these leaders’ minds, it is a proactive response.

I reviewed this new bill in a previous post. I will add more comments to this bill later.

Review Of Last Night’s LA Times Homelessness Forum

Nice review of the last night’s forum at Metroblogging L.A. Here’s it is:
__________

Far more discerning and reverent types than I in attendance tonight in the LA Times' Chandler Auditorium for a high-powered panel discussion on Los Angeles' homeless problem certainly won't mention that Jeff Johnson, the paper's publisher, got things started by introducing keynote speaker Mayor Villaraigosa — and totally flubbing his last name, finally coming closest to its correct pronounciation on the third try. Maybe the fourth. Antonio stepped up to the lectern and was very forgiving, laughing it off that it wasn't the first time his name was butchered and it won't be the last. True, but from the freakin' top dawg at the Times? Gah!

Sorry... I'm dwelling.

Anyway, what the mayor said about his name can be applied to panels such as tonight's, moderated by Andrés Martinez, the Times' editorial pages editor: it wasn't the first, and it won't be the last. And in the meantime there are still an estimated 82,000 homeless people on the streets every night. But it's good they're talking about it at least, yes? Yes, it is. And pretty much what everyone up on stage talked up as a solution: Mo' money, and lots of it will be needed. There's a surprise.

Read more here…

Homeland Security Secretary Testifies Today: What Would You Ask Him?

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff testifies before a Senate Homeland Security panel today. He is certainly on the hot-seat. But politics (and mismanagement) is what made the Katrina crisis more like a Katrina mess.

So instead of politicians asking another politician what went wrong, what would you (the average citizen who pays Chertoff’s salary) ask him?

I have two basic questions:

First: “Why are you allowing 11,000 trailer homes sit empty when there are thousands of homeless Katrina victims, and hundreds of thousands of homeless Americans who desperately need this housing?”

Second: “What are you going to do about the 12,000 families who survived Katrina, and who are now being displaced from hotels funded by FEMA?” (Here’s an article about this.)

It will be interesting to see if these questions will be asked, and what the “political” answer will be…

Using Closed Military Bases For The Homeless Is A Smart Idea

March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California (an hour east of Los Angeles) is being used for homeless services.

Although a third of the 6,600 acres of the base is still used for the Air Force Reserves, they are opening up the property to help the homeless. Here is an article about this.

Lutheran Social Services operates their Amelia’s Light program, a transitional shelter for homeless woman and children that is located on the Reserve Base.

Other bases in California are also housing similar programs.

It just makes sense to use government property to site homeless services and housing. Especially since land is so expensive.

Cincinnati Zoning Board Turns Down Service Mall

By a 3 to 2 vote, the Zoning Board of Appeals in Cincinnati turned down a proposed service mall in the city’s West End neighborhood. This service mall was “inspired by PATH Mall in Los Angeles.” Here's an article.

CityLink, the faith-based service provider, will appeal the ruling. If that doesn’t work, they will have to find a new location.

I have talked with several people from both sides of the debate. My proposal was for them to develop a “good neighbor policy,” similar to what we (PATH) have in our neighborhoods.

This includes a hotline (or email) access so neighbors have direct communication if they feel there are problems in the area, a street outreach team (response team) that will go out into the neighborhood and respond to people who are loitering, a monthly neighborhood (watch) meeting where all of the neighbors meet together to make their area safer and cleaner, and participation of law enforcement and political officials in neighborhood meetings.

The mall concept, or “one stop service centers”, is not going away. It has become a trend throughout the country.

Finding the right location for these malls, like any other homeless service center, will always be the difficult barrier.

More Senseless Violence On The Homeless

The AP reported yesterday about a homeless woman’s body being found on a small street in Venice, California. They don’t know who she is or what happened.

If this had happened in Skid Row, it would have made the LA Times. But the reality in Los Angeles County is that homelessness occurs all over the region. So violence in Skid Row is just a reflection of the reality on the streets all over the county—if you’re homeless in Los Angeles, you are at risk of being violated.

I wonder how many homeless deaths would it take before our community says, “Enough is enough!”? (And I certainly hope this is not another “teen beating.”)

Here is the AP article.

Interviewed By LAist...

If you’re cruising LA Blogs, you might have caught my interview on LAist. Here’s the link. It just describes a little bit more about me and my perspective on Los Angeles. Thanks to LAist for the opportunity…

Hearing To Decide On Residential Hotel Demolition:So, Do We Demo The Old To Build The New?

Next month, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission will be meeting to decide whether to pass a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the conversion or demolition of residential hotels for one year. Here is the actual proposed ordinance, and here is the staff recommendation.

Advocates for affordable housing are in favor of this ordinance because most of these “residential hotels” are housing for the poor and homeless. When these “hotels” are demolished in order to build market rate housing (i.e., million dollar lofts) the poor of our city lose their housing. When a city reduces the affordable housing stock, the risk of homelessness increases.

It is hard enough to build new affordable housing. There is the struggle of finding available land, obtaining funding to purchase and build, and then dealing with the NIMBY’s (“Not in my back yard” neighbors.)

So it just makes sense to at least keep the existing affordable housing that we have in the city. It’s idiotic to build one new unit of affordable housing, only to lose three old units.

This ordinance will be heard by the City Planning Commission on March 9, 2006 after 8:30 a.m. in Room 1010, City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Council President Garcetti Highlights Homeless Success In His “State of Hollywood” Address

Downtown Central City East Blogger already posted info on this, but I thought I would also highlight it because Council President Garcetti also highlights PATH.

Every year, Eric Garcetti speaks to the Hollywood business community at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce luncheon. He gives the “state of Hollywood” report.

This year, he highlighted the “heroes” of Hollywood. He included a person who graduated from a PATH program as one of the heroes. He also highlights this in his blog—CD 13 Blog.

It’s great that the new President of the Los Angeles City Council fully understands the consequences of homelessness in Los Angeles—homelessness is a very personal issue that affects people.

Does Skid Row Need “Tough Love”?

Central City East Association, the Business Improvement District that includes Skid Row, is using a new approach to Skid Row. It’s called “Tough Love.”

They hired an ex-cop to deal with Winston Alley, a backstreet filled with the perils of Skid Row life. CCEA convinced business owners to hire security, paint over graffiti, and remove all the trash. The Downtown News reports that within one week, the alley was clean and the drug dealers moved on.

Tough leadership combined with determined community organizing did the job.

Could this be an L.A.-based model that could be replicated throughout downtown L.A.?