The Winner Is...The $100 Million Los Angeles County

With all of the homeless plans floating around Los Angeles in the past year, we finally have a winner. The Los Angeles County has not only developed a plan, they have put a big chunk of money--$100 Million—toward it.

Interestingly, the media is centering their perspective of this plan on NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard). The message in their articles is that no local community is going to want to put a “regional homeless center” or “stabilization center” in their community. Another outlet said that it is a new “theory” of dispersing homeless services away from Skid Row and into the suburbs. They call it a “risk.”

I was privileged to be a part of the planning team on the “stabilization centers” concept. I think the articles were not completely accurate.

In response to the NIMBY issue, the “stabilization centers” are planned to be placed in existing homeless access centers throughout the county. So no new “centers” will have to be built. A local city that doesn’t have a current homeless access center, doesn’t have to worry that the County is going to place a new center in their jurisdiction.

Regarding “dispersing” homeless services around the county… The plan is based on coordinating existing services that are already located throughout the county, not building new services.

The 28-Day Shuffle Is Not A New Fangled Dance

Okay, the trend in today’s homelessness theory is to build a lot of permanent supportive housing so people on the streets don’t have to linger in shelters or on the street for a long period of time. Everyone from Bush’s homeless czar, to national coalitions, to even our new “celebrity” L.A. Times columnist, Steve Lopez all advocate for this.

And yet the old paradigm of “temporary” thinking still persists. The 28-day shuffle is being highlighted in the L.A. Times today… what is this? It’s temporary housing providers who only let homeless people or people of poverty stay in their “hotels” (more like emergency shelter) for only 28-days. Why? Because if the people stay longer they would be considered long-term permanent residents who could sue the owners for wrongful eviction.

But wait a minute, isn’t that what we want? People given permanent residency so that they can permanently get off the streets?

YES. That’s why the city is going after these “hotel” owners in downtown Los Angeles.

We certainly need to break the old system of care, and create new paradigms.

LAT’s Steve Lopez Promotes Permanent Supportive Housing

The solution, according to LA Times columnist Steve Lopez, to downtown Skid Row neighborhoods is permanent supportive housing. He writes about it in his column today. Permanent supportive housing is affordable housing that also provides support services on-site.

This is the type of project that will happen in Hollywood, if approvals pass. There is a proposed permanent supportive housing project being considered on Gower Street, just south of the 101 Freeway.

The Community Redevelopment Agency, that bought the property and will bid it out to developers, has not yet decided on demographics and services for the project.

Councilmember Garcetti’s Response to Hollywood Project

Thanks to Curb LA, Councilmember Garcetti responded to the recent media concerning the Hollywood Permanent Supportive Housing project.

Here’s his response:

"In 2004, a group of Hollywood-based religious leaders known as LA Voice (not the blog -ed.), along with more than 500 residents of Hollywood, pledged to find and support permanent housing for homeless men, women, and children in Hollywood. Since that time, LA Voice (still not the blog -ed.) has been joined by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing to make such a project a reality. Through an open and public process, the CRA and our office is working not only to provide much-needed housing in the area, but to provide critical services to the supportive housing apartment building's residents as well. This proposed apartment building would serve as a new, permanent home for families and/or individuals. It is our hope that this building would actually work to address the challenges you mentioned in your correspondence. This project will help to alleviate the homeless problem in Hollywood by reducing the number of homeless individuals sleeping and loitering on our streets. For this reason, we believe that the question before us is not whether to do this project , but how to do the project right. Your voice will be an important part of shaping this project into a haven that all of us in Hollywood can be proud of. We strongly encourage area residents to be involved in the ongoing public process that will work to shape this facility. Thank you again for taking the time to write and for sharing your views on this issue. We will inform you and include you when the CRA forms a working Committee. If you have any further questions, or would like more information on upcoming public hearings, please contact John McCoy at the Community Redevelopment Agency at (213) 977-1766 or e-mail him at jmccoy@cra.lacity.org or you may contact our office at (323) 957-4500. Sincerely, Baydsar Thomasian, Hollywood Deputy."

More Neighborhood Response to Hollywood Permanent Housing Project

The “Beachwood Voice” a local neighborhood newspaper is publishing stories against the development of a permanent supportive housing project on the former parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. Thanks to Downtown Central City East Blogger and Curbed LA for highlighting this.

I believe the “Beachwood” article is not accurate with their facts. Mainly because the Community Redevelopment Agency (the city agency that bought the property) has not released the RFQ (Request For Qualifications) that would list the specific programs and parameters for the site.

Until the specific details are announced, it’s not appropriate to assume certain facts about the project.

Homeless Courts In California Gaining Traction

The American Bar Association is embracing a new movement that helps people who are homeless deal with legal issues through a Homeless Court. The PATH Mall is one location where Homeless Court presides.

Here is a media alert distributed today:
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WASHINGTON, March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- American Bar Association President Michael S. Greco will join several of California's top judges, public defenders and district attorneys to announce a unified call to expand the Homeless Court Program throughout the Golden State and around the country.

Homeless courts are special Superior Court sessions for the homeless in which they have the opportunity to resolve outstanding criminal cases. The program was originally designed to assist homeless veterans, who make up a large portion of the homeless population. Currently, there are 12 active homeless courts in California with another six in development. There are another 10 homeless courts across the rest of the country.

Media availability will take place on March 22 at 10:00 a.m. at the
Veterans Village of San Diego. The Homeless Court session begins at 2:00 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Village.

The first homeless court program was created in San Diego in 1989, and features a judge, clerk, public defender and prosecutor. What started as an annual session for veterans has become a monthly event, and has expanded to serve battered and homeless women, residents at city-sponsored cold weather shelters, and the general homeless population. In 2005 the San Diego program resolved more than 2,100 cases, up from the 451 cases in the program's inaugural year.