Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn co-authored a motion for a Comprehensive Crisis Response Strategy, with Hahn saying the problem demands a Marshall Plan-like solution.
“We have to treat the homeless crisis with the urgency that it demands,” Hahn said. “I don’t want to continue to rely on the same old policies and practices that are working too slowly.
“We need our own Marshall Plan here in L.A. County so that we can provide shelter and housing to anyone and everyone who is willing to come inside, and we need the flexibility to do it as quickly and as efficiently as possible,” Hahn added.
Ridley-Thomas also garnered approval for deploying 30 trailers provided by the state to public and privately-owned parking lots in South Los Angeles “within days” to serve as interim housing for families.
There are 30,000 people countywide who have been evaluated by outreach workers and are ready to move inside, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. More than 1,000 died on the streets of Los Angeles County last year.
“We need a framework that makes sure each of them has a safe place to go — and soon,” Ridley-Thomas said. “This means getting rid of any red tape and other unnecessary impediments so that we can expedite housing and services.”
The trailers were supplied through an executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also committed earlier this month to spend more than $1 billion in fighting homelessness statewide during the 2020-21 fiscal year.
The county’s crisis strategy, as laid out in the motion, calls for the county’s Homeless Initiative and Office of Emergency Management to work together on a framework for prioritizing strategies that build capacity and accountability. A report back is expected in 60 days.
Homelessness advocates expressed their support.
“This is the right approach: creativity and flexibility in approach, but focus and accountability on the bottom line — helping all our friends outside have a place to call home,” said Chris Ko, managing director for homelessness and strategic initiatives at the nonprofit United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
The 13-member Governor’s Council of Regional Homeless Advisors, which Ridley-Thomas co-heads, has pushed municipalities to treat homelessness as a humanitarian crisis tantamount to a natural disaster.
On a separate motion by Supervisor Hilda Solis, the board voted to bid on the about-to-be-closed St. Vincent Medical Center as a site for housing homeless individuals.
“This is an opportunity that’s unique,” said Solis, reminding her colleagues that the county tried to secure the property at Alvarado and Third streets in the Westlake district in March but were outbid.
The city of Los Angeles and other private parties are also expected to submit bids for the 10.5-acre campus.
“L.A. County is best suited to take the lead in turning St. Vincent Medical Center into a facility that could help address our need for more affordable housing, interim housing, and wraparound mental and medical health services,” Solis said. “If we are to effectively combat our homelessness crisis, we must be innovative and creative in our approach. This is not business as usual.”
CEO Sachi Hamai said her team would present a draft letter of intent to the board next week and indicated that the county’s offer would be all cash.
“I don’t want to enter into any short-term or long-term obligations,” Hamai told the board.
The deadline for a proposal is Feb. 7, according to Hamai.
The nonprofit Verity Health System announced earlier this month that a proposed sale of the 366-bed hospital had fallen through, and the facility would be closing. Verity Health has been working through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and had hoped to transfer ownership of the hospital and three other medical centers.
According to Verity, patients at St. Vincent Medical Center will continue to receive care until they can be discharged or transferred to other hospitals. The hospital’s transplant programs will be relocated to other facilities to ensure patients “will continue to receive high-quality care from their existing physicians.”
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Robert says
Notice they will set up those trailers in South LA, not Holmby Hills or Calabassas.
Bob says
Being a California liberal I think we need a new tax that will go to help these poor people.
David Paul says
So, they say this; Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn co-authored a motion for a Comprehensive Crisis Response Strategy, with Hahn saying the problem demands a Marshall Plan-like solution. They would have been right 5 years ago. As chair of the SPA 1 AV Homeless Commission problem-solving subcommittee, I have taken heat for not getting to some real problem-solving. What I have done is spent years watching a keystone cop approach to dealing with this issue. As mayor of Lancaster, I will do shocking things that will work toward a real multi-prong approach to help. Housed citizens will be protected, homeless citizens will be treated with compassion and better options, and aggressive vagrants unwilling to take help will hit rock bottom sooner than later.
Red Tape Eliminator says
“L.A. County is best suited to take the lead…”
The ignorant leading the clueless.
surfside 6 says
Red tape? Why not the much more effective solution of “Bum dumping”? And check out the slick way it works: Make polite contact with the most chronic panhandlers, bums, and “gentleman of leisure” your area has got. Then, politely offer a crisp one hundred dollar bill, a bucket of KFC, and a fifth of ice cold Thunderbird or “Night Train” to board a pre-chartered bus and relocate to Portland ! This great deal can be employed by cities, counties, local merchants and even neighbors. But bum infected areas should act quickly! Before local liberals scramble up some kind of jive new law against this wonderful way to restore tranquility.
Alby says
They’ll just come back for more money, KFC and booze and you’ll be seen as a gravy train which is exactly what they want. Better off getting a community to unpolitely tell them to eff off and go ruin a city or county that dont give a dang. It aint criminal and it gets the message across. It seems cold hearted and unkind but the way they treat this loved city of Lancrapster is more cold hearted and unkind.
Alexis says
The “Night Train” only has one route; sober to stupid with no roundtrip tickets available, with strong likelihood of a train wreck along the way.
Eric says
What a joke, LA county has lots of huge buildings they own that are rotting away. For example the old high desert hospital is empty, Mira Loma next door same thing, ROT ROT ROT. Also the huge juvenile hall in Downey sits empty collecting dust. These are just a couple examples of county waste. Go to hell board of do nothings.
David Paul says
So they say this; Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn co-authored a motion for a Comprehensive Crisis Response Strategy, with Hahn saying the problem demands a Marshall Plan-like solution. They would have been right 5 years ago. As chair of the SPA 1 problem-solving subcommittee, I have taken heat for not getting to some real problem-solving. What I have done is spent years watching a keystone cop approach to dealing with this issue. As mayor of Lancaster, I will do shocking things that will work toward a real multi-prong approach to help. Housed citizens will be protected, homeless citizens will be treated with compassion and better options, and aggressive vagrants unwilling to take help will hit rock bottom sooner than later. https://davidpaulformayor.com
Mark says
These poor homeless people need a new fresh place where they can do their drugs, commit their crimes and eventually trash the place all at tax payers expense.
Alby says
Alot of them in Lancaster wont even help themselves and they live to make this place a trashed up wannabe gangster craphole. Offer them a job in building the homes and shelters, even if its menial tasks, many of them would be insulted because it wasnt handed to them. They would rather trash a desert and get loaded to oblivion and back just to find another part of the city to trash up and load up again. I hope it benefits people that truly need it without the scumbag bums stepping on their toes.