Homelessness has become a bigger issue in West Hollywood of late with the arrival of winter chill and El Nino rain. The City Council last night reviewed city programs for providing temporary shelter from the cold and rain and allocated money to expand them.
But the presence of homeless and transient people has been an issue for much longer among residents of the city’s Eastside, who complain of homeless people breaking into their garages, defecating on their lawns and acting aggressively.
Late last year two residents, Roxanne McBryde and Tod Hallman, organized a community meeting to discuss the problem. They were surprised at the turnout of similarly worried neighbors — 50 people who filled Hallman’s second floor living room and lined up down the stairs outside.
McBryde, who has lived in the area for 25 years, and Hallman, who has lived on the Eastside for 30 years, said they’ve noticed a major increase in homeless people in the area in the last 18 months.
Hallman, citing conversations he’s had with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, attributes the increase to the passage of Proposition 47. That measure, passed in November 2014, redefined some nonviolent offenses, including possession of drugs, as misdemeanors, rather than felonies, as they had previously been categorized. Now someone arrested for possession of an illegal drug faces a jail sentence of no more than one year, which can be avoided by agreeing to participate in treatment or educational classes. It’s those people that some believe make up a portion of the homeless population.
McBryde believes another reason for the apparent increase in homeless people on the Eastside is the presence of institutions catering to them that are located in Los Angeles just outside the West Hollywood border.
One of those organizations is Step Up on Second, a Santa Monica-based non-profit that provides support for the mentally ill. In 2012, Step Up opened “Michael’s Village” on North Formosa Avenue near Sunset Boulevard to house a couple dozen homeless mentally ill people. Michael’s Village initially was welcomed by some Hollywood residents. For example, Joseph Rey wrote a glowing story about the anticipated opening on the Examiner.com website.
“For local residents, this is good. For local businesses, this is good,” Rey wrote. “Once opened, ‘Michael’s Village’ will include a full-time on-site case manager, two on-site resident managers who live in the complex, as well as an evening security presence so there is nothing for nearby residents to fear.”
But not long after the opening, Rey changed his mind. “Visitors and ‘friends’ to the complex trespass on neighboring properties looking for ways into the facility, climbing over any fence or wall that might be in their way,” Rey wrote in a 2012 article for the Examiner. “We caught someone on our property trying to climb over our fence to get in and this ‘person’ told me that ‘walls are meant to be climbed.’ How can anyone reason with someone unreasonable?”
” No one denies that the homeless people in Hollywood should get help,” Rey wrote. “But, at what expense? At the expense and rights of the people who are not homeless or in need of help?”
Other facilities in the area that cater to impoverished or homeless people include the SOVA Community Food and Resource Program, which provides food and groceries to those in need from a pantry at 1140 N. La Brea north of Santa Monica, and the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition (GWHFC), which every night provides food to the homeless from a truck at the intersection of Sycamore and Romaine, just east of La Brea. GWHFC’s food distribution on Sycamore has long been the source of complaints from nearby residents. They argue that it attracts homeless people from elsewhere and that there aren’t other services provided such as restrooms.
McBryde and Hallman said other gathering spots for homeless people include the parking structure at Ralph’s, the grocery store on La Brea and Fountain, and the McDonalds restaurant just south of that. Sheriff’s deputies have confirmed that the homeless have been a problem there. Lt. David Smith of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station said they are working closely with the owner of McDonald’s to curb the habit of some homeless people of camping out there all day.
Hallman, who has lived in the neighborhood for decades, said he was initially excited when he heard about plans for development on the Eastside. “I thought, ‘This is great. There are going to be restaurants. There are going to be shops’…” But he said he believes new development will attract homeless people as well as affluent renters. “How can anybody protect us?”
Both Hallman and McBryde see the youth of the homeless people as one issue as well as the fact that a proportion of them are transgendered. Lt. Smith said the younger and transgendered homeless people are likely to be more aggressive than older homeless people.
The City of West Hollywood has a range of programs to help homeless people. The problem, as City Manager Paul Arevalo noted at the council meeting last night, is that the issue is very complex. The needs of those looking just to escape a cold rain for the night can be quite different from those who need longer term medical or mental health care or coaching on getting their lives back together. And then there are homeless people who refuse assistance. And then there’s the question of how to alert homeless people to the resources the city makes available.
The city’s resources include:
Through PATH
A hotel voucher program. Under this program, which is administered under a city contract with People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), people in immediate need of housing can receive a voucher that will cover $75 of the cost of a night in a hotel room. A maximum of three such vouchers can be issued in any one night.
Urgent services. These are services such as transportation to shelters, etc.
Emergency supplies. PATH on behalf of the city distributes backpacks and other supplies to help homeless people in West Hollywood cope with winter weather.
The city has allocated $25,000 a year for these services, an amount that it increased to $50,000 at last night’s city council meeting. City council members also asked city staffers to find hotel rooms within West Hollywood where those vouchers might be accepted.
Through LAHSA
From Nov. 1 to March 31 the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) offers access to winter shelters for homeless people. LAHSA’s winter shelter hotline number is (800) 548-6047. Those deaf or hearing disabled can call TDD (800) 660-4026. LAHSA’s many shelters include:
Weingart Center Assoc., 566 S. San Pedro St. (213) 833-5020. Weingart Center accepts walk-ins for its 33-bed program. Those looking for a bed may arrive between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to sign up for a shelter that evening.
First to Serve Inc. (323) 758-4670.
First to Service offers 150 beds at the West L.A. Armory. However getting to First to Service is difficult for those in West Hollywood. Guests aren’t allow to walk in and apply for a bed. They must find a way to get to the Venice Beach boardwalk at Market Street where homeless people are picked up at 5, 6:30 and 7:15 p.m. each night. Also, this shelter will be closed on Feb. 3 and 6 and March 30.
Through L.A. Family Housing.
L.A. Family Housing offers shelter to homeless and low-income children and single adults in North Hollywood and East Los Angeles. More information is available at (818) 982-4091 or at www.lafh.org.
Sydney Irmas Transitional Living Center in North Hollywood provides 260 beds and support services for homeless children and their families.
Trudy & Norman Louis Valley Shelter in North Hollywood provides housing and support services for more than 1,000 homeless people each year.
Comunidad Cesar Chavez has 140 beds for children and their parents in East Los Angeles.
Through the LA LGBT Center.
The Center, at 1625 N. Schrader Blvd. (323) 993-7450, offers 24 beds at the Kruks/Tilsner Transitional Living Program where young people ages 18 to 23 can stay for up to 18 months.
Through Pathways to Success.
The Pathways to Success TAY Shelter, 6900 S. Western Ave. (323) 920-4458, offers shelter for young people ages 18 to 25 on a first-come, first-served basis. Those wanting to stay there must go to one of several pick up locations: 3 p.m. at 628 Julian St.; 3:30 p.m., the corner of Gage and Broadway; 4 p.m., 108 Central Ave, and 4:30 p.m. the corner of 88th Street and Broadway. Walk-ins are accepted, if beds are available, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Moving forward, city council members asked city staffers last night to investigate ways to provide transportation to homeless shelters after 10 p.m., when most shuttles end service.
I agree with Woody.
Larry, chances are that dogs are not mentally ill or on drugs or alcohol. Dogs always welcome help, affection, food & a comfortable place to live. Most homeless people do not. I know from personal experience that many homeless people reject offers of help, if they indeed are capable of communicating, or choose to., It is much less challenging to rescue a homeless dog from the street than a homeless person. Comparing homeless human beings & homeless animals is not the sad bottom line, it is an unbalanced analogy.
Such a complex and sensitive issue. There are so many reasons for homelessness and not a cookie cutter answer. Mental health issues, addiction issues, bad luck and disability issues. I remember when I was teaching in New York years ago. I would, every morning , see this woman on the E train, always dressed perfectly, carrying a briefcase. I used to think she spent more money on clothes than I made in a year. Within 2 years, I watched her literally fall apart. First the same clothes, and a roll along suitcase, no briefcase. Then messy hair no french braid.… Read more »
Come over to Larrabee and Santa Monica on a cold night and see the homeless up the street. We have tents in West Hollywood. We should be able to open a cold weather shelter for the el nino, we open warm weather cooling center in the summer. There are gay homeless, they don’t want to be deported to LA county facilities. In 1999 we ran a program to clean up the streets around La Brea, Teen Canteen was an outreach program funded by LA Shanti. There I learned about the hundreds of stray kids having to leave home because they… Read more »
The reason there has been an increase in homeless is because of our weather. Homeless people make their way from other parts of the country where it is cold to the west where it is a lot warmer.
We should not view the homeless situation as a problem to US…we need to view it as a problem to THEM, the homeless. I have never been harassed or inconvenienced by the homeless in WeHo
Like Don said, we need to be compassionate. It can happen to any one of us.
interesting to see all the agencies and points of assistance.
so what jumps out to me is, dependancy on alcohol or drugs, and mental illness.
i commented on this under the duran monologue, and stated that if we can get someone into a safe space, shelter, that could be the start of an effective intervention by appropriate city or county agencies. it’s something that former supervisor yaroslavsky promoted, and said was successful.
No one wants homeless people around, for what ever reasons and conditions, which is why the approach that as been used over the past thirty years across the nation has been miserable at getting chronic homeless people off the street and so inept at preventing homelessness of the LGBT community, who usually come from broken or abusive homes or are graduated out of the Foster system as soon as the money that come with them dries up. HOUSING FIRST works, has been a success in other states, and directly approaches the real issue, which is no home. Homeless people don’t… Read more »
COMPASSION should be the keyword here folks. HELP, CARE, SHARE, LOVE – and we need to be aware as well at any unpredictable behavior, appearance or even intrusion into the lives of our own loved ones as well. It is indeed a complex issue but a reality we ALL must address for the sake of them, not just ourselves.