West Hollywood is taking another look at its grand plan to tackle homelessness.
The city first adopted its “Five-Year Plan to Address Homelessness in Our Community” back in 2018, but with new challenges and opportunities on the table, officials are now working on an updated strategy. To kick things off, they’re asking the Human Services Commission to weigh in at their meeting tonight on what should stay, what should change and what goals the city should focus on moving forward.
The current approach isn’t exactly new. It started with the launch of the city’s Homeless Initiative in 2016, leading to the five-year plan two years later. Since then, programs have expanded to include things like street outreach, mental health services, medical care, substance use treatment and help with basic needs. The city has also invested in shelter beds, rental assistance, and interim and permanent housing. On top of that, there’s been a push to prevent homelessness with efforts like eviction defense and the Guaranteed Income Pilot.
One of the programs is the Homeless Concern Line, which gives residents and businesses a way to report issues or seek help for people in need. Another is the behavioral health-focused West Hollywood Care Team, which provides 24/7 services to both housed and unhoused individuals. Coming soon is the Holloway Interim Housing facility, a project adding 20 units specifically for homeless people operated by nonprofit Ascencia.
But whether these programs have made a dent in the overall problem is dubious. West Hollywood’s own data shows that the number of unhoused people in the city has risen, with point-in-time counts averaging 51 in 2024 compared to just 30 back in 2017. Across Los Angeles County, the numbers are even more daunting — homelessness has surged by about 70% since 2015. On any given night, more than 52,000 people are without shelter in the county, despite an 89% increase in shelter beds since 2016. And the housing crunch is real. There’s a shortage of affordable housing units, and those in temporary shelters are waiting an average of 287 days to move into permanent housing.
Big shifts are happening at the state and county levels, too. A recent Supreme Court ruling has made it easier for cities to enforce encampment bans, and California’s governor has issued an executive order urging local governments to step up efforts to clear encampments. At the same time, new initiatives like CARE Court and Proposition 1 are aiming to provide more mental health and housing resources, while Los Angeles County’s Measure A is expected to generate over $1 billion a year to address homelessness and affordable housing needs.
With all this in mind, West Hollywood officials want to make sure their updated plan hits the mark. They’re asking the Human Services Commission to help answer key questions, like who should the city consult during the assessment? What research areas should they focus on? And what would a “successful” homelessness strategy look like in the next few years? The city also wants feedback on what has worked well in the current plan and what might need rethinking.
What a waste of time and money California isn’t any better then it was before this push for all this funding I’d rather have more cops and the potholes in the roads fixed
The ‘save the homeless’ NGOs are often paid according to how many homeless people are on the streets, thus creating a strong financial incentive for them to maximize the number of homeless people and never actually solve the problem!
The more homeless there are, the more money these organizations get, so their incentive is to increase, not decrease, homelessness!
Elon Musk
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/audit-finds-1-in-4-shelter-beds-in-los-angeles-went-unused-costing-taxpayers-218-million/ Here is your evidence that there is an overwhelming amount of help-resistant homeless on our streets. Enough with these studies and plans – this is an emergency situation that requires emergency action. Encampments need to be built somewhere, away from densely populated areas, where the help-resistant can have shelter and showers and where they can be returned to when they are creating a nuisance on public streets. Karen Bass has done nothing, no matter how many press conferences she gives. I am so sick and tired of feeling like I am playing Russian Roulette with my safety any time… Read more »
There is a homeless/drug encampment in the alley between San Vicente and Larrabee Street, behind the postal facility. A large concrete ledge in this area has become a site where various individuals have set up camp. Why hasn’t the city addressed this issue and installed fencing to prevent people from camping there? West Hollywood allocates significant funds to public services, but what are they achieving? You don’t see this happening in Beverly Hills.
I have a strategy that works. Stop giving then free stuff and arrest them for breaking loitering laws. There, I solved it. And I don’t need 5 years, my plan works in 5 hours. When they are hungry enough, they will go to my imaginary food banks out in the desert. If you dont have a hone, get out of the city. The fact that the city has a 5 year plan tells me they know it is hopeless. And the city’s plans for the last 40 years hasn’t worked either.
Lacking the tidal wave of “reasons why”. “how sad it is”, “they can’t help it”, ‘it’s up to US to fix it”…I like the sound of this idea best.
All the money they throw at this problem and it just gets worse and worse. Because we allow what’s happening on the streets to go on. What they need to do is advocate to change the laws. When someone is found on the streets with mental illness, we need to fight to change the laws to be able to place them into a facility. When someone is caught doing drugs on the street they need to be given a choice of jail or rehabilitation. We need to take all this tax money that we’re throwing at the problem and put… Read more »
We can’t make drugs more readily available…..and think any “plan” will reduce homelessness.
There is mental illness……but most on the street have just become feral drug addicts.
Compassion is not a strategy…..take away the drugs and lock people up committing crime and violations of decent society.
“West Hollywood’s own data shows that the number of unhoused people in the city has risen”. Shocking when actual data show campaign spin to be outright lies. Shyne, Horvath, and Erickson all claimed significant reductions in homelessness in their campaign spin/lies.
The ‘save the homeless’ NGOs are often paid according to how many homeless people are on the streets, thus creating a strong financial incentive for them to maximize the number of homeless people and never actually solve the problem!
The more homeless there are, the more money these organizations get, so their incentive is to increase, not decrease, homelessness!
Elon Musk
They lied.
We seem to see it the same way….
This makes me laugh. Homelessness has INCREASED in our area. Sad to say it but once the “interim housing” project opens prepare for an influx of transients, homeless, and those looking to lure/cause to relapse interim housing residents back onto the streets. Does the city have a plan in place for when this influx shows up and just starts to loiter outside on the corners by CVS? Sad :\
The problem is the constant care and support, while providing zero incentive to not be homeless. They need to be forcibly removed and put into substance use or mental health programs. The numbers prove 99% are rejecting all of this assistance we are providing. I don’t fully blame them, as they aren’t in the right headspace with mental illness or being on drugs. We need to do the right thing and force them off our streets and into care before simply handing over keys to homes, free money, etc.
Prediction:
More of the same failed terms and strategies will be approved.
While it is not the only cause, it is interesting to note that pot was legalized for recreational use in 2016 and Weho couldn’t wait to jump into the market.
Not just WeHo. As a former REAL hippie – I can tell you that WEED is not some casual recreational fix…it is much like having a few cocktails (while driving) and enjoying your altered state as you begin toes things just differently enough to alter your reactions.