Announces Start of New Effort Emulating Acclaimed Program in Venice Beach
WESTCHESTER, CA – People currently living in encampments in Westchester Park will soon be offered suitable alternatives to homelessness, thanks to an effort launched by Councilmember Mike Bonin, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and Grassroots Neighbors.
Bonin is implementing an “Encampments to Homes” effort in Westchester Park, where dozens of unhoused residents currently live. The effort is modeled after the recent Encampments to Homes program in Venice Beach, which connected 213 people who were living on the beach and boardwalk with a pathway to permanent housing. To date, 49 of the people in the Venice program have moved into permanent housing, with another 122 remaining in interim housing on a pathway to permanent housing, and the public spaces cleared as a result of the effort have remained accessible. The Westchester effort is designed to have a similar benefit of connecting unhoused individuals with housing while keeping public spaces clean and inviting for all to enjoy.
“We learned a lot with the success we saw in Venice,” said Bonin. “When you work with people and focus on creating suitable alternatives to encampments, then people come inside and everyone wins. Housing people and providing the support and services they need is the most urgent priority in Los Angeles and we owe it to every neighbor in Los Angeles to build upon the achievements we have made with Encampments to Homes efforts so far.”
Westchester Park has been the focus of local outreach organizations in recent months, and groups like Playa del Rey-based Grassroots Neighbors and PATH have helped connect 31 unhoused neighbors staying in the park with housing and resources. Despite these efforts, however, dozens of people still remain in the park, and the effort Bonin launched today will provide the resources needed to connect all current occupants of the park with a pathway to permanent housing.
“As a leading provider of housing and homeless services, PATH’s teams take a housing-focused, person-centered approach to outreach. We proudly participate in any outreach efforts that lead with services and housing opportunities,” said PATH Deputy CEO Jennifer Hark Dietz. “We look forward to building on our partnership with Councilmember Bonin’s office and continuing to provide trauma-informed services to as many unhoused residents as possible in Westchester Park.”
Similar to the Venice effort, unhoused neighbors will first be offered opportunities to move into interim housing such as hotel and motel rooms so they have a place to stay while they are matched with a permanent housing solution. Dedicated outreach for the Westchester effort will begin November 1, 2021 and the initial phase of the effort is planned to be a four-week operation to help move unhoused neighbors indoors. The interim housing resources identified include funding for hotels and motels, paid for by discretionary funds earmarked by Bonin, as well as Project Homekey units in Westchester. Permanent housing will be provided through the use of rapid rehousing vouchers, recovery rehousing slots, and Emergency Housing Vouchers made available through the federal American Rescue Plan. Crucially, once people are moved indoors, the effort will continue until clients have been moved from interim housing into permanent housing.
“It doesn’t solve anything to temporarily displace people, only for them to end up back out on the street,” said Bonin. “Until people are permanently and stably housed, we won’t be fully successful. Now that we have the resources available to create a pathway to permanent housing for people, we must act aggressively to get people housed and public spaces returned to full public use.”
“We are very excited – this is the result of months of planning and organizing,” said Stephanie Tatro, co-founder of Grassroots Neighbors. “We know that criminalizing doesn’t work and getting people housed quickly is the most effective way to address homelessness in our communities.”
Bonin and his staff have worked with PATH and Grassroots Neighbors over the past several months to craft the Encampments to Homes program. PATH leads efforts in the park by housing people in various forms of housing, reconnecting people to family, creating pathways for people to obtain various documentation to be housing ready, and providing substance abuse support and other services. Grassroot Neighbors, a Playa Del Rey community-based organization, has hosted several connect days at the park in partnership with housing providers, provides hygiene kits to individuals in the park, and they routinely support housing placements and general park well-being through regular outreach visits.