Meeting_Body
REVISED
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 20, 2016
Preamble
Motion by:
Ridley-Thomas, Fasana, Bonin and Dupont-Walker
Item 43: 2016-0838: Addressing Homelessness on the Metro System
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is impacted by the homeless crisis that is pervasive in all corners of Los Angeles County (County). Based on the 2016 Homeless Count, 47,000 individuals are homeless across the County. From Long Beach to Lancaster, many of those individuals seek shelter within Metro’s stations, and by riding trains and buses. This impacts Metro’s operations, as well as the quality of life and safety of our riders and employees.
The increased presence has been noticed by employees, law enforcement and Metro patrons. Metro’s Chief Executive Officer has initiated a Task Force which has been tasked with developing a plan to address this issue, and initial assessments emphasize that Metro must prioritize timely, coordinated, comprehensive and ongoing outreach to homeless individuals which links individuals to services and housing.
In February 2016, both the County and City of Los Angeles adopted Homeless Strategies. In both plans, increasing comprehensive and coordinated outreach services was prioritized. A pilot program has rolled-out over the past six months on Skid Row, which includes four “County-City-Community” (C3) teams consisting of a nurse, substance abuse counselor, mental health clinician, a formerly homeless individual, and outreach worker. These teams have been deployed to engage the 2,000 individuals living on Skid Row and since the effort was initiated, the C3 teams have conducted daily outreach and have already assisted 772 homeless residents.
In September 2016, the Board of Supervisors allocated funds during the FY16/17 Supplemental Budget to expand this program by 16 additional outreach teams which will be operated by local community organizations (CBOs), under a “Coordinated Entry System” model, to ensure cohesion and efficiency of providing services and housing for the individuals identified. The County of Los Angeles, in coordination with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority will oversee this initiative, and anticipates that the CBOs will hire the outreach teams early next year with the goal of training and deploying teams by Spring 2017.
While Metro’s deployment strategy will be unique, its outreach efforts should be done in coordination with this larger countywide hiring and deployment effort. Metro should move forward with expediency to make sure that resources are committed to address this significant social and moral crisis.
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Ridley-Thomas, Fasana, Bonin and Dupont-Walker that the Board of Directors direct the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to dedicate up to $1.2M towards the deployment of two or more multidisciplinary homeless outreach teams that are dedicated exclusively to the Metro system, take all actions necessary to transfer the funds to the County of Los Angeles to administer the program in coordination with the implementation of the Countywide Homeless Strategy Initiative, and report back to the Board of Directors during the FY17/18 budget cycle on whether ongoing funds for this initiative are warranted and recommended.