Meeting_Body
OPERATIONS, SAFETY AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 21, 2021
Subject
SUBJECT: QUARTERLY UPDATE ON HOMELESS OUTREACH SERVICES
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE Homeless Outreach Services Report.
Issue
ISSUE
In spring 2016, Metro created the Metro Homeless Task Force to address displaced persons that have turned to Metro’s system and property for alternative shelter. Since then, Metro has made significant progress in addressing the homelessness issue by expanding its resources and partnering with community-based organizations.
Background
BACKGROUND
The homelessness crisis has significantly grown in the last couple of years. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) released the results of the 2020 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which showed 66,436 people in Los Angeles County experiencing homelessness. This represents a 12.7% rise from last year’s Point-in-Time count of 58,936 homeless persons. The city of Los Angeles saw a 16.1% rise to 41,290 from last year’s point-in-time count of 36,300 homeless persons.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
HOMELESS OUTREACH SERVICES
Internal Collaborations
SSLE is planning to convene a Metro Tiger Task Force Team to address homelessness throughout Metro’s system and properties on a quarterly basis. The Tiger Task Force is Metro-centric, bringing together diverse departments such as Operations, Customer Experience, and Communications, to be a vital voice to internally address the agency-wide approach to the continuing homelessness crisis facing our agency., and support coordinated and robust homelessness initiatives. An introduction to the Tiger Team Initiative will be presented to the Senior Leadership Team in October 2021.
This month, the CEO announced the realignment of the Homeless Outreach and Engagement from SSLE to the Customer Care Department under the newly formed Customer Experience Department.
External Partnerships
In collaboration with Council District 9, Metro is planning to draft a Lease Agreement by October 2021 to construct a Tiny Homes Village. The Tiny Home Village will be located on a non-revenue parcel along the Expo right-of-way, just south of Adams Bl. between Compton Av. and Nevin Av. in south Los Angeles. The Tiny Home Village will contain 148 beds, one-third of the beds will be dedicated to Metro’s outreach partners.
SSLE senior leadership and homeless outreach team met with Los Angeles Mission’s senior leadership team on August 23, 2021, to discuss a partnership. The Los Angeles Mission submitted a concept paper for SSLE review which is under review by the Department of Health Services to determine their eligibility under the DHS Master Agreement of service providers.
SSLE is revisiting partnering with the West Angeles Church of God in Christ Community Development Corporation (CDC). Past involvement with the CDC was a three-day coordinated homeless outreach effort at encampments along the Slauson corridor between Metro law enforcement (LAPD’s HOPE), PATH outreach teams, and the West Angeles’ CDC. The coordinated multi-layered outreach approach was successful. Forty-one (41) persons experiencing homelessness were encountered, fifteen (15) of those accepted case management services provided by West Angeles’ homeless outreach team. West Angeles did a preliminary needs assessment of persons along the Slauson Corridor encampment prior to outreach efforts. As a result, West Angeles provided hot meals (baked chicken, vegetables, rice, etc.) for three days to persons in the encampment. West Angeles outreach teams informed persons in the encampment that law enforcement (LAPD’s HOPE Team) was present to provide security only, that the HOPE team was not present to arrest anyone at the encampment. Consequently, persons in the encampment were accepting of the HOPE team’s presence. SSLE has had two meetings since the previous report with West Angeles Church of God in Christ Community Development Corporation to explore outreach and shelter bed options through a Letter of Agreement. Meetings are held bi-weekly.
Lastly, Metro’s third one-day Homeless Count on Rail and Bus was executed on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. Data analysis is currently underway and scheduled to be finalized and presented to the SSLE leadership in early October.
OPERATION “SHELTER THE UNSHELTERED” JULY 01, 2021, THROUGH AUGUST 31, 2021
|
OPERATION "SHELTER THE UNSHELTERED" |
|
PATH |
|
|
|
ACTIONS TAKEN |
JULY |
AUGUST |
|
# TO SHELTERS TO INCLUDE PERMANENT HOUSING AS WELL |
33 |
41 |
|
TOTAL # OF INDIVIDUALS HOUSED YEAR TO DATE |
781 |
822 |
|
DREAM CENTER (DC) |
|
|
|
ACTIONS TAKEN |
JULY |
AUGUST |
|
# OF CONTACTS |
71 |
35 |
|
TOTAL # OF INDIVIDUALS CONTACTED JULY 10, 2020, TO DATE |
1,612 |
1,647 |
|
LA DOOR |
|
|
|
ACTIONS TAKEN |
JULY |
AUGUST |
|
# OF CONTACTS |
187 |
106 |
|
TOTAL # OF INDIVIDUALS CONTACTED JULY 08, 2020, TO DATE |
4,023 |
4,129 |
EQUITY PLATFORM
The notable increase in people sheltered between July and August is assumed to be a result of an increase in active PATH staff serving people experiencing homelessness on the Metro system.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to initiate and develop internal departmental collaborations and expand external partnerships to increase shelter options for people experiencing homelessness on Metro’s system and properties.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A- PATH Homeless Outreach Update
Attachment B- PATH Motel Report Update
Attachment C- Law Enforcement Homeless Outreach Updates
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Joyce Burrell Garcia, Project Manager, System Security and Law Enforcement, (213) 922-5551
Reviewed_by
Reviewed by: Judy Gerhardt, Chief System Security and Law Enforcement Officer, (213) 922-4811
