Imagine LA: Volunteer Mentors Needed to Help the Homeless
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This graphic guide was produced by Eastern Kentucky University's emergency management program. It contains many good suggestions for homeless service agencies and individuals for providing aid to homeless persons during a natural disaster. Their statistics are a little dated, from the 2017 homeless count, and some of the organizations they suggest contacting do not have local Los Angeles chapters, but the general advice is useful.
CONTINUE READINGMore than 200 people jammed the courtyard for the opening of the new A Bridge Home Shelter in Watts November 13. Mayor Eric Garcetti addressed the crowd, along with Joe Buscaino, LA City Councilman for the area, in CD 15, and other dignitaries. The Mayor said this shelter, at 2316 E. Imperial Highway, is the ninth to be completed out of a planned 26. Each of the city’s 15 council districts is ordered to build at least one of these new generation, more humane, bridge housing shelters.
A November chart on the Mayor’s website (copy below) lists 8 of the new shelters completed of 25 pledged. Mayor Garcetti reported that there are actually 9 of 26 finished.
CONTINUE READINGWhile we often think that homeless people seldom have pets because of not having a real home to provide for their pets, this is typically not the case. In fact, many people become homeless because they would prefer to be homeless with their pet than in a home without them.
Providing their pet with love and care often gives them a feeling of normalcy that they wouldn’t otherwise have under those circumstances. As long as the person is able to keep their pet well-fed, cared for, groomed and healthy, there is no reason why the two shouldn’t be allowed to stay together.
Many homeless state that their pet took care of them as much as they took care of the pet. Some even go so far as to say that their pets gave them a reason for living. These are the very reasons why it’s so important to provide the large number of homeless people every opportunity possible to keep their pets with them or provide them with temporary shelter.
LAHSA has asked us to post the Facebook video link below about the 2019 Homeless Count, with their introductory comments:
Every year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) compiles and analyzes the data that you, our dedicated volunteers, collected about the number of homeless residents in our community. We provide analysis and data to help build better solutions and, hopefully, a better tomorrow for everyone.
We invite you to watch this video about the results of the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. It discusses homelessness in Los Angeles County, what is being done to end it, and what still must be done.
To learn more about the Count and the data collected, please use the following links:
2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Press Release
2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Presentation
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The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the City of Los Angeles, and the County of Los Angeles are having community input sessions on the how the State's Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program funds can be utilized.
This program, now in its third round of funding, is designed to provide resources to: (1) each Continuum of Care; (2) each of the 55 counties; and (3) the State's 13 largest cities. Locally, the $1 billion allocation includes:
LA CoC: $84.2 million
LA County: $82.3 million
LA City: $143.6 million
Uses of the funding are quite broad. Please see pages 15-16 of the NOFA for more details.
View the HHAP Round 3 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)
RSVP for the Tuesday, March 15th Feedback Session from 9:00-10:30 am
RSVP for the Wednesday, March 23rd Feedback Session from 5:30-7:00 pm
There is still time to give input on the future of Measure H strategies. At the direction of the Board of Supervisors, the County Homeless Initiative is reassessing its strategies for addressing and preventing homelessness. It is also inviting public input on the updated strategies.
Updates on the strategy reassessment process may be found at https://homeless.lacounty.gov/community-strategies/ .
Both the city and county of Los Angeles in January 2016 produced extensive plans for long-term dealing with homelessness. This is the county's final plan, issued in February 2016. Click on the link below to view the document, a 130-page PDF.
The link below is to the Comprehensive Homeless Strategy plan completed in January 2016, on Mayor Eric Garcetti's website. The link goes to the Mayor's brief summary page. The link on that page goes to the full 237 page document. The download for that can be slow and not practical for a smartphone.
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Homelessness in South Los Angeles
The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough understanding of homelessness in Los Angeles as it pertains to the Eighth City Council District and South Los Angeles more broadly. On January 13, 2016, the City of Los Angeles released a Comprehensive Homeless Strategy detailing over 60 strategies to combat homelessness. The citywide view is sweeping, expansive, and comprehensive, but falls short when detailing the geographic and demographic particularities of South Los Angeles. While I support implementation of all strategies within the Comprehensive Homeless