Homeless At Venice Beach Will Be Offered Permanent Housing

VENICE, CA — The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday delayed a vote to fund Councilmember Mike Bonin's initiative to offer homeless people living on Ocean Front Walk housing but the process will still begin Monday with St. Joseph Center.

The vote was delayed until July 1 for procedural reasons. It could approve an initial $5 million in funding, which would be used for interim housing for 200 people along the iconic boardwalk. In order to amend the 2021-22 budget, the vote must occur during that fiscal year, which begins on July 1.

"Beginning Monday, teams led by the St. Joseph Center will begin offering housing, shelter and services to everyone currently living in encampments along Ocean Front Walk," Bonin said. "The six-week initiative, a collaboration between neighbors, government agencies and nonprofits, will offer nearly 200 people a pathway to permanent housing and appropriate services to help them succeed."

Bonin has pushed for a series of homeless housing solutions on the Westside, proposing a motion in March for several "safe camping" and temporary sites. The proposal included several locations, including sites in Marina del Rey and Pacific Palisades.

Earlier this month, a political battle over the humanitarian crisis escalated when Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced that deputies would begin clearing encampments off the boardwalk, citing a lack of urgency from local leaders to develop an action plan. Venice is outside the sheriff's department's jurisdiction and is patrolled by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division.

Bonin has been critical of Villanueva's approach to removing tents and unhoused neighbors along Ocean Front Walk. The program launching next week will take a different approach and has the backing from Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas.

"The "Venice Beach Encampment to Home" program will not be led by law enforcement, nor driven by threats of arrest or incarceration," Bonin said. "We will offer what works: housing, with counseling, or mental health services, substance abuse recovery services, and anything else needed to successfully transition people into housing."

As people and their belongings move indoors, the Bureau of Sanitation resources will clean each area, he said. The goal is to provide permanent housing vouchers, offer shared housing and Project Homekey. The city council Wednesday will consider the funding for the Encampment to Home program for Venice Beach.

"The current situation is intolerable, and we must end it," Bonin said. "Nobody deserves to live, or die, on the street; and all Angelenos should be able to enjoy our neighborhoods, beaches, and parks. We can do better, and this program creates a model for bringing people together to house those in need and reopen our public spaces, using a humane and proven approach."

Homelessness has grown throughout Los Angeles and throughout the pandemic. Over the last several months, a series of fires have broken out at the encampments along Ocean Front Walk. A performer was brutally attacked on the boardwalk. A security guard was attacked and seriously injured.

Patch reached out to St. Joseph Center for more information on the upcoming street teams and process for helping to house people living on the streets.

Other organizations will step in to help house people, including People Assisting the Homeless, Safe Place for Youth, Venice Family Clinic, Self Help and Recovery Exchange (SHARE!), CLARE Matrix and others. Government agencies include the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Recreation & Parks, and the Bureau of Sanitation.

LAPD supports the program but is not involved in this rehousing effort, Bonin said. The sheriff's department will not be included.

"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, whose presence and lack of familiarity with Venice and available services has been disruptive to outreach efforts, is not involved or participating," Bonin said.

"The sheriff's rhetoric and approach are damaging, as is the criminalization of homelessness," Bonin said. "It leads to re-traumatization, breaks crucial connections with service providers, creates barriers to housing and employment, locks people further into homelessness or poverty, and can lead to displacement into neighboring areas. That's why our effort leads with housing, and not with handcuffs."

- City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report.

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