AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: August 2, 2022
Item Number:
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council
From: Nancy Hunt-Coffey, Assistant City Manager
Subject: REQUEST BY MAYOR BOSSE TO DISCUSS ACTIONS THAT
CAN BE TAKEN TO FURTHER ASSIST THE UNHOUSED IN
BEVERLY HILLS
Attachments: None
RECOMMENDATION
Mayor Bosse has requested a report to the City Council regarding services available for the unhoused in Beverly Hills and a discussion about how to further assist the unhoused.
Staff recommends that the City Council members accept the report regarding City services and support for the unhoused, and provide direction on any additional steps they would like staff to take to address issues related to the unhoused.
INTRODUCTION
Homelessness is a nationwide challenge. In Los Angeles County more than 65,000 people are experiencing homelessness. While massive efforts have been made over the last decade to provide housing for the unhoused, efforts have fallen short. While it is difficult to know with certainty, the unhoused population in Beverly Hills seems to be increasing. For a number of years, the City of Beverly Hills has participated in the annual Homeless Count where City staff, Ambassadors, Beverly Hills Outreach Team members and volunteers spread out across the City at night time to count homeless individuals. In 2020 the homeless count participants identified 16 unhoused individuals. Due to COVID, there wasn’t a homeless count in 2021; however in 2022, the participants counted 27 individuals.1
It should be noted that Beverly Hills is located on the transit 1 The increased numbers in the City can be attributed to a variety of factors including the rise in homelessness across the County, and the time that we completed our count. Historically, our volunteers and staff deploy around 9:30pm when many of our unhoused folks are not yet settled for the evening. In 2022, we began our count at 4am to try to get a more accurate representation of the unhoused individuals sleeping in Beverly Hills.
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Meeting Date: August 2, 2022
corridor for a number of Metro bus lines that run from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. As a result, the daytime transient population of unhoused individuals likely increases.
Homelessness seems to be increasing in Beverly Hills and throughout the Los Angeles region due to a variety of factors. COVID-19 caused many of the unhoused to feel unsafe staying in shelters which frequently comprise multiple people sharing the same room or space. Additionally, COVID-19 led to the early release of tens of thousands of inmates from California prisons. Upon release from jail, many inmates struggle to find jobs and housing, so they may end up unhoused. Poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, the rising cost of housing in the Los Angeles region, as well as mental illness can lead individuals to become unhoused. Additionally, there have been recent efforts by other local jurisdictions to clear unhoused encampments. For example, in 2021, the City of Los Angeles cleared encampments at Echo Park Lake, Venice Beach boardwalk, and MacArthur Park. Earlier this year, an encampment in nearby Westwood Park was cleared. While some of the unhoused from these encampments have been successfully placed in shelters or permanent supportive housing, many remain on the streets and have been pushed out and into neighboring communities.
DISCUSSION
It is important to note that it is not illegal to be homeless. An individual has the right to stand on the sidewalk or sit and enjoy the park, regardless of whether they have a home or not. Additionally, law enforcement is limited in what can be done with individuals, housed or not, who are suffering from issues such as mental illness. For example, unless someone presents as a danger to themselves or to others, those who are suffering from a mental health crisis cannot be arrested unless they are doing something illegal nor can they be held against their will.
There are a number of state and local laws which regulate what individuals can/can’t do in public spaces. For example, the Beverly Hills Municipal Code prohibits camping and the storage of personal property in parks, on streets and in City owned parking structures and other properties. This code applies universally regardless of whether someone is housed. In most cases, individuals (regardless of housing status) cannot sit, lie or sleep on a public street, alley, sidewalk or other public place, nor are they allowed on private property without the permission of the owner.
For a number of years the City has provided a number of services that impact, directly or indirectly, the unhoused in Beverly Hills.
Community Assistance Grant Fund
In the current fiscal year, City Council once again increased the funding available for the Community Assistance Grant Fund (CAGF) program to over $2 million. Approximately $1.9 million of this budget is used to fund a number of contracted social services for community members, including the unhoused. Under the City funded CAGF program, the local All Saints Episcopal Church provides meals, support services, and family reunification to the unhoused. The Collins & Katz Family YMCA and the Westside Food Bank offer food for those who are food insecure. Saban Free Clinic offers free and low cost medical and dental services, People Assisting the Homeless offers shelter beds, Safe Parking Los Angeles allows homeless individuals to sleep safely in their cars, and Step Up on Second offers mental health and housing services. Finally, Jewish Family Service offers case management services to seniors who are at risk of homelessness and Bet Tzedek Legal Services provides pro bono housing legal services who those at Meeting Date: August 2, 2022
risk at becoming homeless. For a number of years one of the goals of the CAGF program has been to provide rapid response to the immediate needs of the unhoused.
Human Services
The City’s Human Services division of the Community Services Department is currently comprised of two full time staff positions that are Licensed Clinical Social Workers.
These staff members coordinate the CAGF program described above, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program which traditionally funds basic home improvements for low income residents, staffing the Human Relations Commission, oversite of the Beverly Hills Homeless Outreach Team and the Ambassador program as well as direct social services for the most vulnerable populations in Beverly Hills, including the unhoused.
Beverly Hills Homeless Outreach Team
The Beverly Hills Homeless Outreach Team (BHOT) is a contracted service through Step Up on Second which provides trained outreach workers who engage with the unhoused in Beverly Hills on a daily basis. In fiscal year 2021-22, BHOT coverage was increased from five days per week to seven days per week, providing 33 additional hours of coverage per week (an increase from 45 hours to 78 hours per week). BHOT works Saturday-Tuesday, 8am-5pm, Wednesday 5am-8pm, Thursday 8am-8pm, and Friday 5am-8pm. The BHOT team can be reached directly by residents or businesses by calling 310-487-0313.
Park Rangers—Early Morning Bike Patrol
In 2021-22, the Community Services Department undertook a trial program where park rangers conduct early morning bike patrols of the City’s parks to engage with those who are sleeping in the parks. Through these interactions, the rangers offer BHOT services and education regarding the City’s no camping ordinance. This program was successful in providing regular outreach to individuals sleeping in the parks. As a result, Council approved additional funding in fiscal year 2022-23 to continue this program in the early morning hours. Two days per week the rangers are partnered with BHOT members so that social services can be offered or arranged for on the spot.
Ambassadors
In 2015, the City established the Ambassador program which is designed to provide contracted customer service/light security services for the business areas of the City.
Since its original establishment, the program has grown to include the South Beverly business area as well as enforcement of field use permits at the schools during the afterschool hours. The Ambassadors currently provide 24/7 coverage of the business area. While not trained as homeless or mental health specialists, the Ambassadors function as the eyes and ears in the areas that they patrol, making referrals to BHOT, Beverly Hills Police Department, etc. The Ambassadors also patrol the City owned parking garages in the evening hours to ensure that unhoused individuals do not camp in these structures.
Armed Security
In 2020, after the looting and civil unrest, the City engaged the services of two armed private security firms. The role of the armed security firms is to patrol all areas of the city, business and residential alike, and to identify any suspicious activities, crimes in progress or other violations of the law or municipal code that may be conducted by anyone, including members of the unhoused community.
Meeting Date: August 2, 2022
Next Steps
Even with all of these services and programs, more can be done to assist with the unhoused. Beginning July 5th, the park rangers have expanded their early morning bike outreach to cover the nighttime hours as well. As a result, there is a ranger team that patrols the parks two nights per week, 9pm-5:30am (in addition to the early morning hours). If the night time park outreach is successful, staff will return to the City Council to determine whether the program should be expanded.
Additionally, as part of the fiscal year 2022-23 budget, City Council approved the addition of a Mental Health Evaluation Team (MET Team) to the Beverly Hills Police Department. The MET Team is a collaboration between the City and Los Angeles County, which will partner a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the County with a Beverly Hills Police Officer. Proposed to operate 7 days per week, the MET team would provide timely and proactive (and reactive) outreach to community members, including the unhoused, who are struggling with mental health issues. They will be equipped to not only provide field-based care but also to write involuntary holds (based on the Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150) for those who are presenting as a danger to themselves or to others. In addition, much like the Nurse Practitioner Program operated through the Fire Department, the MET Team would offer follow up resources and care to those who may have first engaged with the City through an emergency call.
As noted earlier in the report, there are many factors contributing to the increase in homelessness, including challenges with mental health. Ultimately mental illness and homelessness are regional, state, and national issues. Based on current legislation, mental health decisions are in the hands of the individual, with the exception of someone who is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. However, it can be difficult for someone who is experiencing a psychotic episode to always make an informed choice that is in their best interest. As a result, the City Council has in the past and is encouraged in the future to consider taking a position on State and County legislation that contemplates, under narrow and clearly defined parameters, the ability to provide more proactive care for those experiencing acute mental health As a final note, there are efforts underway in the City to provide better coordination between the social services and mental health resources that are located in the different departments of the City. Human Services, BHOT, Park Rangers and the Ambassadors are housed in Community Services. The MET team and armed security are overseen by BHPD. As a result, teams from these departments and the City Manager’s Office have been engaging to study the current continuum of care for the unhoused to ensure that there are no missed opportunities. Out of these conversations, for example, staff has started to offer inmates in the Beverly Hills jail the opportunity to meet with the BHOT team before they are released to ensure that they have a place to stay upon their departure. Human Services staff, Park Rangers, BHOT, the Ambassadors, and BHPD meet biweekly to case conference to collaborate to ensure delivery the most effective services for our unhoused population. Staff is also examining if there is a role in the continuum of care for the Fire Department Nurse Practitioner Team as well as the services offered by the Rent Stabilization Office. Staff can report back to the City Council once this continuum of care mapping has progressed in the event that there are other ideas and opportunities to assist the unhoused.
Meeting Date: August 2, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT
Should City Council provide direction to provide new or additional services for the unhoused, staff can return at a future City Council meeting with the projected costs for those services.
Nancy Hunt-Coffey
Approved By