FAQ - HANDBOOK ON HOMELESSNESS

While these FAQs are intended to provide a general overview of the issues involving persons experiencing homelessness in the Hollywood area, it makes sense to start with two key topics that we have observed are on the top of everyone’s mind:

• Why do things look so much worse today vs. a few years earlier?
• How likely is it that current policies will significantly reduce the number of persons living on the streets or in their cars?

Regarding the first topic, the reason things look so bad today is not a major increase in persons experiencing homelessness since 2019. The 2020 homeless count by the Los Angeles HomelessServices Authority counted 41,290 persons experiencing homelessness in the City of Los Angeles and 66,436 in Los Angeles County. The numbers for 2022 were 41,980 and 69,144; for 2023 the numbers were 46,260 and 75,518. While the numbers were up around 12% from 2022 to 2023 for the City of Los Angeles, they were only up about 2% for the City of Los Angeles City from 2020 to2022, yet things looked much worse. Why?

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Perhaps the key event with respect to the visibility of homelessness was a City Council action taken when the COVID-19 pandemic was just beginning. Prior to that date, the Los AngelesMunicipal Code generally required tents to come down from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. On March 17, 2020, the City Council directed LA not to enforce this rule so long as the City’s Emergency Declaration with respect to COVID-19 remained in effect. Whatever the merits in terms of preventing the spread of COVID-19, this action played a major part in homelessness being much more visible than beforeMarch 17, 2020.

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HOUSING FIRST

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At a more fundamental level, the “Housing First” model—the federal-recognized best-practice approach to ending homelessness and its attendant issues—presents programmatic challenges when a jurisdiction has fewer available housing units than people experiencing homelessness.

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The Housing First approach is predicated on placing people in permanent housing before treating mental health issues, substance use disorder problems, criminal history issues, or income instability. (For a general overview of the Housing First philosophy, you can read the federal description here, and California’s fact sheet here.) Studies show that it is more effective to deal with such issues once someone is housed, where conditions are more stable. For that reason, many of the funds that support homelessness services are tied to the goal of placing people in housing.

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However, as of January 1, 2024, LA County faced a shortage of over 30,000 housing units compared to its homeless population. As such, many of the resources available to homelessness services providers are dedicated to a mission that is not currently achievable.

Few resources are available to ameliorate the harms that arise as people remain on the streets waiting for a unit to become available. These include mental health crises, substance abuse, and medical emergencies, all of which place many persons experiencing homelessness inHollywood in daily crisis.

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PROPOSITION HHH

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The City of LA has taken steps to enable the Housing First mission through Proposition HHH—a2016 ballot initiative allocating $1.2 billion in general obligation bonds for the production of10,000 affordable and supportive housing units. Unfortunately, expectations may have been unrealistic with respect to how quickly construction could be completed. According to the HHHDashboard, as of March 2024, 131 projects have been funded, amounting to over 8800 units.About 5000 of these units are stated to be ready for occupancy by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

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MEASURE ULA

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A recent and potentially significant development with respect to financing additional housing in Los Angeles was the passage of Measure ULA in November 2022. Effective April 2022, it imposes a 4% tax on property sales over $5 million and a 5.5% tax on sales over $10 million. Its backers projected that Measure ULA might raise as much as $1 billion annually, but MeasureULA revenues are currently being collected at a much lower rate, with city officials indicating that collections for the first six months are around $100 million.. The funds are to be spent on affordable housing programs (generally 70% of funds after administrative costs) and homelessness prevention programs (generally 30% of funds after administrative costs).

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Two different lawsuits have been filed challenging the legality of Measure ULA on various grounds, including the allegation that the transfer tax is a property tax that is illegal becauseMeasure ULA did not receive a 2⁄3 vote. The federal lawsuit has been dismissed at both the trial level and in state court. Appeals are expected.

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In addition, a ballot initiative has qualified for the November 2024 election, The TaxpayerProtection and Government Accountability Act. If enacted, this measure would invalidateMeasure ULA. Because of a concern over needing to refund monies collected if the lawsuits aresuccessful, it appears that Los Angeles does not intend to spend all the monies it is currentlycollecting from the tax.

It should be noted that in Los Angeles County only the City of Los Angeles has invested in permanent supportive housing and other jurisdictions would need to become involved to significantly meet the demand for permanent supportive housing.

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Further, due to their complicated financing structures, permanent supportive housing units can easily cost $500,000 a unit and sometimes significantly more. The contribution of HHH funds to the PSH equation is approximately $115,000 per unit. This compares to a potential cost in the $50,000 range for interim housing units—such as tiny homes, or simply safe camping sites.

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Since it is a necessary precondition to reducing the suffering of all members of our community,Hollywood 4WRD advocates for the creation of adequate interim housing resources in Hollywood until such time as a sufficient number of permanent units exist to house the hundreds of people experiencing homelessness here. We are also actively innovating ways to coordinate, fund, and re-task our community’s outreach teams to render the critical mental health and street social services that do not fall under the Housing First umbrella.

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SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS

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The terms “serious mental illness” or “substance use disorder” will be used many times throughout these FAQs, reflecting the fact that many of the persons experiencing homelessness have a serious mental illness, a substance use disorder, or both. Rather than defining these terms whenever they are used, we will define them here.

With respect to the term serious mental illness, we are using the standard definition—i.e., a mental illness is a serious mental illness if it is a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.

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SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER

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Many of the persons experiencing homelessness are struggling with addictions to alcohol or drugs. We will use the term “substance use disorder” to refer to persons with this condition since the term “addiction” is not used as a diagnostic term in DSM-5, the authoritative manual used to classify mental illnesses and substance use problems. The manual lists 11 criteria that indicate a substance use disorder and, depending on how many are met by an individual, he or she may have a mild, moderate, or severe substance use disorder. The 11 criteria are quite broad and, since meeting only two of the criteria can result in a diagnosis of a “mild substance use disorder” (examples of the broad criteria include “spending a lot of time using the substance” and “you have skipped activities or stopped doing activities you once enjoyed in order to use the substance”), it seems likely that many of the persons experiencing homelessness may have a substance use disorder, but not at a level where it is likely to have been the sole precipitating factor.

THE GENERAL BEHAVIOR RULES/GENERAL RULES

There are rules that govern behavior at the different housing options provided for persons experiencing homelessness, rules which are about the same whether the alternative is a safe camping site, safe parking site, interim housing, or permanent supportive housing. No weapons are allowed inside. Technically, no alcohol or drugs are permitted on the premises and residents may be evicted for being under the influence of alcohol or drugs (the operative word is “may”; different facilities are managed differently with respect to this rule, some enforcing this rule more in situations where there is a concern that intoxication may lead to other unacceptable behavior). Acts of violence/aggressive behavior/threats/related activities are not tolerated. Also, there are often curfew rules, such as no entry after 11 p.m. or exit before 7 a.m., subject to approved exceptions. In some cases, it is further provided that a participant cannot exit without prior approval from a supervisor.

While many persons experiencing homelessness are very supportive of these rules (since they increase their safety), there are other persons experiencing homelessness who may reject a housing alternative because of the General Rules, in particular, the curfew rules and/or the rules against alcohol and drug use.

It is worth acknowledging that Los Angeles and the rest of the country has always been “here,” if“here” means the existence of people living on the streets or out of their cars.

There are multiple reasons why homelessness is more prevalent today. It’s beyond the scope of these FAQs to provide much detail about the different factors, but it’s important to make sure someone approaching the issue does so with an awareness of all the relevant factors.

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Housing is clearly a major component and, as is well known, LA and California have a much higher cost of housing (measured as a percentage of income) than most of the rest of the country.Houston has cheaper housing and a lower homeless percentage. The difference between Los Angeles and Houston is high–on December 2, 2023 Zillow reported the median rent in Los Angeles as $2795 vs. Houston at $1795.

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Even more dramatically, Detroit and Mississippi, which are both poorer areas than Los Angeles, have a much lesser homelessness problem. Two-bedroom apartments in Detroit can be found for$500/month; Los Angeles County, meanwhile, has about six times more homeless people living on the street per capita than Jackson, Mississippi’s five county-service area. None of this means, of course, that Detroit and Mississippi have a lesser incidence of persons with serious mental illness or substance use disorders (Jackson’s drug overdose rate is about the same as California).

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Blaming the high cost of housing on “greedy” developers is overly simplistic. To the extent LA has higher minimum standards for housing than other jurisdictions, that drives up the price, even if the standards are perceived as valuable. Union labor can be more expensive than non-union labor, while mandated solar panels, whatever their long-term benefits, also raise the price of housing.Another very important factor contributing to the high cost of housing is the fact that almost 80%of the land area of the City of Los Angeles is zoned exclusively for single-family housing. Efforts to increase the amount of land zoned for multiple units have been met with fierce resistance.

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Also, some argue that the more difficult it is to evict tenants, the more incentive there is for landlords to deny housing to all but the most credit-worthy applicants.

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Failures to deal with persons suffering from a serious mental illness have left many of them out on the streets. Failure to deal with persons with a substance use disorder have left many of them out on the streets. Previously, our jails housed many persons with a serious mental illness or substance use disorder. The effective decriminalization of many of the behaviors associated with these illnesses put many more of them on the streets.

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Changes in policy by LA have increased the visibility of homelessness. Before the pandemic, LAallowed persons to sleep on the streets (as required by law) but required tents to be down from 9p.m. to 6 a.m. In response to the pandemic, LA passed a resolution suspending the enforcement of this rule until the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration was no longer in effect, which allowed tents to be erected permanently, greatly increasing the visibility of persons experiencing homelessness.The Emergency Declaration is no longer in effect and it thus appears generally illegal to have tents up during the day. However, there is no longer any effort to enforce this rule. While Mayor Bass has promulgated various emergency declarations to deal with the homelessness crisis, none of them have reinstated the suspension.

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While LA has rules limiting the amount of belongings that persons experiencing homelessness can have, there is very limited enforcement of these rules as of the end of 2023, so there is generally no practical limit on how much material a person experiencing homelessness can store outside his or her tent, so long as the property is considered attended.

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Because of LA’s self-imposed limits on removing trash, trash is allowed to build up around tents. There is effectively no enforcement of laws against public urination and defecation.

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And, of course, a lack of resources and failures in coordinating the resources that are available is part of the problem.

For persons experiencing homelessness, the long list of challenging problems include:

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• Lack of immediate access to toilet/shower facilities if you are living by yourself on the streets.
• The increased risk of illness due to unsanitary living conditions.
• The increased risk of crime and other forms of trauma.

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All this results in significantly worse life expectancies for persons experiencing homelessness.

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For the housed community, homelessness degrades their quality of life significantly. There is trash all over the place. People experiencing homelessness are allowed to use the streets as toilets. Public toilet facilities are generally unavailable. And it is unpleasant to interact with people who are decompensating on the street due to a serious mental illness or exhibiting symptoms stemming from a substance abuse disorder.

Even before turning to legal rules, there is a threshold question—what does it mean to be “a person experiencing homelessness”? Of course, someone sleeping in the streets is a person experiencing homelessness. But broadly speaking, persons experiencing homelessness can be divided into four categories:

1. Persons sleeping on the streets, either on the sidewalk or in tents
2. Persons sleeping in their vehicles
3. Persons in interim shelters
4. Couch surfing [While persons who are temporarily sleeping in the homes
   of friends or relatives (“couch surfing”) are, in fact, experiencing a form of homelessness, these FAQs will not discuss that category, which generally is not captured in the official statistics.]

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While most of the public attention goes to the first category because of its greater visibility, understanding the other groupings is of high importance--both on humanitarian grounds and because of the high risk that persons sleeping in vehicles, in interim shelters, or couch surfing will end up on the streets absent help.

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A related concept to “homelessness” is that of “chronic homelessness,” since chronically homeless individuals have housing priorities under certain programs. Generally speaking, a person is considered “chronically homeless” if he or she:

• Has a disability that is expected to be long-continuing or of indefinite duration, which substantially impedes the person’s ability to live independently, and which could be improved by more suitable housing conditions
• Lives in a place not fit for human habitation
• Has been living in such a place continuously for at least 12 months

Unfortunately, the presentation of demographic data with respect to homelessness in Los County is complicated by the fact that the Los Angeles Housing Authority (LAHSA), the entity which conducts an annual survey of homelessness in Los Angeles County, has released much less data with respect to the results of its 2023 survey, as opposed to the results of its 2022 survey. We are disappointed by this fact and do not know the reason for the limited release of data. Perhaps of relevance is the fact that the 2022 results were criticized on the grounds that there was unexplained undercounting of persons experiencing homelessness in some areas. Others have noted, however, that a survey like the LAHSA survey is generally only accurate within +/- 5%or 10%, and the errors that have been found don’t appear to indicate that this margin of error was exceeded.

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In light of the limited reporting by LAHSA of its 2023 Count results, we have included 2022 data where that is the only data available. (With respect to some of the percentage data, information is for less than all of Los Angeles County because the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena, and Glendale separately collect data. Since these three entities accounted for less than 6% of the homeless population, we will not separately note when percentages for Los Angeles County do not include data for these three entities.)

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The 2023 LAHSA survey found 75,518 persons experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County(up from 69,44 in 2022) and 45,260 in the City of Los Angeles (up from 41,980 in 2022). Needless to say, it is disappointing that, despite all the efforts to date to decrease homelessness, it has actually increased by 9% countywide and 10% in the City of Los Angeles.

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With respect to the City of Los Angeles, some of the relevant 2022 demographic data are the following (no 2023 data has been made available for the City of Los Angeles):

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The 2022 LAHSA census reported data for Hollywood, which encompasses a geographic area that differs in some respect from the boundaries used by Hollywood 4WRD but is close enough for the results to be comparable. The 2022 Hollywood data both paralleled the 2022 citywide data and differed in certain significant ways, as indicated by these statistics:

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The 2022 LAHSA data for Hollywood reports (data only relates to persons over 17):

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With respect to the 2022 Hollywood data, one finding of note is that LAHSA determined that the total number of persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood had declined from 4364 to 1872.This 57% decline is inconsistent with the general perception that homelessness in Hollywood has worsened since 2020. In determining how to interpret the new data, an important point to note is that the great majority of the decrease occurred in what LAHSA refers to as “transition age youth,”defined as persons between the ages of 16 to 25. In 2020, this group amounted to 2625 persons.In 2022, it had dropped to 366 persons, a decline of 2259 persons, accounting for almost all of the total decline of 2492 persons. This drop is inconsistent with what organizations focused on transition age youth who are part of the Hollywood 4WRD coalition have reported about the change in the number of transition age youth over this period.

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It is concerning that Hollywood 4WRD has no access to LAHSA data with respect to Hollywood although it obviously exists. The most current data source we have located is in a report by the RAND Corporation, which has been conducting surveys of the homeless population in Hollywood,Venice, and Skid Row for several years. As of December 2023, RAND’s most recent report shows the increase in homelessness in Hollywood from October 2021 to October 2022 to be 14.5%,representing an increase from 650 to 750 persons experiencing homelessness within the boundaries it defined as Hollywood.

Understanding the degree to which homelessness is a serious mental illness/substance use disorder issue has very major practical consequences:

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• The policies for both interim housing and permanent supportive housing generally disallow the use of drugs or alcohol on the premises. This means a portion of the persons experiencing homelessness are unlikely to trade the streets or their vehicles for housing, if doing so means living with these restrictions. Understanding this systemic disconnect is critical to crafting solutions that work.
• Subsidized housing by itself is not a solution for persons with a serious mental illness or a substance use disorder. Other supportive services are needed. What kind and how much requires knowing the number of persons affected. This is particularly important since, as will be discussed, there is a woeful shortage of such supportive services.

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There are many reasons why the data on serious mental illness/substance use disorders is uncertain. One problem is that the homeless population is constantly changing. So, while we believe the percentages do not change greatly year to year, it is important to remain aware of the shifts when they do occur.

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Third, there are additional issues in accurately identifying persons with a serious mental illness or a substance use disorder. Self-reported data can often be inaccurate. In the case of a serious mental illness, there is even a medical term used to describe an individual’s inability to recognize their own condition—anosognosia. A common estimate is that 50% or more of the persons suffering from a serious mental illness are not aware of their condition. Self-reporting may be an equally significant problem with substance use disorders since, in the case of drugs other than marijuana, the activity in question is illegal, regardless of whether actual enforcement of the law is taking place. Of course, outreach workers and other personnel interact with persons experiencing homelessness and their observations are important. But this kind of data is not systematically tabulated, and, in any event, it is difficult with limited observation to know whether (1) a person has a lesser form of mental illness or a serious mental illness or (2) whether the person is occasionally intoxicated or has a substance use disorder.

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The 2022 LAHSA survey reported the following data with respect to substance use disorders and mental illness in Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, and Hollywood:

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These percentages are not additive—that is, some persons have both a substance use disorder and a serious mental illness, so they would be counted twice in the statistics. We should also note that there is great controversy regarding the accuracy of this data, with many believing that the data significantly undercounts persons suffering from a substance use disorder or a serious mental illness.
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Based on the experience of Hollywood 4WRD and our partner organizations, it is believed that the LAHSA statistics under report the percentages for Hollywood, and that a majority of persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood suffer from either a substance use disorder and/or a serious mental illness (known as a co-occurring disorder when both are involved). One recent source that supports this conclusion is a recent study of homelessness by the Benioff Homelessness andHousing Initiative at the University of California San Francisco, which has been described as the largest comprehensive study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s.

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This study reported that about 66% of its participants (drawn from California statewide)reported mental health symptoms of depression, anxiety, trouble concentrating or remembering or hallucinations in the last 30 days. (It should be noted that these self-reported symptoms do not necessarily rise to the level of a serious mental illness, which has a more stringent definition.) About 45% of the survey participants reported using methamphetamines, cocaine, on nonprescription opioids three or more times weekly or engaging in heavy episodic drinking(6 or more drinks) at least once a month. We believe that, unfortunately, the data for persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood is even higher than these numbers, which are much higher than the LAHSA numbers.

And, while it may be obvious, it bears emphasizing that:

1. A serious mental illness or substance use disorder is a contributing factor to homelessness
2. Homelessness increases the chances of a serious mental illness or substance use disorder

Given the significant number of persons experiencing homelessness with a serious mental illness (sometimes referred to as people living with SMI), any new developments with respect to the treatment of serious mental illness are of interest. In that regard, several recent developments warrant attention:

1. The implementation of the CARE Court system, which became effective in LosAngeles County December 1, 2023
2. Hollywood 2.0
3. Changes in the law affecting conservatorship
4. A recent settlement with Los Angeles County designed to increase the number of mental health beds in Los Angeles County. These developments will be covered in this and the following three sections.

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The Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act was enacted in 2022 and generally became effective for some counties in 2023 and must be effective for all counties byDecember 1, 2024. It became effective in Los Angeles County on December 1, 2023. It is a complex act and this is only a general summary of some of the details.

A central focus of the act was providing an additional tool in addition to conservatorship that could be utilized in the case of certain persons with a schizophrenia-related SMI. In many cases the person with an SMI is not capable of making optimal decisions with respect to his or her illness.Family members attempting to help the family member have found the current legal framework very cumbersome to work with since the best available means–conservatorship–is both a very complex and expensive legal process and one where it is difficult to meet the very high standard for determining if a person is “gravely disabled.”

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At its essence the CARE Act creates a process by which a CARE agreement or a CARE plan may be established for someone in need of assistance although it does not compel care if the person does not comply with the plan or agreement. The program applies only to persons in the disorder class identified as schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. In addition, there must be a finding that:

1. “The person is unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision and the person’s condition is substantially deteriorating” or
2. The “person is in need of services and supports in order to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would likely result in grave disability or serious harm to the person or others.”

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The CARE Act refers to the person subject to the proceedings as the “respondent.”

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The CARE process can be initiated with a filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court by a family member, as well as a number of other eligible applicants, such as the person with whom the individual resides and certain community members who have interacted with the individual for whom the CARE process is being initiated (such as the hospital at which the individual is currently institutionalized) . If the court concludes that the petition suggests the respondent meets theCARE Act criteria, a hearing will be held where an evaluation report will be presented by the LosAngeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the court may reach a final conclusion that the respondent’s situation is covered by act. At the hearing, DMH will be substituted for the family member, at which point there is no right of the family member to participate further in the proceedings. (NOTE: The respondent may consent to the petitioner’s further participation and it appears the court may appoint the family member as a “supporter” (the statute describes criteria for this status), in which case the family member would appear able to continue participation in the process.)

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The eventual outcome of the process is either a CARE agreement or a CARE plan, the difference being that the CARE plan does not require the respondent’s agreement. The CARE plan is set to last one year, subject to renewal. The CARE agreement or plan may include behavioral health services, medically necessary stabilization medications, housing resources, and other relevant services.Services are subject to available funding. Importantly, the respondent’s compliance with the plan is ultimately voluntary; there appear to be no penalties for ignoring the plan or, for that matter, failing to appear at court hearings.

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At this stage it is too early to assess the impact of the CARE courts system. Seven counties implemented CARE courts on October 1, 2023–San Diego, San Francisco, Orange County, Riverside, Tuolumne, Glenn and Stanislaus. Only 15 petitions were filed in total in the first two weeks, suggesting that CARE Act may have only a very limited impact.

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A December 2, 2023 news article reports that Los Angeles County officials estimate that 4500 people could be enrolled in CARE Court in the first year. This seems optimistic, insofar as the same story reports that so far Orange County (about 30% the size of Los Angeles County) has had14 petitions filed that met the CARE Act criteria.

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In assessing the new CARE court process, it should be noted that, while the process enjoys widespread public support, support is not unanimous. A broad coalition of civil rights organizations lobbied against enactment of the bill and an unsuccessful lawsuit was filed, challenging its constitutionality.

Another important development with respect to homelessness in Hollywood is Hollywood 2.0(H20), an innovative initiative from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH),for which Hollywood 4WRD was selected as the community liaison. Technically, H20 refers to a grant of $116 million that was made to LACDMH by the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, a state agency, which is to be used over a five-year period ending in2027 to provide additional mental health services in Hollywood.

H20 was founded on the premise that individuals living in Hollywood with serious mental illness, especially those who are also experiencing homelessness, have the same right to a whole and full life as they do in Trieste, Italy, the place and original inspiration for the H20 program.

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Following a long gestation period (see H20’s “Backstory” on page 28), LACDMH has begun offering a broad array of new/additional resources to the Hollywood community, drawing in whole or in part from the H20 funding.

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The services which have been currently added or are about to be added are:

• Increased mental health services staffing for the Hollywood community through an effort called the Hollywood Mental Health Cooperative, which began serving clients in the summer of 2023. There is no actual separate legal entity; rather, the term “cooperative”refers to the bringing together of employees in different parts of LACDMH, who are working together to provide assessment, therapy, medication, case management/brokerage, crisis intervention and other supportive services related to housing and employment for those with serious mental illness. Services are offered at the LACDMH clinic at 1224 Vine St. and in the field. As of 12/23, 54 new staff have been hired inHollywood in excess of the staffing levels prior to the implementation of H20.
• New housing assets, offering a variety of enriched care and services not usually found at these types of housing, consisting of:
  • Interim Housing
    • ‍The Mark Twain Hotel (48 clients housed as of 12/23- total bed capacity approximately 50)
    • The Hollywood Walk of Fame Hotel (15 clients housed as of 12/23- an existing hotel offering additional rooms on an interim basis for the H20target population)
  • Board and Care
    • Anew Dawn (Board and Care; 25 clients housed as of 12/23—total bed capacity approximately 90)

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OPENING SOON IN EARLY 2024: The Hollywood Clubhouse (in partnership with Fountain House, a national organization that has created over 200 similar clubhouses).This will be a peer-led, community-based center designed to provide a restorative environment where people living with serious mental illness can discover a renewed sense of purpose, self, and community.

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H20 hopes to add the following programs:

• Supportive employment services to assist people living with mental health conditions to enter or reenter the workforce in Hollywood.
• A Hollywood Respite and Recovery Center. This facility will provide mental health crisis response services in a personalized setting as an alternative to a hospital emergency room.
• A revamping of the Hollywood Mental Health Clinic at 1224 Vine Street, opening in a new location, and reconfigured to be more person centered with access to sunlight/windows, fresh colors, open space, etc.
• A broad public education campaign to keep community members better informed about H20’s evolving resources and how they can join the expanding H20-ecosystem to support those experiencing serious mental illness and homelessness to live better lives.

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THE BACKSTORY OF HOLLYWOOD 2.0

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In 2017, a delegation of Los Angeles-based leaders in the mental health field traveled to Trieste to observe more closely the World Health Organization recognized model of care practiced in the community. One of the foundations of the community-based care they observed in Trieste revolved around ensuring their most vulnerable citizens had access to the three “P’s” everyone needs to enjoy a healthy, fulfilling life:

• ‍PEOPLE: a family/community who care for and support us, and to which we belong
• PLACE: a safe space to call home
• PURPOSE: a meaningful, purposeful way to spend our days

The delegation, which included one of the founding members of Hollywood 4WRD, KerryMorrison, as well as its future Executive Director, Brittney Weissman, determined to bring the model of “radical hospitality” they witnessed in Trieste home to an American community that needed it desperately.

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The Mental Health Services Act Innovations pilot project (“T.R.I.E.S.T.E.”) was approved in May of 2019, and was funded by MHSA through a grant to be administered by LACDMH. Following the pandemic, the innovative pilot program was renamed after the community it would serve,“Hollywood 2.0.”

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H20 was introduced officially to the community in July of 2022. As the program’s community liaison, Hollywood 4WRD brought to the table a variety of stakeholders—including faith-based leaders, government and service providers, law enforcement, business leaders, local residents, and people with lived experience—all of whom would play a key role in helping LACDMH identify the currently existing service gaps preventing those living with mental illness in Hollywood from being properly treated.

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Over the course of the next year, Hollywood 4WRD convened monthly community workgroups, each charged with the task of generating innovative ideas to address the identified gaps in Hollywood’s current mental health system. Towards the end of the year, the groups proposed their ideas toLACDMH in the form of Concept Notes, addressing what they saw as either the Place-based orPurpose-based needs of the community’s most vulnerable.

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These community Concept Notes were integrated by LACDMH into the fabric of several innovative new programs, which began rolling out in the early summer of 2023.

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Additional resources to learn more about Hollywood 2.0:

• Websites:
  • H20 page on Hollywood 4WRD website‍
  • ‍H20 FAQ page on LACDMH website ‍

• Article: The Old Asylum is Gone‍
• Podcast: Heart Forward podcasts on Trieste
• Book: The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care, a biography of the man who inspired the Trieste model
• Video: Informative video of the first Trieste delegation, which included leaders from DMH and Hollywood 4WRD
• ‍H20 Annual Report, July ‘22 - June ‘23
• ‍H20 Community Map
• ‍H20 Community Map Legend

The Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act of 1967 provides the rules by which one adult may be granted the conservatorship of a person experiencing a serious mental illness. The conservator has the responsibility for overseeing the comprehensive medical treatment of the person with the serious mental illness, which can include the coerced administration of drugs designed to ameliorate the conservatee’s medical condition. A precondition of imposing a conservatorship is a finding that the person for whom a conservatorship is being sought meets the definition of “gravely disabled.” Prior to recent legislation, the definition was generally defined as “a condition in which a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, is unable to provide for his basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter.” Prior law interpreted this language stringently—for example, if another person provided the individual in question with food, clothing, or shelter, or that individual could obtain these items from other sources, they were not considered gravely disabled.

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The revised LPS Act now defines “gravely disabled” more broadly. The definition of “gravely disabled” now includes “a condition in which a person, as a result of mental health disorder, a severe substance use disorder, or a co-occurring mental health disorder and a severe substance use disorder, is unable to provide for their basic personal needs for food, clothing, shelter, personal safety, or necessary medical care.” (New language is in boldface.) Advocates for this change believe it will make it easier to obtain conservatorships in appropriate cases. Opponents of the change believe it will increase the number of situations where a conservatorship is inappropriately instituted.

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Like most counties, Los Angeles has recently voted to delay the effective date of the new law toJanuary 1, 2026.

A settlement was reached in September 2023 in a lawsuit involving Los Angeles County and theLA Alliance for Human Rights. The lawsuit was filed in 2020 and challenged the county’s approach toward homeless services on a variety of grounds.

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According to a press release detailing the terms of the settlement, some of the most important terms with respect to providing additional resources that will increase available services are: 3000new mental health and substance use disorder beds, 450 new subsidies for board-and-care beds, and an increase from 27.5 to 44 in the number of specialized outreach teams servicing people who face significant barriers to housing due to physical, mental, and behavioral challenges.

There is widespread acknowledgment that a high percentage of persons experiencing homelessness have substance use disorders. The purpose of this section is to present additional information that may be useful in evaluating this phenomenon and analyzing potential paths forward. This portion of the FAQs has four sections that provide a high level overview of several of the components of the current situation:

• Description of the two most prevalent/dangerous drugs found on the streets ofHollywood–fentanyl and methamphetamine
• Data with respect to the extent to which substance use disorders precede homelessness
• Description of the current state of law enforcement in Hollywood with respect to illicit drug use or sale
• Description of the availability of public programs available to persons with substance use disorders

We should note that, while substance use disorders involving alcohol play a prominent role among persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood, this section will not describe that issue since today’s problems with alcohol abuse—unlike issues raised by fentanyl and methamphetamine—appear very similar to the issues historically raised by this substance use disorder.

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FENTANYL AND METH

The two hard drugs that appear to be the most consumed by persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood are fentanyl and methamphetamine.

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Fentanyl

Two articles provide a good overview of the scope of the fentanyl problem. The first describes the difficulties in interdicting fentanyl because it is made from chemical precursors that are readily available. These efficiencies have radically driven down the price of fentanyl, the article quoting estimates of $5 to $10 a pill. Drug overdoses (primarily from fentanyl) are now the leading cause of death for persons under 50, accounting for roughly 110,000deaths in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available. A significant reason for
the overdose problem is the small amount of fentanyl that can constitute a lethal dose, approximately 2 milligrams. One ounce of fentanyl contains about 28,000 lethal doses. This makes fentanyl 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin.

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The second article is from a series that ran in the Los Angeles Daily News, detailing the extent of the fentanyl epidemic in nearby MacArthur Park. The article’s statement that a fentanyl habit costs about $50 a day and requires four to five daily hits is broadly consistent with the cost estimate in the first article. The article vividly describes how the need to find money to support the habit can become an all consuming activity. As described in the article, a substance use disorder involving fentanyl appears inconsistent with any form of sustained employment.

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One important distinction between fentanyl and methamphetamine is that there are medications for fentanyl that can replace the craving for fentanyl. Suboxone is perhaps the best known replacement medication. Consisting of a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, it is one of the main medications used to treat opioid addiction. Suboxone works by tightly binding to the same receptors in the brain as other opiates, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone. By doing so, it blunts intoxication with these other drugs, it prevents cravings, and it allows many people to transition back from a life of addiction to a life of normalcy and safety. Please read this Harvard magazine article for more information.

Methamphetamine

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As explained in this Atlantic article, there is a new form of methamphetamine (“meth”) that is replacing the methamphetamine that existed a decade ago. The new method of making meth is called the P2P method and has reduced the price of meth by 90% and allowed it to be produced in previously unimaginable quantities. Even worse, the new meth appears to be producing much swifter and longer lasting symptoms of mental illness than the previous version. Typical symptoms are violent paranoia, hallucinations, conspiracy theories, isolation, massive memory loss, and jumbled speech. The article contains numerous interviews indicating that the amount of time required to return to normal mental activity after discontinuing meth use can range up to 18 months.

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SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS PRIOR TO HOMELESSNESS

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It has been correctly pointed out that knowing the incidence of substance use disorders among persons experiencing homelessness does not indicate the extent to which substance use disorders led to homelessness, since homelessness itself can be a significant factor leading to substance use disorders. Important data regarding this issue is provided in a recent study of homelessness by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California San Francisco, which has been described as the largest comprehensive study of homelessness in the UnitedStates since the mid-1990s.

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The study concluded that “substance use disorders can increase vulnerability to homelessness.”13% of participants indicated their substance use was a reason for leaving their last housing. In the six months before homelessness, 29% used amphetamines, cocaine, or non-prescribed opioids regularly (at least three times per week). 24% reported heavy regular drinking. The report further found that 65% of the survey participants reported a period in their life when they regularly used non-prescribed amphetamines, cocaine, and non-prescribed opioids regularly and, of this group,64% reported having begun regular use prior to their first period of homelessness.

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CURRENT ENFORCEMENT OF LAWS AGAINST ILLICIT DRUG USE AND SALE IN HOLLYWOOD

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Whatever one’s views with regard to the benefits of enforcing the laws regarding consumption and sale of illicit drugs, it appears important to understand the current state of law enforcement in Hollywood. This discussion only covers enforcement below the federal level since whatever efforts are occurring at the federal level are not occurring at the street level in Hollywood, but much higher up in the distribution chain.

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With respect to possession and use, the Los Angeles Police Department is generally arresting no one for possession and use in Hollywood. It may certainly be argued that arresting someone is a very bad allocation of limited police resources. To begin with, it can be very time consuming. For example, at least at some point in 2023, the arresting protocol provided that, if the arrested person indicates that he or she has used drugs in the last 48 hours, the person must be taken to an emergency room at a hospital to determine whether he or she may be in the process of having an adverse drug reaction, which may add two or more hours to the arresting process.

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Once the person is returned to the jail division, he or she is booked for a misdemeanor. There is a zero bail policy, so the person is immediately released. Finally, if the person does not show up for a hearing on the misdemeanor, no warrant is issued for his or her arrest.

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Drug sales are generally prosecuted by the Los Angeles District Attorney, not the LA City Attorney.At the present time our understanding is that the District Attorney has a general policy, at least inHollywood, of not prosecuting people arrested for selling street level quantities of drugs or holding them for sale, with the tragic exception of situations involving drug fatalities from overdoses. So, a police officer may use his or her discretion and conclude there is no point in arresting someone for selling drugs since they will not be prosecuted.

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(At a town hall meeting on 1/24/24 District Attorney Gascon indicated that felony prosecutions are being brought in Hollywood, and that he would send supporting data. As of 3/4/24, no new information had been received.)

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CURRENT AVAILABILITY OF TREATMENT FOR PERSONS SEEKING TREATMENT IN HOLLYWOOD

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Perhaps the first thing to note is that there are many types of treatment for substance use disorders.While the most common image may be temporarily living in a facility as part of the treatment process, this is only one of many treatment options. Treatment for substance use disorders is provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, acting through its SubstanceAbuse Prevention and Control (SAPC) unit. SAPC publishes the Substance Use Disorder TreatmentServices Patient Handbook.

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It divides available services in Los Angeles County into Outpatient Treatment Services, Intensive Outpatient Treatment Services, Residential/Inpatient Treatment Services, Withdrawal ManagementServices, Narcotic Treatment Program, Medications for Addiction Treatment, Peer Support Services,Care Coordination, and Contingency Management. The Patient Handbook provides additional information regarding these services.

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Residential Treatment is described in the Patient Handbook

Residential Treatment is a non-institutional, 24-hour non-medical, short-term residential program that provides rehabilitation services to beneficiaries with a substance use disorder diagnosis when determined as medically necessary. The beneficiary shall live on the premises and shall be supported in their efforts to restore, maintain, apply interpersonal and independent living skills, and access community support systems.

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Inpatient Treatment Services are described as:

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Inpatient services are provided in a 24-hour setting that provides professionally directed evaluation, observation, medical monitoring, and addiction treatment in an inpatient setting.Most services are provided in person; however, tele-health and telephone may also be used
to provide services while a person is in inpatient treatment. Inpatient services are highly structured, and a physician is likely available on-site 24 hours daily, along with RegisteredNurses, addiction counselors, and other clinical staff. Inpatient Services include assessment, care coordination, counseling, family therapy, medication services, Medications for AddictionTreatment for opioid use disorder, Medications for Addiction Treatment for Alcohol use disorder and other non-opioid substance use disorders, patient education, recovery services, and substance use disorder crisis intervention services.

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As of November 2023, SAPC has indicated that, assuming a person experiencing homelessness wants residential treatment and is “ready for treatment,” a facility can be found in Los AngelesCounty within a few days. “Readiness for treatment” is a key consideration. WithdrawalManagement services may be needed first. Medical conditions other than the substance use disorder may need to be addressed first. In particular, substance use disorders often co-occur with a serious mental illness, such as the psychoses that can often accompany methamphetamine addiction. In many cases the person experiencing homelessness will not be ready for treatment in one of these residential facilities until some improvement has occurred with respect to the serious mental illness. Finally, in some cases a lack of necessary documentation (such as proof of Medi-Cal eligibility) may be a barrier.

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Even if adequate facilities currently exist, this adequacy needs to be viewed in the light of the fact that most persons experiencing a substance use disorder are not seeking the treatment that would help them. SAPC estimates that 95% of the persons with a substance use disorder do not seek treatment.

2022 Data from The Hollywood Partnership, the business improvement district covering much of central Hollywood indicates that most persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood are fromCalifornia. Persons experiencing homelessness are asked each month where they were from.
The data response in March 2022 indicated that, of the persons experiencing homelessness that answered, over 75% said they were from California. This is consistent with data from other months.

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Data from the LAHSA 2022 homeless count is consistent with this conclusion, finding that 79%of the persons age 25 and older experiencing homelessness in LA County reported residing inCalifornia before experiencing homelessness (65% reported previously residing in LA County and10% reported residing in another Southern California county). No data has been provided on this metric with respect to the 2023 homeless count.

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Additional data is contained in a recent study of homelessness by the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California San Francisco, which has been described as the largest comprehensive study of homelessness in the United States since the mid-1990s. The study examined homelessness throughout California and found 90% of persons experiencing homelessness were last housed in California and 75% of participants lived in counties where they were last housed.

In order to understand the current situation in LA, it is necessary to understand two sets of federal

cases—those concerning the right to sleep in the streets and those limiting LA’s ability to remove

items from the street if they belong to people.

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Before turning to the cases themselves, it is useful to set down some basic information about how

the judicial system operates. Below the United States Supreme Court, the country is divided into 13

Circuit Courts, called the United States Courts of Appeal. California plus eight other states (Alaska,

Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) make up the 9th Circuit. The

Supreme Court has not ruled on the key issues affecting homelessness, so the key cases are from

the 9th Circuit. We are unaware of any other judicial circuits that have reached the same results as

the 9th Circuit. What this means in practical terms is that it is uncertain whether the key 9th Circuit

cases regulating homelessness will remain valid if the Supreme Court ever examines the issue.

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The key 9TH Circuit cases are described on the following pages.

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By far the best-known homelessness case applicable to California is Martin v. City of Boise,

decided by the 9th Circuit in 2019. The Supreme Court decided not to review the case, so it is

governing law in the 9th Circuit. It may be found at 920 F.3d 584 (2019). Of equal importance is the recently decided case of Johnson v. City of Grants Pass (August 2023), which the United StatesSupreme Court has agreed to review.

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MARTIN V. CITY OF BOISE

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The 9th Circuit struck down a Boise law that made it a misdemeanor to “use any of the streets,

sidewalks, parks, or public places as a camping place at any time.” This law was held to violate

the 8th Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Readers who want a deeper

understanding of the merits of the decision should read both read the decision and the dissents to

the opinion that can be found at the above location (technically, the dissents are to the 9th Circuit’s

decision to not have the case reheard by all the judges on the 9th Circuit).

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The critical language in the opinion reads as follows:

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“’[S]o long as there is a greater number of homeless individuals in

[a jurisdiction] than the number of available beds [in shelters],’ the

jurisdiction cannot prosecute homeless individuals for involuntarily

sitting, lying and sleeping in public.’ ...That is, as long as there is

no option of sleeping indoors, the government cannot criminalize

indigent, homeless people for sleeping outdoors, on public property,

on the false premises they had a choice in the matter.”

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Obviously, the issue of what a city should do about homelessness is different from the issue of

what a city is required to do by the Constitution. But the starting point is understanding what

the Constitution requires. People commonly refer to Martin as forbidding city-wide anti-camping

ordinances so long as there are more homeless people than available shelters.

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Martin at most only forbids a city-wide ordinance. Whatever the merits of LA’s more limited anti camping ordinance, since it only bans camping in certain areas of the city, it would appear to not

violate Martin. The author of the majority opinion (Judge Berzon) in discussing the opinion states:

“the opinion holds only that municipal ordinances that criminalize sleeping, sitting, or lying in all

public spaces, when no alternative sleeping space is available, violate the Eight Amendment.”

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Much more importantly, there is a difference between the first and second sentences in the

underlined quotation that creates a significant uncertainty about what the case actually held.

The difference arises because a significant number of persons experiencing homelessness turn

down offers of shelter. The first sentence in the quotation indicates that citywide anti-camping

ordinances are illegal unless the number of available beds equals the homeless count. The

second sentence indicates an anti-camping ordinance could be applied if persons experiencing

homelessness turned down an offer of shelter, even if the number of available beds was less than

the total homeless population. This second reading of the case appears confirmed by a footnote

that says, “Naturally, our holding does not cover individuals who do have access to adequate

temporary shelter, whether because they have the means to pay for it or because it is realistically

available to them for free, but who choose not to use it.”

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Obviously, the merits of any anti-camping ordinance are different from understanding what

Martin held. But, since Martin is routinely cited in debates concerning homelessness, it is equally

important that persons have a clear understanding of what was decided.

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JOHNSON V. CITY OF GRANTS PASS

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On July 5, 2023, the 9TH Circuit issued, by a 2-1 vote, its amended opinion in Johnson v. City of Grants Pass. 72 F.4th 868. Besides reaffirming the principles in the Martin case, the 9TH Circuit held that, in situations where the Martin holding applies, it is also unconstitutional to have a complete prohibition on a person’s making use of bedding, sleeping bags, or other material in order to facilitate sleep.

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Additionally, the challenged ordinances in Johnson were not criminal in nature, but imposed civil fines. Nevertheless, they were also held to be covered by Martin’s holding since the civil fines were part of an administrative scheme that could eventually result in criminal punishment. The trial court had issued an injunction against the city enforcing its anti-camping and anti-sleeping ordinances against a class of all persons who were “involuntarily homeless,” raising a concern that, if the city tried to enforce its ordinances against someone it considered not be involuntarily homeless, a decision that the person was, in fact, involuntarily homeless, could result in contempt proceedings against the city.

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The judges of the 9TH Circuit denied a petition by the city to have the case reheard by all the judges of the 9TH Circuit. The degree of which the 9TH Circuit is split on the merits of the Martin case is indicated by the narrowness by which the rehearing was denied—14 judges voted against rehearing and 13 voted in favor. As expected, the city petitioned the Supreme Court in August to hear the case. The Supreme Court decided to hear the case in January and a decision is expected by the end of June when the Court adjourns for the summer.

Garcia v. City of Los Angeles (9TH Cir. 2021) struck a portion of section 56.11 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. This section, which will be discussed further in the next Chapter, is the key portion of the Municipal Code with respect to the treatment of property on the sidewalks, i.e., the belongings of persons experiencing homelessness.

Previously section 56.11 provided that it was permissible for Los Angeles to seize and discard“bulky items” (as defined in the ordinance– a “bulky object” is generally anything that can’t fit in a 60-gallon drum) without first impounding them and giving notice to the person asserting ownership. Following up on an earlier 9TH Circuit case, Lavan v. City of Los Angeles, 693 F.3d 1022(9TH Cir. 2012), this provision was held to violate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable seizures and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of procedural due process.Section 56.11 was subsequently amended in 2022 to provide notice of the intended impoundment of the property in question and a 90-day period to reclaim the property. Whatever the constitutional merits of these changes, they obviously make it harder to keep the sidewalks clear. Obviously, a refrigerator is a bulky object, but it can’t be immediately destroyed. Instead, the City must transport it to a storage site and store it for 90 days. The costs of transportation and maintaining the storage site are substantial and have been a factor in the non enforcement of section 56.11.

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Even though the property is within Los Angeles boundaries, Los Angeles has no authority to regulate sleeping (by “sleeping” we also refer to erecting tents, storing personal property, etc.) on freeways, freeway on ramps and off ramps, embankments, and similar properties. Caltrans owns these properties. It is our understanding that Caltrans has legal authority to completely prohibit sleeping on its properties.

Los Angeles Municipal Code 41.18 (LAMC 41.18) is the ordinance regulating the right to sleep,

including having a tent, on the sidewalk. (When we refer to sleeping, we will be referring also to

having tents and other personal property). Its current form was passed by the City Council in

August 2022.

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Subject to limited exceptions, persons are allowed to erect tents and sleep on the sidewalks. There

are both (1) certain general exceptions to this right to sleep on the sidewalks plus (2) an exception

for designated areas that requires City Council action.

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The map linked here is provided by Los Angeles and is intended to show the areas subject to 41.18 because

they are schools/daycare centers or “designated areas,” as described in C and D below.

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The exceptions are:

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• The sidewalks must allow passage in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA requires a passable area of at least three feet.
• Sleeping cannot be within 10 feet of a driveway or loading dock, five feet of any building entrance or exit, or two feet of any fire department connection.
• Sleeping cannot interfere with activities for which the City has issued a permit.
• There is no sleeping within 500 feet of a school or day care center (this prohibition became effective in September 2022).

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As many have observed throughout the Hollywood area, there appears to be no consistent effort

by Los Angeles to enforce these exceptions. In particular, there are many places throughout

Hollywood where encampments block ADA required passage.

When one reads about Los Angeles “clearing” an encampment, this is often a reference to the City

Council taking the actions described in 41.18 to designate an area as a “no sleeping” area. There

are complex procedures involved in making a designation under 41.18, which are beyond the scope

of these FAQs. The key thing is to understand the limited types of areas that can be designated as

“no sleeping” areas:

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• Any area within an area of up to 500 feet from a property designated as a sensitive use, which is limited to a public park or public library (prior to the 2022 revisions, schools and day care centers had to be designated; they are now automatically treated as a sensitive use)
• Any area within an area of up to 500 feet from a designated overpass, underpass, freeway ramp, tunnel, bridge, and similar structures where the City Council determines that the public health, safety, or welfare is served by the designation
• Any area within an area of up to 1000 feet from a facility opened after 2017 that provides homeless shelter or is a homeless services navigation center
• Any area where sleeping has been designated a particular and ongoing threat to public health and safety

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The process of designating an area is complex and, depending on the area, can be controversial.

In practice, it starts with the City Councilperson for the area in question. For Hollywood, the

Councilperson is Hugo Soto-Martinez.

LAMC 56.11 contains complex rules with respect to the property that can be stored on sidewalks

by persons experiencing homelessness (or anyone else). As is apparent to anyone walking through

Hollywood, these rules are not being generally enforced for a variety of reasons. This section

describes in a simplified fashion some of the basic rules and other sections describe the factors

that have modified them. The rules currently in effect are significantly different than the rules that

applied before City Council action in August 2022.

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The basic rules provide:

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• No unattended personal property can be stored on the sidewalks
• No attended “Excess Personal Property” can be stored on the sidewalks. Excess Personal Property is defined as personal property in excess of what could fit in a 60-gallon container (roughly 24” by 24” by 32”). Importantly, the City’s ability to enforce this rule is subject to a notice and impoundment procedure. Generally, there must be pre-removal notice, the property can be impounded 24 hours after the notice, and the property owner has 90 days to pick up the property before it is destroyed.
• Generally, tents must come down from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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In addition to the basic rules, in some cases personal property may be removed without notice,

including where:

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• The personal property is placed on a sidewalk in a way that violates the requirement under the American with Disabilities Act that generally requires at least three feet be allowed for passage;
• The personal property is placed within 10 feet of a driveway or loading dock, five feet of any building entrance or exit, or two feet of any fire department connection; or
• The personal property is a health or safety hazard.

As part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council suspended the part of 56.11requiring tents to come down during the day during the City’s Emergency Declaration. That Emergency Declaration has ended. While there is a new Emergency Declaration in effect with respect to housing and homelessness (the latest version was issued July 7, 2023), it does notappear to have continued the suspension of 56.11. Nevertheless, we are unaware of any efforts byLos Angeles to enforce the provisions of 56.11 requiring tents to come down during the day.

As of December 31, 2023, Los Angeles also does not appear to be generally enforcing the provisions of 56.11 allowing removal of Excess Personal Property, with the exception that enforcement appears to be occurring in areas designated as no-sleeping areas under 48.11 and(in at least some cases) in areas designated for a Care+ cleanup. At least one factor behind non-enforcement may be a lack of resources to enforce this provision, either from the Los AngelesSanitation and Environment Department or the Los Angeles Police Department, or, more generally, from a lack of budgeted funds.

It should be noted that, since Excess Personal Property includes all property in excess of that which would fit in a 60-gallon container, many of the larger housing structures constructed by persons experiencing homelessness are clearly in violation of 56.11 and can be impounded with24-hours’ notice if the ordinance were being enforced.

As a result, notwithstanding the legal rules, as of December 1, 2023, at least in Hollywood, the practical reality appears to be that a person experiencing homelessness, assuming he or she is located in an area where sleeping is permissible, may generally accumulate Excess Personal Property.

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The Los Angeles Municipal Code provides that urinating or defecating in public is illegal. Our

understanding is that, as of December 1, 2023, no actions are being taken against individuals who

violate this ordinance.

The Mayor has issued a number of emergency declarations and related documents intended to improve the process for helping persons experiencing homelessness. They may be found as exhibits to Fix the City, Inc. vs. City of Los Angeles 3, a lawsuit challenging the emergency declarations on various procedural grounds.

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The initial Declaration of Local Emergency was issued by the Mayor on December 12, 2022.Subsequent to the City Council’s enactment of section 8.33 of the Los Angeles AdministrativeCode, this declaration was superseded on July 7, 2023 by a Declaration of Local Housing andHomeless Emergency. In addition to these actions, the Mayor or her office has issued several related executive directives and implementation guidelines. On August 4, 2023, the Mayor issued the “Housing and Homelessness Action Plan,” which states that it will be updated every 90 days.The Action Plan provides an overview of steps being taken to address the homelessness crisis. It is organized into three broad objectives:

Objective 1: Resolve Encampments by Housing People

This section contains three subsections. “Bring People Inside” contains details with respect to the organization of the Mayor’s Inside Safe Program, Substance Use Disorder and MentalHealth Pilot Program, Encampment Resolution Grant, and RV Task Force. “Expand the infrastructure of permanent interim housing options” contains details regarding Long TermLeasing or Occupancy Agreements and Expanding the City’s Permanent Supply of InterimHousing. “Removing barriers and streamlining access to housing” contains details with respect to “Federal Efforts” and “Encouraging landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers.”

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Objective 2: Expedite Affordable Housing Development

This section also contains three subsections. “Accelerate Housing Approvals and ExpandingProduction” references Executive Directive 1 (intended to accelerate housing production),Executive Directive 3 (intended to maximize the use of city-owned property), and LA Metro’s plan to build 10,000 units of housing on Metro owned land. “Expand financing options to bring more affordability and preserve the housing stock” discusses potential innovative financing solutions, the potential creation of a joint powers authority as a funding vehicle, the use of funds provided by the Unite to House LA (ULA) measure, and the use of project-based vouchers. “Innovations in Construction” describes steps being undertaken to accelerate production by reviewing permitting systems as they apply to innovative construction types like modular and offsite manufactured housing.

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Objective 3: Preventing Homelessness

Again there are three subcategories. “Public Information Campaign” and “ProactiveOutreach” focus on informing tenants of their rights and protections. “ULA Tenant Protection Programs” contains a proposal to use over $80m in ULA funds for several rental assistance programs. Preventing people from becoming homeless is a critical mechanism to reducing homelessness in general, however the challenge of accurately targeting interventions—even low-income people or those facing potential housing barriers—makes implementing such programs difficult.4

The full text of the Emergency Action Plan is an exhibit to the Fix the City lawsuit.

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There are two sources for keeping sidewalks clean in Hollywood—the LA Sanitation and

Environment Department (LASAN) and, if the sidewalk in question is within the boundaries

of one of the three Hollywood business improvement districts (BIDs), one of the BIDs. BIDs

are assessment districts, voluntarily formed by property owners and funded through annual

assessments levied on private property. They perform various tasks to maintain and beautify their

service area. The three BIDs for Hollywood are (the hyperlink next to their names links to a map of

their geographic area):

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1. The Hollywood Partnership (https://hollywoodpartnership.com/hollywood-bid)
2. The Hollywood Media District (https://mediadistrict.org/map)
3. The East Hollywood BID (https://www.ehbid.org/distric-map)

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It makes sense to start by understanding how the BIDs work since they are dedicated to their

service area while the LASAN resources are citywide. We will use The Hollywood Partnership

(THP) as an example, which is the BID that covers the core part of downtown Hollywood. Its daily

activities include power washing sidewalks and street sweeping services, collection of debris, and

removing graffiti.

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A key point to understand about the THP is that it does not remove property belonging to persons

experiencing homelessness without their consent. “Belonging to” is a nebulous concept. If the

property is not next to an encampment and no one has interacted with it for a while, THP considers

it abandoned. If the property is next to an encampment, even if looks like trash, empty boxes,

food containers, etc. THP will not remove it without the consent of the persons experiencing

homelessness. This does not reflect the fact that the person experiencing homelessness has

unlimited rights to keep as much property on the sidewalks as desired, even including hazardous

material. Rather the current position of the THP is that any involuntary removal of property is

to be undertaken by LASAN. By way of example, if THP saw discarded hypodermic needles

(hazardous material) at a campsite, it would attempt to get the consent of the person experiencing

homelessness to removal of the material, but, if the person failed to consent, THP would contact a

representative of Council District 13, who would then advise the LASAN assigned team for the area

for help in removing the material.

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While THP’s staff has a regular cleaning schedule and constantly patrols the THP service area for areas that require special attention, THP also maintains the Hollywood Partnership Community Dispatch Center (HPCDC) as a central hub for Hollywood that lets residents, businesses, and visitors point out areas that require cleaning services through a simple phone call any time of the day. In addition to cleaning services, the center provides safety and hospitality services. As of December 1, 2023 the center described its services in the following manner:

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Located at 6562 Hollywood Boulevard, the HPCDC is strategically positioned along the iconic Walk of Fame corridor and easily accessible 24 hours a day. The facility’s core purpose is to be the headquarters for our newly enhanced Ambassador Program, consisting of three distinct teams of ambassadors - cleaning, safety, and hospitality. Team members proactively monitor the district day and night, cleaning out trash cans, removing waste and graffiti, pressure washing sidewalks, providing safety response for non-emergency issues, offering guidance and directions to help visitors easily navigate their way through the district, and so much more.Now, residents, businesses, and visitors can access dispatchers “on demand” to request assistance by calling or texting just one number,567-HLY-WOOD (459-9663). Our friendly dispatchers will be on hand to take calls for service and deploy staff as needed.

In addition to its daily services, this unique facility will also serve as a joint operations hub, in partnership with Urban Alchemy, a non-profit social enterprise that engages with situations where extreme poverty meets homelessness, mental illness, and addiction, and Hollywood4WRD, a coalition of local service agencies who work to end homelessness in greater Hollywood, to actively connect unhoused and unwell individuals on the street with the services they need most.

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The next level of cleanup is provided by the LASAN. Before 2020, tents and similar structures had to be taken down during the day and persons could not loiter in permanent locations, so much less trash accumulated. The rise of permanent encampments has coincided with a significant rise of trash on the streets. As of 1/1/24, LASAN has established three types of operations designed to remove trash, Spot Cleaning, CARE and CARE+.

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In January 2024 the Homelessness Outreach Team for Council District 13 provided Hollywood4WRD the following description of how these cleaning operations then worked:

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CD13 Encampment Cleaning Protocol

The CD13 Homelessness Team is on-the-ground everyday using a services-led strategy to connect unhoused residents with case managers, mental health workers and drug treatment providers, so they can access available resources to get folks off the street and into housing.

Our team identifies encampments, maps them, develops short and longterm strategies, and helps prioritize encampments for cleanings given limited resources.

“Cleanups” are broken down into 3 categories: Spot Cleaning, CARE, and CARE+

• Spot Cleaning is akin to services we all receive at our homes and apartments on a weekly basis, and may involve collecting trash adjacent to encampments
• CARE (Cleaning and Rapid Engagement) is our mid-level cleaning that includes homeless outreach and a more in-depth clean of the area
• CARE+ is our deep clean―which includes homeless outreach, power washing, and removal of flammable items, health risks, and other bulky or dangerous items

We schedule cleanups based on LASAN availability and to ensure:

0. • A clean and safe environment for both unhoused and housed residents• Public safety and fire prevention
   • Public health―prevention of transmission of disease
   • ADA Compliance

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Determining factors include:

• Requests from unhoused residents
• Fire risk (ie flammable items such as multiple items of bulky furniture, wood structures, exposed electrical, etc)
• Health risks (ie rats, standing water, soiled sidewalks, needles, etc)
• ‍Other safety risks (exposed electrical wires, walkability, blocking ingress/egress of properties, unstable/dangerous sleeping areas including river outlets, hills, etc)

We provide LASAN and encampment residents with at least 2 weeks notice to prepare for a cleanup.

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We do not seek to remove encampments when assigning and conducting
Spot Cleaning, CARE, or CARE+ operations. We do seek to find solutions for encampments through housing, services, and special programs like Inside Safe.

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Cleanups are not intended to deal with crime or other public safety issues besides sanitary concerns. Instead, for concerns related to gang activity and crime, we utilize violence/gang prevention groups, drug addiction services, and when necessary, law enforcement to address these concerns.

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As indicated by the foregoing description, CARE cleanups have the same approach to cleaning as THP: there is removal of abandoned objects but no removal of unabandoned objects (even if health or safety hazards) without the consent of the person experiencing homelessness.

CARE+ teams provide full comprehensive cleanings including the identification, documentation, and removal of line-of-sight health and/or safety hazards, the removal of trash, litter, and debris, and the power washing of public rights-of-way. CARE+ teams have the authority to require the person experiencing homelessness to relocate all of his or her property while the sidewalk underneath is being power washed. Prior to the scheduled service date, outreach teams also conduct outreach to the site to inform persons experiencing homelessness about the scheduled cleaning and that they will need to move out of the work area during the scheduled cleaning. In CD 13, UrbanAlchemy (UA) regularly supplements the LAHSA outreach efforts and is also present on the day of CARE+ cleanings to support LASAN. LAPD may also be on hand during these comprehensive cleanings.

Should personal property be abandoned in the course of a CARE+ (or CARE) operation, this personal property will be stored and maintained in a secure location for a period of 90days for the rightful owner to retrieve - provided there is not an immediate threat to public health or safety. If the property is not claimed within 90 days, then the property may be discarded by the City. The rightful owner of the personal property that was removed and stored from LASAN’s CARE and/or CARE+ operations may receive information about and/or make arrangements to retrieve stored personal property by contacting:

Chrysalis (The Bin)
213-806-6355 | 1-844-475-1244
507 Towne Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm Saturday from 8:00am to 1:00pm

It does not appear at the present time that the CARE+ teams are uniformly enforcing the limits provided in the Municipal Code on how much property a person experiencing homelessness can accumulate on the sidewalk, only requiring that the property be removed during the power washing. Section 56.11 generally provides that “Excess Personal Property” cannot be stored on the sidewalks. Excess Personal Property is defined as personal property in excess of what could fit in a 60-gallon container (roughly24” by 24” by 32”).

There are special cleaning rules for Hollywood’s two Special Enforcement Cleaning Zones, zones which were established around the Lodi and Schrader interim shelters described below. These sites come with regular CARE cleanings and once a week CARE+ cleaning ,which are provided by different teams than the teams that generally provide cleaning to Hollywood.

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The above text was true as of January 1, 2023. In January 2024, CD13 was asked to comment on its continuing accuracy. As of 3/4/24, no response has been received.

An appropriate starting point is to describe theHollywood housing market. A December 2023 review of apartment listings in Hollywood and East Hollywood suggests that it is difficult to find an apartment under $1400, even looking at a small studio apartment. (A November 2023 presentation by The Hollywood Partnership indicated that the average rent in Hollywood was $2830, as contrasted to a citywide average of $2194.) As of July 1, 2023 the minimum wage in the City of Los Angeles became $16.78. Assuming someone works 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, this amounts to a monthly income of $2797, so housing is about 50% of wages for a minimum wage worker. A common statistic is that housing costs should be 30% of income (while this statistic is commonly cited, it does not appear that there is uniform agreement as to the validity of this benchmark). This 30% is supposed to not only cover rent but other housing costs, such as utilities.

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In addition to the monthly costs, there are the up front fees necessary to move in. The renter

will be charged a security deposit, plus typically first and last month’s rent. So, renting a

$1400-a-month apartment, would require an upfront payment of $4200 if the security deposit

equaled one month’s rent.

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Some persons experiencing homelessness work (in particular, those living in their vehicles) and

some who don’t work may reenter the workforce and from the outset get paid more than minimum

wage. But the implication of this quick math reinforces a proposition that, while it may be obvious,

bears restating—for most persons experiencing homelessness, it is unrealistic to think there is

anything today resembling an immediate path to a position of enough financial stability to enable

them to rent in Hollywood without some form of public or private assistance.

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Before describing the current process for improving the situation for persons experiencing homelessness, it makes sense to enumerate the different kinds of alternative shelters.

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Alternatives to living on the street/in cars can be broken into four categories:

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There are many paths from the street to secure housing. The flow chart below illustrates some of

the most common paths to a favorable outcome. Later sections of the FAQs further describe these

different alternatives.

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The core concept of Time Limited Subsidies is to provide the necessary financial support so that a

person experiencing homelessness can immediately move into an apartment. The apartment is not

a specially-built structure designed to serve persons experiencing homelessness. Rather it is a unit

in a generally available apartment.

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While obvious, it is worth restating the reasons why help from a homeless service agency is a

crucial ingredient to Time Limited Subsidies. Initial move in fees are high, $4200 in the example

above. The homeless service agency may advance all or part of these fees, with no expectation of

repayment from the person experiencing homelessness (in many cases repayment is from the Los

Angeles Housing Services Authority).

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In addition, there is often a need for continued support, while the person experiencing

homelessness gets back on his or her feet. In some cases, support with respect to rental

obligations may last up to two years.

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Apartment owners are not required to rent to persons with bad credit scores, negative references

from previous landlords, past behavior problems, such as consistently paying rent late, or other

factors that make them a bad risk. It is typical that most persons experiencing homelessness will

have one or more of these factors, so a core component of Time Limited Subsidies is developing

an inventory of apartments where the owner is willing to participate in the program in light of the

homeless service agency’s financial support.

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As the above description indicates, most persons experiencing homelessness will not be good

candidates for immediate entry into a Time Limited Subsidies program, since the program is

designed to be temporary, with the expectation that in a relatively short period of time the person

experiencing homelessness will achieve the financial stability to continue paying rent without

assistance. A more common path is for a person experiencing homelessness to first move into

some form of Interim Housing and then, hopefully, be placed into a Rapid Rehousing program.

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There are many apartments in Hollywood where persons experiencing homelessness have moved

in through Time Limited Subsidies.

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One variation on Time Limited Subsidies is Master Leasing, where a homeless service agency

is the actual lessee of the housing unit and the agency in turn rents the apartment to the person

experiencing homelessness. This type of arrangement can make it easier to navigate around some

of the factors that might cause a traditional landlord to be hesitant to lease to that person. Click here for an article describing some of the benefits and issues related to Master Leasing.

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SAFE CAMPING

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Currently there are no Safe Camping sites in Hollywood. Since they have existed in the

past and are potentially a necessary component of any immediate improvement in the

homelessness situation in Hollywood, it is important to describe them.

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Safe Camping involves creating specific spaces for persons experiencing homelessness to

camp, with or without tents. Safe Camping is a vast improvement over disorganized sleeping

on the streets for many reasons:

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• The safe camping site is organized with a perimeter wall and some form of controlled ingress and egress.
• The inside of the site has designated areas where the camper may pitch his or her tent, for example, approximately 4’ by 6’ rectangles with space between other rectangles
• Personnel provides safety protection by patrolling the campsite. For example, Urban Alchemy has provided safety services for some campsites.
• There are on-premises toilet/shower facilities.
• Meals are delivered to the sites.
• Case management services are provided on site. The case manager plays an important role in enabling the person experiencing homelessness to function successfully. He or she is more of a navigator than the provider of specific mental health/substance abuse or other services. For example, some of the services provided by the case manager might include:

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1. helping the person experiencing homelessness accumulate some of the necessary documentation to receive services (driver’s license or some other form of identification);
2. helping them apply for or to continue subsidies, etc.;
3. arranging transportation for the person experiencing homelessness for medical and other appointments;
4. helping the person experiencing homelessness with dietary needs, such as choosing appropriate meals;
5. and helping the person experiencing homelessness schedule meaningful social and related activities.

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There are restrictions on using the camping site. While rules may vary from site to site,

we believe the following description is generally accurate (the description is based on the

rules applicable to a Safe Parking site in the Hollywood area—Safe Parking is described in

the next FAQ):

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• No weapons are allowed inside.
• No alcohol or drugs are permitted on the premises and the regulations provide that residents may be evicted for being under the influence of alcohol or drugs (the operative word is “may”; different facilities are managed differently with respect to this rule, some enforcing this rule more in situations where there is a concern that intoxication may lead to other unacceptable behavior).
• Acts of violence/aggressive behavior/threats/related activities are not tolerated.

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Also, there are curfew rules, such as no entry after 11 p.m. or exit before 7 a.m. It is further

provided that a participant cannot exit without prior approval from a supervisor.

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These rules (we will call them the “General Rules”) and, in particular, the curfew rules and the

rules against alcohol and drug use, may cause a person experiencing homelessness to refuse

an offer of Safe Camping.

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Generally, one is not entitled to stay indefinitely at a Safe Camping site but needs to reapply

to stay after 90 days. Applications for renewal are likely to be accepted, particularly if there is

no better alternative available.

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There is no one entity in charge of Safe Camping sites. They have tended to occur on sort of

a “pop-up” basis, i.e., put together at a particular location so long as a site and operational

funds are available. In the past, for example, CD 13 funded a Safe Camping site at a

Hollywood location, which site has now been closed.

As of December 2023, we are aware of two safe camping sites in the City of Los Angeles area, one in the downtown Los Angeles area and one in Culver City. This LA Times article describes them and how they were being run as of that time.

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SAFE PARKING

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Some of the persons experiencing homelessness are living out of their motor vehicles

(in Hollywood the number is small). Safe Parking facilities provide services that parallel

those available at Safe Camping sites with the exception that, instead of a tent, the person

experiencing homelessness parks his or her vehicle at a designated location inside the Safe

Parking facility.

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Depending on the particular Safe Parking site, vehicles must exit during the day. This might

be necessary, for example, if the site were used during the day for other parking purposes.

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The nearest Safe Parking location to Hollywood is at Glassell Park, near the intersection of

the 5 and 2 freeways.

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Safe Parking LA is a nonprofit organization running most of the Safe Parking sites in LA.

SafeparkingLA.org contains a description of the organization and additional information

about their sites.

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Safe Parking LA states: “There is no limit set on enrollment as long as participants are

actively pursuing their next steps.” They also state: “Any participant who misses three

consecutive nights without notice of their absence and does not reappear for the fourth night

can be exited from the program.”

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A list of safe parking sites administered by the Los Angeles Housing Services Authority maybe found here.

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Interim Housing can be broadly divided into two categories:

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• “Congregate Interim Housing” ― facilities that are more like dormitories
• “Noncongregate Interim Housing” ― facilities that provide more privacy, such as a private room or a room limited to two occupants

A separate means of providing interim housing is by providing motel/hotel accommodations in locations that are permanently dedicated to housing persons experiencing homelessness, as is currently being provided through the Mayor’s Office and its Inside Safe program. That is described below in Chapter 9, Section I.

The General Rules apply to Interim Housing. With respect to length of stay, participants are

required to seek permission to stay after 90 days, which is often granted if it is shown that there

are no alternatives as beneficial to the persons experiencing homelessness.

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1) CONGREGATE INTERIM HOUSING

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These facilities are probably what most people think of when they think about persons

experiencing homelessness who are in shelters. There are numerous congregate facilities in

Hollywood. By Hollywood we are generally referring to the area bounded on the west by La Brea, the north by Franklin, the east by Vermont, and the south by Melrose―however, the list includes facilities outside this general area (Gardner Library, A Bridge Home Riverside) that persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood are often referred to:

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The layout of these facilities varies, but can generally be described as modified dormitory style.

There are individual beds in cubicle style facilities, with some degree of limited privacy, the ability

to store a limited amount of articles, and the ability to safely lock up a limited number of items.

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2) NONCONGREGATE INTERIM HOUSING

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There are four facilities on this list, including one facility outside the general area (The Nest) that persons experiencing homelessness in Hollywood are often referred to:

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Many hope that Noncongregate Interim Housing will continue to become a larger part of the homelessness solution in Hollywood.

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In addition to situations where the housing is provided through the use of hotels and apartments, Noncongregate Interim Housing can be provided by assembling multiple small living spaces in a common facility that may contain communal kitchen facilities, toilet/shower facilities, facilities for case management services and related facilities. Typically, part of the structure is prefabricated.These small prefabricated living spaces can be much cheaper to build than conventional apartments. For example, as part of the Homekey Program (which will be described below), theHousing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) purchased many apartments and hotels at an average cost per unit of around $400,000. Typically, the cost of installing Tiny Home Shelters(described below) as Noncongregate Interim Housing is well below $100,000.

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To illustrate that concept of prefabricated living spaces in a little more detail, the next two sections will describe Tiny Home Shelters and the use of shipping containers.

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A) TINY HOME SHELTERS

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As was reported in a recent article in Cal Matters, “Tiny homes are increasingly California cities’ shelter option of choice for new site to house the homeless.” In this housing strategy, persons experiencing homelessness are housed in small, prefabricated homes, generally 64sq. ft. in size, and containing heat, air-conditioning, windows, and a small desk and a front door. One very important difference is that Tiny Home Shelters are considered “interim housing.” Persons are expected to transition from Tiny Home Shelters to another form of housing within generally three to six months.

Hope the Mission (formerly Hope of the Valley) currently operates seven Tiny HomeShelters, primarily located in the San Fernando Valley. Their two shelters closest toHollywood are the Chandler Blvd. Tiny Homes Village located at 11471 Chandler Blvd, and Tiny Homes V.A. which can be found at the Veterans Administration located at 11301 Wilshire Blvd.

Because of the continued surges of COVID, some of their pandemic protocols remain in place, so these facilities are not permitting all their beds to be occupied. Hope the Mission offers two intake centers, the Help Center in Van Nuys and the Navigation Center in North Hollywood, where potential clients are reviewed and placed in one of their shelters, depending upon availability.

NOTE: Potential clients who are accepted for admission may still be placed on waiting lists if all the beds in the Tiny Home Shelters are occupied.

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B) SHIPPING CONTAINERS

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Shipping containers were modified and assembled into three-story structures at the Hilda L.

Solis Care First Village in downtown Los Angeles. Each shipping container was converted

into a two-person structure of 135 square feet, including a bed, microwave, mini-fridge,

flat screen and private bathroom. Consistent with the larger size and amenities, the cost

appears significantly higher than Tiny Home Shelters, somewhere in the $200,000 to

$300,000 range, based on news reports.

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C) PROJECT ROOMKEY

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It is our understanding that Project Roomkey finished being phased out in early 2023. Because of its historical significance and the fact that Inside Safe, an initiative of theMayor’s Office, bears some resemblance to the Project Roomkey concept, it is useful to describe Project Roomkey.

As a form of Noncongregate Interim Housing, Project Roomkey played a very important part in reducing homelessness during the COVID pandemic. Over 10,000 persons took part inProject Roomkey in Los Angeles County.

Project Roomkey was a collaborative effort of the federal government, California, LA County, and LAHSA to provide hotel and motel rooms to persons experiencing homelessness at most risk from COVID. Participants had to have been over 65, have an underlying medical condition, or be medically compromised to be eligible. Reflecting the focus of Project Roomkey to prevent the spread of COVID, the Project Roomkey rules were even more restrictive than the General Rules, for example, no guests were allowed on site and clients are not allowed to congregate in common areas.

In light of its particular application to persons most vulnerable to COVID-19, Project Roomkey placements did not have a time limit.

D) INSIDE SAFE

The Inside Safe Program, which provides interim housing through the rental of hotel/motel rooms, is described below in Chapter 9, Section I.

This section lists the housing paths that may be taken by a person experiencing homelessness

exiting Interim Housing. Interim Housing is not intended as a permanent solution. At some point in

time a person experiencing homelessness is expected to exit Interim Housing although, depending

on the other available options, a person experiencing homelessness may be allowed to stay

indefinitely in Interim Housing. The available paths may be grouped as follows:

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1) RETURNING TO LIVING WITH RELATIVES/FRIENDS, ETC., LIVING ON THE STREETS, OR SAFE CAMPING OR SAFE PARKING

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While the paths listed in the heading of this subsection are undesirable (depending on its

permanency, living with friends or relatives may be ok), the reality is that a very significant

percentage of persons experiencing homelessness in Interim Housing end up in one of

these situations.

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2) TIME LIMITED SUBSIDIES

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The mechanics of Time Limited Subsidies have already been described.

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3) REENTERING THE HOUSING MARKET WITHOUT THE NEED FOR SOME TYPE OF SUBSIDY

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While this is obviously a desirable outcome, only a limited number of persons experiencing

homelessness move directly from Interim Housing to permanent housing without some

form of subsidy. The situations where this might occur could involve (1) financial assistance

from friends or relatives that allows transition to normal housing or (2) situations where the

homelessness was occasioned by a mental health, physical health, or substance use disorder

issue that the person experiencing homelessness has been able to overcome.

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4) PERMANENT BELOW-MARKET HOUSING FOR PERSONS NOT SUBJECT TO DISABILITY

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As will be seen in in the next section (5), Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is only

available to persons with a permanent or long-lasting disability. There is an extremely

limited supply of below-market housing available in Los Angeles for a person experiencing

homelessness who is not disabled but earns significantly below the median level of income.

So, while this option should be listed as a possible outcome, it is usually not available for persons experiencing homelessness who don’t have a disability. There are various types of

below-market housing available in Los Angeles:

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• Federal Section 8 housing vouchers. There is a long waiting list to get these vouchers, which are used to pay a portion of the market rate rent otherwise due at an apartment.
• Public Housing. As the name applies, in this case the apartment units are owned by a nonprofit or public entity that rents them out to low-income occupants at below-market rental levels. Some public housing is limited to specific types of renters, for example, HUD provides section 202 housing for persons over age 62.
• Affordable apartments units in apartment buildings that otherwise have market rate rentals. Los Angeles developers can sometimes save money by building taller and denser buildings under the city’s two inclusionary housing programs — “Transit Oriented Communities” and “density bonus” — if they agree to reserve some of their units for people who earn below a certain level of income.

Persons experiencing homelessness do not have any priority with respect to below-market

housing in these situations.

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5) PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

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References to PSH sometimes suggest that permanent supportive housing is the long-term

solution to homelessness. While it is a critical component of any solution, it can be only

a partial solution since it is only available to persons experiencing homelessness with a

disability. Nevertheless, since it is believed that a significant percentage of the persons

experiencing homelessness in Hollywood would qualify for permanent supportive housing, it

plays an important role. There is a lengthy waiting list for any future units that may become

available and persons with a higher degree of vulnerability are supposed to get higher

preference on the list. (Although living in Hollywood does not necessarily mean that the

housing placement will be in Hollywood). The General Rules apply.

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Federal rules define a “homeless individual with a disability” to include persons experiencing

homelessness with a disability that is:

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• Expected to be long-continuing or of indefinite duration,
• Substantially impedes the individual’s ability to live independently,
• Could be improved by the provision of more suitable housing provisions,
• A physical, mental, or emotional impairment, including an impairment caused by alcohol or drug abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, or brain injury.

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In addition, “disability” includes “developmental disabilities” and AIDS and certain

related conditions.

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As may be seen from the definition, the disability in question must be both (1) long

continuing or of indefinite duration and (2) substantially impede the individual’s ability to live

independently. Obviously, lack of financial resources would not qualify. Nor is it expected that

all substance use disorders would qualify, since at least some persons are expected to be

able to overcome this issue. It is our understanding that the most common form of disability

is some form of serious mental illness, though the definition obviously would include

disabling physical handicaps, such as forms of advanced diabetes, end stage renal disease,

etc. It will not include disabling conditions that require nursing assistance and similar types

of intervention.

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Permanent supportive housing can either consist of dedicated housing or the placement

of the disabled person in an apartment unit that is more generally available. In either case,

the apartment units are generally constructed the same as typical apartment units, with

exceptions in the case of apartment units intended for persons with a particular physical

disability (for example, hearing or vision disabilities). While permanent supportive housing is

subsidized, it is generally expected that recipients pay some portion of their income toward

rent, even if that income is only LA County general relief funds (around $221 a month in 2023).

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Consistent with the need for supportive services, the person experiencing homelessness has

a continuing case manager to assist him or her going forward. Case management services

are typically available on site in the case of dedicated facilities. The case manager plays an

important role in enabling the person experiencing homelessness to function successfully.

He or she is more of a navigator than the provider of specific mental health/substance abuse

or other services. Some of the services provided by the case manager might include:

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• Helping the person experiencing homelessness fulfill rent obligations by reminding them to pay, helping them apply to continue subsidies, etc.
• Arranging transportation for the person experiencing homelessness for medical and other appointments
• Helping the person experiencing homelessness maintain the housing in an acceptable condition (persons experiencing homelessness may have come recently from the streets, so the case manager can be very important in enabling them to comply with the cleanliness rules of the project)
• Helping the person experiencing homelessness with dietary needs, such as choosing appropriate meals
• Helping the person experiencing homelessness schedule meaningful social and related activities.

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A typical case manager load might be around 20 clients.

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It should be noted that, even in the case of dedicated housing, not all units are limited

to persons experiencing homelessness with a disability. The diversity of populations is

indicated by the different descriptions found with respect to three permanent supportive

housing facilities:

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• One site says 38 units are set aside for persons experiencing homelessness and/or are living with a qualifying disability. Ten units are set aside for individuals who earn 60% or below average median income.
• Another site says its units are for individuals who are persons experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness, and to homeless individuals and families in which at least one adult has a disability.
• A third site says it provides affordable and permanent supportive apartments.

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6) BOARD AND CARE HOMES

Board and care homes are another form of housing available for people who are challenged with a serious mental illness or another disability, who might find it difficult to live in the quasi-independence associated with permanent supportive housing. Technically, two types of facilities licensed by California are encompassed within the general term “board and care home”—”adult residential facilities” (ARFs) and “residential care facilities for the elderly”(RCFEs).e.

The board and care home is generally a privately-operated residential facility ranging from five or six beds to a larger building with > 100 beds. People generally live two to a room and share a bathroom and common areas.

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The definitions of the two types of facilities are similar with the critical difference that RCFEs are limited to persons 60 and older. The CA Care Association describes the two types of facilities as follows:

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“An [ARF] is a facility that offers 24-hour care to adults who do not need medical attention. ARFs typically offer a home-like environment in which residents can live while receiving personal care services such as assistance with bathing, grooming, dressing, eating, and medication administration.

In addition, they may provide housekeeping, laundry, transportation, and recreational activities. ARFs are intended to serve adults ages 18-59 with a wide range of needs, including those with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, or mental health conditions. ARFs are state-licensed facilities staffed by trained caregivers who can provide basic medical care.

“[An RCFE] is a non-medical facility that provides services for elderly individuals who do not require medical attention, but are unable to live independently. People aged 60 and up are served by [RCFEs]. They provide room and board, as well as housekeeping, supervision, and personal care assistance with activities such as personal hygiene, dressing, eating, and walking. Medication is typically stored and distributed centrally for residents to self-administer. They also provide social activities where seniors can enjoy the company of each other. RCFEs are intended to promote independence and self-direction as much as possible in a residential setting. They provide many planned social and recreational activities for the elderly to enjoy.”

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Board and care homes provide a critical source of housing for people leaving psychiatric hospitals or locked facilities, placed under conservatorship, or re-entering the community after incarcerations. Rarely does someone enter the board and care environment directly from the street, though it is believed that many people living in ARFs have experienced homelessness in their past.

The state, county and city have become quite aware of the growing shortage of board and care beds in the community, owing to the funding model that is tied to residents paying rent from their social security benefits income. The city of Los Angeles released a report in February 2022 indicating that the city has a total of 180 facilities providing 6,717 beds. Between January 2020 and February 2021, the city lost 369 board and care beds. The situation throughout the county is even more significant. Some would suggest that the continuing loss of these types of beds for people with a serious mental illness is contributing to the increase in persons experiencing homelessness struggling even more with their mental illness.

The Future Organization recently issued a comprehensive report on Los Angeles County ARFs and RCFEs. It has numerous significant findings: of the 3065 licensed board and cares in Los Angeles County, 750 facilities (representing 25,000 beds) are currently serving or willing to serve people reliant on public benefits for their room, board, and care, people living with mental illness, and people with evidence of homelessness (one reason for the apparent discrepancy between this data and the City of Los Angeles data is that this study counted facilities that said they were available for this population, even if they are not currently serving them); 26% of the resident bed capacity was vacant or underutilized with the majority being located in RCFEs; and there is a need for a single government agency to provide consistent information about service capabilities and utilization rate for the available board and cares.

7) PROJECT HOMEKEY

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The Homekey Initiative (“Homekey”) has an important role to play in providing PSH shelter, which warrants description under this heading. Homekey takes funds provided by the State ofCalifornia to purchase hotels and apartment buildings, which are then used for both interim and permanent supportive housing for persons experiencing homelessness.

Homekey is a major source of funds for persons experiencing homelessness housing. For example, in January 2022 the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles voted to spend around $500 million of state and local funds under Homekey to buy 16 different properties totaling 1,276 residential units, including one site in the Hollywood area.

Homekey continues to be a robust funding source. In November 2023 California announced $154 million in new funding under Homekey, which includes several projects in the City of LosAngeles, including one on Hollywood Blvd.

As will be seen, the current process for helping persons experiencing homelessness move to abetter living situation involves a number of different entities and potential pathways. While the following description is generally correct as of December 1, 2023, changes occur constantly, and this description will undoubtedly need updating as future events unfold.

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At a high level, the placement process is under the control of the Los Angeles Housing ServicesAuthority (LAHSA), which uses outreach workers and the Homeless Management InformationSystem (HMIS) in a coordinated process intended to navigate persons experiencing homelessness into a better housing situation. It should be noted at the outset, however, that LAHSA is not a provider of the housing–rather, its role is better understood as a coordinating agency supervising the process of helping persons experiencing homelessness obtain access to housing and services(such as services dealing with mental health issues, substance use disorders, etc.) improving the condition of the person experiencing homelessness.

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LAHSA is a joint powers authority formed by both the City of Los Angeles and the County of LosAngeles. It administers the “Continuum of Care,” which is a federal definition applied to the range of housing options available to persons experiencing homelessness. LAHSA has 10 members, half appointed by the County and half appointed by the City. It is largely an administrative entity responsible for contracting with a network of community-based providers throughout the county to provide a range of homeless services. It obtains funds from a variety of governmental sources, including sales tax revenues paid to the County under Measure H. Measure H was adopted by the voters in 2017 and provides that 1⁄4 percent of sales tax revenues are to be used to address homelessness. Measure H expires in 2027.

Under LAHSA’s purview are functions and policies intended to properly connect people with services. The Coordinated Entry System (CES) is a federal requirement to ensure that people are assessed and linked to the most appropriate housing solution, based upon their needs. Another component of the housing process is LAHSA’s establishment and maintenance of the HMIS.
This database is the central repository of information with respect to persons experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. Identifying information, case notes, descriptions of services provided, information with regard to housing opportunities offered a particular person experiencing homelessness, etc., are all part of the data network. The extent to which HMIS effectively functions as a repository of relevant data with respect to persons experiencing homelessness is not always clear, i.e., in some cases not all the relevant information makes its way into HMIS.

Several additional preliminary observations are appropriate in terms of understanding the system:

Only a minority of homeless outreach workers are actually employees of LAHSA.

There are a number of other entities employing outreach workers in the Hollywood areas, including PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), TPC (The People Concern), The Center in Hollywood, My Friend’s Place, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. These entities are under contract to LAHSA. The process of interacting with a person experiencing homelessness is substantially the same, regardless of who is the technical employer of the caseworker, so this distinction will not be referenced. In some cases where LAHSA is not directly providing services, it provides funds to the employing

entity, such as PATH. City Councilmembers may also directly employ the entity providing outreach workers. For example, the Council office of Hugo Soto-Martinez, the LosAngeles City Council member for Council District 13 (CD 13), the Council District which primarily covers Hollywood, contracts with PATH for outreach workers. HSM also directly employs Homelessness Outreach staff led by Patric Mooney, which is a new/unique role for Council Districts. These workers can be dispatched to deal with situations that are brought to the attention of his office.

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The provision of services by LAHSA is generally organized around the eight Service Planning Areas

(“SPAs”) that LA County is divided into. SPA 4 is the area that includes Hollywood. SPA 4 is called

“Metro LA” and covers the areas in LA County with the greatest proportion of persons experiencing

homelessness—Boyle Heights, Central City, Downtown LA, Echo Park, El Sereno, Hollywood, MidCity Wilshire, Monterey Hills, Mount Washington, Silverlake, West Hollywood, and Westlake.

There are several ways LAHSA can become aware of a person experiencing homelessness.

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Case management teams that are out in the field can become aware of persons experiencing

homelessness through direct observation. Alternatively, organizations that deal with persons

experiencing homelessness, such as The Hollywood Partnership, can directly contact LAHSA to

determine if they are aware of a particular person experiencing homelessness.

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With respect to persons experiencing homelessness who are residing within the boundaries of The Hollywood Partnership (a business improvement district the boundaries of which cover central Hollywood), an excellent mechanism for bringing attention to someone experiencing homelessness is to contact the Hollywood Partnership CommunityDispatch Center (567-459-9663). The DispatchCenter is open 24 hours a day and its personnel are experienced in determining the quickest approach to bringing the required level of attention to a person experiencing homelessness. Moreover, as a full time organization focused on street level issues inHollywood, the Dispatch Center has the capacity to follow up on initial requests for service to make sure they are being appropriately dealt with.

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There is a website portal available to the public, which allows someone to bring a person

experiencing homelessness to the attention of LAHSA: LA-HOP, “HOP” standing for “homeless

outreach portal.” (https://www.lahsa.org/portal/apps/la-hop) Anyone can go on the portal, identify a

person experiencing homelessness (describe the person, his or her circumstances, location, etc.),

and a request will be sent to LAHSA, which will result in an outreach team being sent to interact

with the individual in question.

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In the Hollywood area another method of bringing persons experiencing homelessness who need immediate assistance into the system is through the “Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement” (CIRCLE) pilot program. CIRCLE can be reached by calling 911 and indicating that there is a person experiencing homelessness who needs intermediate assistance, but who does not appear dangerous. This should cause the call to be assigned to the staff ofUrban Alchemy, which is currently the contracted vendor for CIRCLE (CIRCLE is a project of theMayor’s office, which has expanded citywide in 2023). Urban Alchemy is a nonprofit organization that employs people with lived experience (i.e., formerly homeless or coming out of incarceration)and through its focus on working with encampments and interim programs, has a perspective that is more likely to lead to a successful interaction vs. a police response. Unfortunately, there are sometimes lengthy delays in getting the necessary assistance by calling 911.

An alternative approach to getting the CIRCLE team involved is to call the LAPD central dispatch system in downtown LA at their headquarters. Hollywood does not have its own dispatch system, so calling them may likely result in your being transferred to the downtown system anyway. There are some reports that, if you directly call the non-emergency line (1877-ASK-LAPD) and ask the Dispatcher to send the Project CIRCLE team to address the situation, you will receive a faster response than calling 911 directly. In order to achieve this speedier response, it is helpful to request Project CIRCLE by name.

A final alternative is to contact the office of Council Member Soto-Martinez, which, as noted above, has some outreach workers available for dispatch.

Hollywood 4WRD has prepared a Homelessness Help Sheet, a one-sheet with vital numbers and websites in a handy at-a-glance format (on the following page). You can also download the Digital version with click-able links.

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There is an outreach coordinator for the portion of SPA 4 containing Hollywood (this portion is about

half the size of SPA 4). When a request comes through LA-HOP, the coordinator contacts one of the

team leaders for the Hollywood area, who then assembles a Homeless Engagement Team (HET)

consisting of two persons, one of whom is the case manager. Assembling an outreach team can

take several days, if not longer. There are about 60 outreach teams for SPA 4. Each case manager is

responsible for approximately 20-25 cases (a case is opened once the interaction has gotten further

than initial acquaintance and some level of continuing engagement has been established).

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An outreach team will generally go out in the field within 48 hours to investigate the situation,

but more quickly if the situation involves a serious mental illness or a medical emergency.

They will have food, water, and other supplies intended to facilitate engagement. While the end

goal is housing, the first step is to develop a relationship of trust with the person experiencing

homelessness. The HET will attempt to determine the level of need of the person experiencing

homelessness, any particular physical or mental health challenges, special needs, etc. This

evaluation helps develop a profile to determine the most the appropriate resources. Even if a

person is not immediately interested in housing, the team will continue to interact with the person

with the hope that the situation will change.

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A key engagement goal is entering the person experiencing homelessness into HMIS, the web-based

system that allows providers to access information about the person experiencing homelessness,

read case notes, etc. (As noted earlier, there are limitations with respect to which providers have

access due to privacy concerns). Not every engagement results in the person being entered into

HMIS. For example, if the person will only accept food or water and won’t give any identifying

information, it’s not useful to create an HMIS entry since the person hasn’t shown a willingness to

engage in a manner likely to allow the team to be of housing assistance. Of course, the objective is to

engage in repeated contacts with the person in an effort to develop the relationship.

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It is desirable to get a person experiencing homelessness into the HMIS system as soon as

possible. Priorities for housing can take into account the amount of time an individual has been

considered homeless, so entering the person into HMIS can be a critical first step.

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If the person experiencing homelessness is receptive to services, the case manager will continue

to engage with them. As part of that continued engagement, the case manager will, if possible,

assess the acuity level and needs of the person experiencing homelessness. Currently, this

process uses a standardized assessment tool known as VI-SPDAT (Vulnerability Index-Service

Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool). This assessment is particularly relevant to determining a

person’s eligibility for PSH and/or Board and Care.

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If the person is receptive to shelter, the case manager will work with him or her to explore the shelter options described in the prior section. As noted, there is no Safe Camping or Safe Parking in Hollywood. There are also very limited Noncongregate Interim Housing facilities in Hollywood, the exceptions being Highland Gardens, the Lodi Place Bridge Housing facility (women only), the Mark Twain Housing Site (this site is not generally available, but focused on persons with mental health issues), and the Nest (located slightly outside of Hollywood).

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As a practical matter, the most immediate interim housing options in Hollywood are the following:

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• Congregate Interim Housing
• In some cases, family reunification is an option. With verification, teams can send persons experiencing homelessness back home to be with family. If a general street outreach team can’t fund a reunification, it will often connect with another team that has access to funds. Generally, reunification funds are available in cases where it has been determined that there is a verifiable family or friend willing to provide housing.
• Potentially, the person experiencing homelessness might qualify for a Time Limited Subsidy, as described in the prior section

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Finally, it is possible that someone might move directly from the street to Permanent Supportive

Housing. Due to the lack of Permanent Supportive Housing, it is not expected that someone would

move immediately from first contact by a HET to Permanent Supportive Housing. Rather, the

person would enter the queue and, hopefully, at some future point enter into Permanent Supportive

Housing, assuming he or she met the relevant criteria.

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If a person experiencing homelessness is willing to be referred to Congregate Interim Housing,

there is a LAHSA employee in charge of matching the person to a shelter. That person will look for

a space and then coordinate with the case manager to coordinate intake into the shelter. Once the

person has moved into the shelter, additional services are provided, as described below.

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Availability varies from week to week. There is significant turnover among residents of the

Congregate Interim Housing Sites (unfortunately, in many cases this represents persons moving

back onto the streets), so a week of no vacancies may be followed by a week with many vacancies. As of early November 2023, waiting times are significantly better for women than men, with wait times for women being generally several days, while the waiting time for men is generally significantly more than a month.

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Getting into interim housing does not require a complete data workup. It can take as little as 15

minutes, with the main objective being to determine whether someone can take care of themselves

in an interim housing atmosphere, i.e., they can do their own toileting, keep a room clean, etc.

While this section focuses on getting a person experiencing homelessness off the streets,

this is only a portion of the case manager’s focus. For example, many persons experiencing

homelessness need help getting an ID and/or various forms of governmental income and benefits.

The case manager helps navigate the paperwork burden these tasks entail.

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More generally, the case manager helps persons experiencing homelessness obtain other relevant

services. If mental health or substance use disorder services are needed and the person is willing

to accept them, the case manager helps explain the relevant options.

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It should be noted that case manager assignments change. For example, if a person experiencing

homelessness transitions from the streets to Congregate Interim Housing, he or she will be

assigned to a case manager associated with that housing.

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It should be emphasized that the case manager is not a mental health, substance abuse, or medical

professional. The case manager is best thought of as a navigator, attempting to help the persons

experiencing homelessness obtain services, including housing, that will better his or her situation.

A recent report by the Rand Foundation collected data with respect to persons experiencing

homelessness in Hollywood, Venice, and Skid Row. One of its findings was that 41% of the

persons interviewed stated that a factor preventing them from moving into housing was that

they were never contacted to complete the housing intake process. While this statistic is

potentially concerning, it is difficult to assess the significance of this statistic without further

information, for example, to what extent did the person change location in a way hindering

completion of the process.

These are more severe situations and, instead of a two-person team, a larger team will be

assembled (a Multi-Disciplinary Team or “MDT”). These are cases, for example, where the person

experiencing homelessness might have a severe injury (for example, an open wound), be exhibiting

symptoms of a serious mental illness, or be exhibiting symptoms of a serious substance use

disorder (for example, someone passed out with needles around him or her).

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A fully staffed MDT will have four members: a mental health clinician, a specialist in substance

use disorders, a peer specialist (an outreach worker with lived experience), and a generalist

case manager. The MDT will focus on immediately stabilizing the situation by bringing in

necessary resources to the extent available. Members of the MDT will continue to work with the

person experiencing homelessness in an effort to provide the services and housing assistance

generally available.

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In addition to the MDTs, there are two other types of outreach programs designed to help persons

experiencing homelessness with even more severe mental illnesses or emotional disturbances

than handled by the MDT teams: the Full Service Partnership and the Homeless Outreach & Mobile

Engagement (HOME) program. HOME is generally used for the most severe situations. These

programs are provided through the LA County Department of Mental Health.

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Inside Safe is an initiative of the Mayor’s Office to move large encampments into interim housing in the form of hotel/motel rooms. It is triggered when the Mayor’s Office and the Council Member whose district covers the affected area determines that a particular encampment should be made eligible for the Inside Safe program. As of November 1, 2023, two major encampments inHollywood have been designated for the Inside Safe program.

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When an encampment has been designated for Inside Safe, the next step is locating a hotel/motel with sufficient available rooms so that all the persons experiencing homelessness at the encampment can be moved into the same location. This is believed to improve the acceptance rate for interim housing since moving into the housing does not mean rupturing social connections that may have formed at the encampment. City funding is used to pay for the rooms.

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As part of the process the Mayor’s Office makes arrangements with service providers such as PATH or The People’s Concern to have case managers available to establish necessary connections with the persons moving into the interim housing. The hope is that services can be provided enabling the clients to transition away from the interim facility into PSH, receive a Tax Limited Subsidy that can pay for new housing, or to receive housing vouchers.

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It is contemplated that, as part of this process, steps will be taken such that the encampment site remains clean going forward, whether through designation under 41.18 as a no camping zone, enforcement of the laws against excess personal belongings on the street or otherwise. This has not always been the case, as witnessed by the return as of March 2024 of encampments to the area around the intersection of Cahuenga, Franklin, and Wilcox, one of the first areas targeted under theInside Safe program.

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In December 2023 the Mayor’s Office indicated that over 1950 persons experiencing homelessness had been moved inside pursuant to 32 Inside Safe operations.

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