General Meetings
​Wednesday, June 27, 2018
9:30 - 11:30 am
Topic: Homeless Count 2018 SPA Level results

Venue:
 El Segundo United Methodist Church 
540 Main Street 
El Segundo
 Committee Meeting
Advocacy 
​Wednesday, July 18, 2018
2:00-3:00 pm
Starbucks,1171 W Carson St, Torrance
Contact Paul Stansbury, 
PStans5@aol.com
Past Meeting Minutes
6/3/2018 Update

As you probably know, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) released the first set of 2018 Homeless Count (HC18) results last Thursday.  Homelessness is down 3.9% in the LA Continuum of Care (CoC) but also went up slightly in Service Planning Area (SPA) 8/South Bay.  We will analyze where the geographic changes occurred after LAHSA provides later this month the individual shelter, city, and census tract level data.  In the meantime, I want to share a few personal reflections about the Count:
  1. First and foremost, try not to fixate on any number or percentage. It is a Point-In-Time census, reflecting homelessness on one night in January.  We know that number fluctuates throughout the year.
  2. While the South Bay's number is higher this year, the rate of increase has slowed down significantly, from +12.0% (2016 to 2017) to +3.5% (2017 to 2018).  This year, LAHSA reported 9,322 people experienced homelessness for the first time throughout the LA CoC.  Despite this large inflow, I believe our modest increase is a testament to how well our Coordinated Entry System collaboratives are working, especially with the added outreach teams, regional outreach coordination, and the increased housing - all funded through Measure H. This is especially noteworthy because these funds became available in late Fall 2017, only a few months before the Count.
  3. Examining the demographic statistics provides a general overview into the contours of who is experiencing homelessness. It is helpful to recognize SPA 8's figures do not always trend in parallel with the LA CoC numbers.  A good example is looking at Veteran homelessness.  From 2016 to 2017, it rose 61% in the LA CoC but dropped -15% in SPA 8.  The following year it fell -19% in the LA CoC but rose 17% in the South Bay.  So from 2016 to 2018, the number remained level in SPA 8 while it went up in the LA CoC.  Examining both the demographic "prevalence" percentage and trends over the past few years instead of focusing on the last 12 months gives, I feel, a better perspective on the changes.
The following two tables provide historical raw data on the past four Counts (prior to 2015, the Count was held only in odd-numbered year). LAHSA breaks out additional demographic fields that can be found on its website.
Notes:
  • All the data is provided by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
  • "Shelter" includes motel vouchers. The number of actual SPA 8 shelter beds has not changed significantly over these four years.
  • HUD required reporting "Gender: None of above" beginning in 2017
  • HUD expanded the definition of "Domestic Violence Experience" in 2017

​For you "data geeks," we hope these additional stats will keep you engaged until our June General Meeting when we'll review HC18 in much more detail. 
3/26/2018 Update

The City of Hawthorne's Community Homelessness Meeting. This city is inviting its community members to provide input into the design of its homelessness plan.  It will be held this Tuesday, March 27th from 2:00-4:00 pm at the Memorial Center's Polaris Room, 3901 W. El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne. It is hosted by the City's Community Services Department.  Please contact Vontray Norris at 310-349-1640 if you have any questions.
3/19/2018 Update

The City of Manhattan Beach's Community Homelessness Meeting. This city is inviting its community members to participate in a conversation to develop homelessness solutions for its municipality.  It will be held on Wednesday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the Police/Fire Conference Room (420 15th St., across the parking lot from City Hall).  Your feedback is important as the city crafts its homelessness plan, whose development efforts is funded through a LA County Homeless Initiative Office grant.  A draft of Manhattan Beach's Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness will be presented to the City Council at its regularly scheduled meeting on April 17, 2018 for review and discussion.  Join your neighbors, members of the faith community, city staff and other partners in addressing this complex issue. Please RSVP if you are attending the March 21st community meeting.  Comments are also being accepted through April 2nd via the online survey found on the City's website.  Please contact Kendra Davis at 310-802-5063 or at kdavis@citymb.info with any questions or concerns.
3/12/2018 Update
​
Last spring, the County's Homeless Initiative Office held a series of public meetings which culminated in the allocation of Measure H revenue across 21 strategies. With the start of the next fiscal year (FY) approaching in June, recommendations for "Year 2" are currently in review.Leaving positive feedback is encouraged along with suggestions you may have.  The HI Office is receiving the comments by individual strategy number.  Our homeless coalition can provide guidance if you are unsure which strategy your remarks applies to. 
 
2/29/2018 Update

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) released its 2018 Report on Homeless Housing Gaps in the County of Los Angeles.  It will help inform policy makers as they determine Measure H funding allocations for specific homelessness populations and program types.

The 2018 Report is an update to the previous one published in 2016, and provides: 
  • Estimates on how many people experience homelessness over the course of the year
  • Incorporates analyzed data on the current system resources and how they are being used
  • Proposes a system with the recommended number and proportion of resources to functionally end homelessness in Los Angeles County. 
2/12/2018 Update

​The Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative Office launched a new portal on its website called "A Paycheck With Purpose: Join the Fight Against Homelessness."  Recognizing the tremendous need to expand services, it lists service provider links in each service planning area (SPA) with staff openings. Please contact homelessinitiative@lacounty.gov if you would like your agency added to SPA 8's list.
​9/24/2017 Update

Recently we sent out information in our "Announcements" email about the Hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego county, which to date has caused 16 fatalities and 444 confirmed cases.  You may have heard that last week 10 confirmed cases have been identified in LA County. Please help us spread the word about its prevention by using any of the following resources:
In addition, DPH is administering vaccinations at its Inglewood and Torrance locations. These are for both those experiencing homelessness and for service providers.
Homeless Count 2017 Results
Measure H 
Information on how the Measure H funding will be used is highlighted on the County's Homeless Initiative website
This website and other support are provided by a generous grant from 
Kaiser Permanente South Bay.