April 16--The city of Los Angeles spends more than $100 million a year coping with homeless people and the medical, mental health and sanitation problems they bring, including as much as $87 million on arrests and other police services, according to a new report.
City librarians, recreation and parks rangers and paramedics also devote significant resources to homeless interventions, without clear guidelines or a coordinated approach to guide them, City Administrative Officer Miguel A. Santana said in the 21-page report.
"There appears to be no consistent process across city departments for dealing with the homeless or with homeless encampments," he said.
The report said it was not possible now "to get a full measure of the costs" of homelessness for the city, or to monitor the effects of changes in homelessness over time in L.A.
Many departments rely on emergency response teams from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency, to respond to community complaints and other problems, he said. But the teams, comprised of only 19 people covering the whole county and supported by just $330,000 in city general fund money, are ill-equipped to respond adequately, Santana said.
Responses by city departments are not designed to end homelessness by systematically connecting the homeless to assessment, services and housing, the report said.
In many departments, the report said, responses are ad hoc, designed to respond to a very specific challenge rather than working toward ending homelessness as a whole.
Santana recommended that the city increase funding for homeless outreach and case management, create a new homeless office and set up neighborhood hubs to support existing efforts to house and care for homeless people.
Santana did not put a price tag on the proposals, but cautioned that his cost analysis, developed quickly in response to a request from the City Council's housing committee, was not comprehensive and would probably rise with more study.
He also suggested exploring hiring outside consultants to conduct a more thorough study and to track and measure progress in ending the city's decades-old homelessness crisis.
"The homeless face serious challenges including the availability of shelter, access to mental health and medical care, exposure to violence and diseases, lack of security for personal property, frequent interaction with law enforcement, and other crucial matters," the report said. "The homeless do not live in isolation and, therefore, many of their issues impact businesses, residents and visitors to Los Angeles."
