MALIBU—The Malibu City Council will receive a presentation on November 13 during regular meeting to discuss the City’s efforts to address homelessness, including the efforts of the Malibu Task Force on Homelessness and The People’s Concern outreach workers, public safety and law enforcement issues surrounding homelessness, and the development of a Homelessness Strategic Plan.
“The people of Malibu rightly recognize this as a humanitarian crisis and the City has made it a priority issue,” said Mayor Skylar Peak. “We are collaborating intensively with non-profit service providers and the Sheriff’s Department to support comprehensive services that really make a difference for people experiencing homelessness, while also addressing the public safety and public health impacts of homelessness on the community.”
According to a news release from the city of Malibu website, Public Safety Manager Susan Dueñas will deliver an update on the $50,000 grant that Malibu received in October 2017 from the County of Los Angeles to help fund the development of a comprehensive Homelessness Strategic Plan to tackle issues related to homelessness in the region.
The Homelessness Strategic Plan is expected to coordinate Malibu’s existing resources in an effective way, find new opportunities to address the issue, and support the efforts of the Los Angeles region. The grant is part of Los Angeles County’s Measure H, an initiative that voters approved in March 2017 adding a 10-year, .25 cent sales tax to help fund housing and support services for the homeless population throughout the county. The Malibu City Council unanimously approved sending a letter of support to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in support of Measure H in February 2017.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will talk about public safety and law enforcement issues surrounding homelessness, including what the Sheriff’s Department can and cannot legally do to address the impacts of homelessness on the community.
John Maceri, Chief Executive Officer of The People Concern, a non-profit located in Santa Monica, will discuss the results of the first full year of outreach activities in Malibu. The People Concern provides two dedicated, full-time homeless outreach workers in Malibu, funded by the local non-profit The Malibu Task Force on Homelessness with a contribution from the city.
The Malibu Task Force on Homeless will start its Holiday Homeless Outreach Donation Drive. Donations of toiletries, socks, jerky, protein bars, and other items can be dropped off in donation bins in the upstairs and downstairs lobbies of City Hall from November 13 until the end of January 2018.
Donated items will be used by The People Concern’s Malibu outreach workers as they work to build relationships with the local homeless population in a long-term strategy to connect them with social services and help them into shelter and housing.
