MALIBU—On Monday, March 19, the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County announced an agreement to host meal services for people experiencing homelessness at the County’s former Superior Court building in the Civic Center. The meals program was held for over 17 years at Malibu Methodist Church, Standing on Stone and its volunteers. The meals program fed low-income citizens with their twice-weekly dinners. Meals were discontinued after Thanksgiving 2017, amidst concerns about public safety and health impacts to the surrounding neighborhood.
A joint statement from the city of Malibu and Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s Office read:
“We are very pleased to announce that men and women experiencing homelessness will be able to receive meals in Malibu again as part of a new joint partnership between the County of Los Angeles and the City of Malibu. Specific details are still being worked out, but our plan is to begin providing meals at the Malibu courthouse. We will be working with the Sheriff’s Department and many neighbors to ensure that security is provided in all the surrounding areas. We want to thank the many community residents, nonprofits and outreach workers who patiently worked with us to make sure that a safe space could be identified to feed and engage individuals experiencing homelessness. Research has shown us that providing meals can be a first step in identifying and delivering other types of assistance to people who need it.”
The city of Malibu received a County grant of $50,000 to fund the City’s development of its Homeless Strategic Plan. The goals of the plan are to help homeless individuals in a more effective way, mitigate public health and public safety impacts, and align Malibu’s local efforts with those of the Los Angeles County region. The grant is part of Los Angeles County’s Measure H, an initiative approved by voters in March 2017 to place a 10-year, ¼ cent sales tax to help fund housing and support services for the homeless population throughout the County.
Since 2016, two dedicated, full-time outreach workers from the non-profit The People Concern have been conducting outreach and offering services to the homeless population in Malibu, funded by The Malibu Task Force on Homelessness with a contribution from the City.
City and County staff will meet in early April to work out logistics of the program, inspect the site, and determine the needs, costs, concerns, scheduling and other details. Progress and details will be announced on the City website and social media. Residents can email questions and concerns to PublicSafety@MalibuCity.org.
