03/28/2023 Public Health & Homelessness meeting

https://whcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/minutes-agendas-newsletters/HomelessnessAgendas_2023-03-28.pdf

 

Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council
Agenda – Public Health & Homelessness Committee Meeting
28 March, 2023 at 6:30p.m.
VIRTUAL MEETING BY
TELECONFERENCE
Zoom Meeting Online or By Telephone
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/93899241002

Dial (1 669 900 6833) to Join the Meeting
·Then Enter This Webinar ID:

938 9924 1002 and Press #9

VIRTUAL MEETING TELECONFERENCING and

PHONE NUMBER FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

In conformity with the September 16, 2021 Enactment of California Assembly Bill 361 (Rivas) and due to concerns over COVID-19, the Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council meeting will be conducted entirely telephonically with a call-in option or internet based service option. Every person wishing to address the Neighborhood Council must either dial 1 669 900 6833 or go online via Zoom and enter Webinar ID # 938 9924 1002 and then press # to join the meeting. Instructions on how to sign up for public comment will be given to listeners at the start of the meeting. When calling-in telephonically, the public is requested to dial *9, when prompted by the presiding officer, to address the Board on any agenda item before the Board takes an action on an item. Zoom users should use the “raise hand” feature.

AB 361 Updates: Public comment cannot be required to be submitted in advance of the meeting, only real-time public comment is required. If there are any broadcasting interruptions that prevent the public from observing or hearing the meeting, the meeting must be recessed or adjourned. If members of the public are unable to provide public comment or be heard due to issues within the Neighborhood Council’s control, the meeting must be recessed or adjourned. Any messaging or virtual background is in the control of the individual board member in their personal capacity and does not reflect any formal position of the Neighborhood Council or the City of Los Angeles.

*PUBLIC INPUT ON AGENDA ITEMS – The public may address the Board on any agenda item before the Board takes an action on an item. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered.

Public comment is limited to 2) minute per speaker.

*PUBLIC INPUT ON MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA – Comments from the public on other matters not appearing on the agenda that are within the Board’s jurisdiction will be heard during the General Public Comment period. Please note that under the Brown Act, the Board is prevented from acting on a matter that you bring to its attention during the General Public Comment period; however, the issue raised by a member of the public may become the subject of a future Board meeting.

Public Comment is limited to (2) minute per speaker, unless adjusted by the presiding chair of the
committee. The presiding chair may impose time limits per each agenda item as needed.

·
· AGENDA

Call to Order

Roll Call: Chair, Aaron M Quantz, co-Chair Reina Cerros McCaughey, Mark Schwartz, Christine Robinson, Gretchen Gessell

Public Announcements by city officials and representatives: (3) minutes per speaker

Stakeholder Public Comment Period (on items NOT on the agenda): (1) minutes per speaker

Stakeholder Public Comment Period (on items on the agenda): (2) minutes per speaker

Items for Discussion and Possible Action:

All comment is limited to 2 minutes per speaker, unless adjusted by the presiding chair of the committee.

1. Discussion and possible action: (CF 22-1312)

Tarzana Treatment Centers / Unarmed Crisis sponse / Healthcare Services / People Experiencing Homelessness / Council District 3

TTC seeks to launch a mobile medical unit to respond to calls for medical and mental health services from street engagement teams operating within the Third Council District. The TTC mobile unit will have a minimum of two exam rooms, one interview room, a central intake area with a workstation, and a bathroom, and will bring primary medical care, behavioral health screening, SUD treatment interventions, mental health treatment interventions, benefit enrollment and follow up care directly to the streets. The TTC mobile unit will also be stationed at interim housing sites and other locations within the Third Council District to respond directly to the medical and mental health needs of the most under-served and vulnerable.

The TTC mobile unit will consist of one physician’s assistant, one medical assistant, one patient navigator/case manager, one SUD counselor, one mental health therapist, and one van driver. The TTC mobile unit will work in partnership with the Council Office, Hope of the Valley, San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center, and other homeless service providers to bring medical, mental health, and SUD treatment directly to the streets, enhancing the services the homeless engagement teams can offer to individuals experiencing homelessness. The total cost of this program will be $1,250,000 for a one-year pilot

Roll Call Vote

2. Discussion and possible action: (CF 18-0610-S3)

Right to Counsel / Low-Income Tenants / Eviction Defense Program

Related Council Files: 19-0685; 19-0685-S1; 20-0600-S83; 20-1084-S1; 20-1433-S2; 21-0042; 21-0600; 21-0600-S115; 22-0414; 22-0414-S1

The General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) respectfully requests authority to execute an amendment to increase the total contract compensation with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (C-138260) for the Eviction Defense Program. Approval of this request will expand funding to continue eviction defense services and allocate funds allotted from the Emergency Renters Assistance Program (ERAP2) created under the American Rescue Plan (C.F. No. 21-0042) in accordance with the executed Standard Agreement with the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD); the Senate Bill 2 – Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) to the City of Los Angeles for Year 2 of the five-year cycle (C.F. No. 19-0685-S1); and General City Purposes (C.F. No. 21-0600). In addition, LAHD recommends increasing the maximum rental assistance from $5,000 to $20,000 per eligible household for rental assistance in order to prevent tenant displacement.

Roll Call Vote

3. Discussion and possible action: (CF 23-0167)

The urban environment is a web of natural and built features interacting daily. Whether it’s the sun beating down on streets and sidewalks; or rain running off asphalt and saturated lawns into gutters, these daily workings of life in a city are all surrounded by an important piece of green infrastructure – trees.

Trees are combatants of the urban heat island effect, providing necessary shade to streetscapes. Trees are interceptors of rainwater, providing stormwater retention for overloaded drainage systems. Trees are absorbers of air and water pollutants, improving health and wellness in neighborhoods, and they are beautiful green canopies housing wildlife and improving the character of communities.

In the City of Los Angeles, the Urban Forestry Division manages nearly 700,000 street trees growing along 6,500 miles of public roads, making the City’s street tree population the largest urban forest in the nation. Having the largest urban forest does not come without its share of problems. The conflicts between tree roots and sidewalks in Los Angeles are widespread, resulting in recurring expenses for repair and even at times, tree removals. In 2016, the City settled a $1.4 billion class action lawsuit, commonly known as the “Willits Settlement,” that determined the City’s crumbling sidewalk infrastructure was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and prevented people with disabilities from traveling and accessing opportunities in Los Angeles. This legal action led the City to develop the “Sidewalk Repair Program,” which as of today is the only program for sidewalks in the City. In an effort to comply with the Willits Settlement, the City prepared a comprehensive EIR that supported the need to remove some 13,000 street trees. However, in late January 2023, the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that the EIR failed to thoroughly examine the impacts to wildlife and the environmental consequences of trading mature trees for young replacement trees.

I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council direct the Bureau of Street Services, in coordination with the Urban Forestry Division and the City Forest Officer, to report back on sustainable solutions and best practices to sidewalk repairs, implemented by other cities, that preserve our City’s mature street trees while ensuring safe sidewalks.

I FURTHER MOVE that the City Council instruct the City Administrative Officer, and all other relevant departments, to report back on the steps necessary, or already underway, to secure federal funding under the urban forestry program of the new infrastructure bill.

Roll Call Vote

4. Discussion and possible action: (CF 22-1313) Rehousing Strategy / People Living in RVs / Street Engagement Strategy / Street Encampments / RV Dwelling / Safe Parking / Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)

MOTION – HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY The most recent Point-in-Time Count data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) indicate that nearly 6,500 people experiencing homelessness in the City are living in a total of about 4,000 recreational vehicles (RVs). That number, which has grown by 40% since 2018, represents 22% of the City’s total unsheltered homeless population.

All too often, RVs used as dwellings on LA’s streets are in grave disrepair, meaning that people living in them face unsanitary and sometimes dangerous conditions. Many residents of RV s also lack access to adequate hygiene facilities. A number of the individuals who live in RVs actually make substantial rent payments to the vehicle’s owner, paying out hundreds of dollars each month for precarious and substandard housing. RVs have also posed challenges for the neighborhoods in which they are located related to the release of untreated effluent into streets or stormwater drains, increased risk of fires (especially from external generators), and other public safety concerns. Since 2010, the City’s primary response to vehicular homelessness-particularly in RVs-has been a reactive one, not one that focuses on resolving homelessness for inhabitants of RVs. The City has used LAMC 80.69.4, a law that allows the City to prohibit the parking of oversized vehicles (those over 84 inches high and 22 feet long) between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m on specific streets. Through Council action, hundreds of streets have been added every year to the list of streets where oversized vehicle parking is prohibited. In addition to street-specific oversized vehicle bans, people who live in RVs on city streets must comply with rules that prohibit staying in one parking spot for more than 72 hours. Vehicles that violate this rule can be ticketed and towed. During the pandemic, the City paused ticketing and towing of vehicles with people living in them in accordance with CDC guidelines to allow people experiencing homelessness to shelter in place-safely, but in April of this year, the City Council voted to resume parking enforcement for vehicles used as dwellings.

This enforcement-based approach to addressing RVs, however, has proven to be largely ineffective. Often, RV dwellers move their vehicles to other streets in response to a ticket or an oversized vehicle prohibition, meaning that these bans simply move people experiencing homelessness from one street to another. Additionally, the City’s capacity to enforce the new rules around RV dwelling is extremely limited-and likely to remain so- because of the lack of vendors and tow yard space to tow and impound oversized vehicles. It is clear that the City needs to come up with a more effective and holistic response to vehicular homelessness.
In the proposed 2022-23 California budget, Governor Newsom has earmarked $300 million for Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) grants. Local governments can apply for ERF grants to create projects that serve people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in encampments. In 2022, Council District 4 received an ERF grant of$1,747,115 to rehouse individuals living unsheltered along a 19-mile stretch of the Los Angeles River.

Eligible fund uses include street outreach and engagement, housing navigation, interim and permanent housing, capacity building, activities to ensure sustained outcomes for people served, and funding for the restoration of encampment sites. The likely expansion of this flexible funding stream presents a promising opportunity to secure funds to support a City-wide, comprehensive approach to addressing RV homelessness effectively.

Roll Call Vote

5. Discussion and possible action: (CF 17-0090-S19)

Proposition HHH Funded Projects / Unhoused Veterans / Area Median Income (AMI) Limits / Lease-up Hardships

The General Manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) respectfully requests that your office review and approve this transmittal, and forward it to the City Council for further consideration. Significant efforts have been made to develop Proposition HHH funded projects that serve unhoused veterans. As HHH projects complete construction and are ready to be occupied, units reserved for veterans are experiencing longer leasing timelines compared to non-veteran units. Through this transmittal, LAHD requests authority to increase income limits for veteran units to more expediently house veterans in HHH funded projects. Since HHH funds were awarded, significant efforts have been focused on housing homeless veterans. However, veteran-serving HHH projects that have completed construction and become ready for occupancy have taken significantly longer to lease up than non- veteran projects.
The delays in leasing HHH units serving veterans have been connected to overlapping eligibility restrictions, income limits that are too low, and the multiple housing alternatives available to veterans. These lease-up challenges are detailed below. LAHD has consulted with VA representatives, management companies and service providers on this issue. They concur that veterans without tenant- based vouchers will elect to remain unhoused while waiting for a housing opportunity with their preferred location, unit size, and amenities. Many veterans would prefer to live near the services that are offered on the VA campus in West Los Angeles, also the location of the VA hospital. The VA has also shared that the units most in demand are one-bedroom units that are near amenities, have parking spaces, and allow pets. In contrast, projects experiencing lease-up hardships include projects in or near Downtown Los Angeles, projects with studio units, and other project types such as motel conversions.

Roll Call Vote

Items to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting Adjournment of Meeting:

Adjournment of Meeting

The Woodland Hills/ Warner Center Neighborhood Council Public Health and Homelessness
Committee meets regularly on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm.

The next Committee meeting will be held on 25 April, 2023,
IN PERSON @ Los Angeles Public Library,

Woodland Hills branch: 22200 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 .
Please visit the calendar page at whcouncil.org for the complete details and to confirm the date and time.
Meeting dates for 2022 -2023 year: Full Board meeting are held the second Wednesday of every
month at 6:30pm. Check the NC website calendar for a

complete list of committee and board meetings.
Meeting dates and times are subject to change.

Check the NC calendar for updated meeting schedules.
Due to COVID 19 ALL in person meetings have been moved to virtual teleconference.
HOWEVER, please check the www.whcouncil.org

website calendar page for any changes that may occur.
*THE AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT – As a covered entity under Title II of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of
disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its
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auxiliary aids and/or services, may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services,
please make your request at least (3) business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to
attend by contacting Dena Weiss, at (818-340-6554 or email d.weiss@whcouncil.org or the
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*PUBLIC ACCESS OF RECORDS – In compliance with Government Code section 54957.5, non-
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*PUBLIC POSTING OF AGENDAS – agendas are posted for public review as follows:
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are held on the second Wednesday of each month.

Check the calendar for any change of meeting date and/or time.
You can also receive our agendas via email by subscribing to L.A. City’s Early Notification
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·A copy of this agenda is also physically posted on the outside of the window of the West
Valley Warner Center Chamber located at 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Ste 2330, Woodland

Hills, CA 91367. The Chamber is located at the Promenade Mall outside the east entrance of
the mall and to the left of Ruth Chris Restaurant. The Chamber office is accessed from
Owensmouth Street. Parking is free.

*RECONSIDERATION AND GRIEVANCE PROCESS – For information on the WHWCNC
process for board action reconsideration, stakeholder grievance policy, or any other procedural
matters related to this Council, please consult the WHWCNC Bylaws. The Bylaws are available at
our website at www.whcouncil.org

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