To the editor: The U.S. Supreme Court docket not too long ago dominated that it’s OK to maneuver homeless people from one space to a different, challenge costly citations or arrest people and throw them in jail merely for tenting on public property. Nevertheless, from my expertise as a homeless providers volunteer, these actions don’t remedy the issue. (“Newsom orders California businesses to clear homeless camps, however the impression stays a query,” July 25)
The one resolution is to offer housing and supportive providers. To the credit score of L.A. metropolis and county businesses, they’re already offering sources and housing to unhoused people. The issue is social service businesses are stretched skinny, interim housing is scarce, and people and households are nonetheless falling into homelessness.
So, Gov. Gavin Newsom and others could also be dropping persistence with the tempo at which homeless encampments are cleared and people are being housed. However that’s extra a results of excessive housing prices, group opposition to the event of extraordinarily low-income housing and a dearth of psychological well being and substance use providers.
Jane Demian, Los Angeles
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To the editor: The RAND examine is improper in its conclusion that cleanups merely transfer homeless folks round.
Because of a mixture of cleanups, presents of shelter, enforcement of 24/7 no-camping zones and the set up of landscaping, fencing and bodily limitations at strategic areas, there aren’t any massive homeless encampments in Venice right now.
Whereas a couple of dozen drug-addled and mentally ailing homeless of us stay in and across the seaside, a lot of these date from a failure of outreach efforts by social service organizations throughout the main cleanup in the summertime of 2021. That cleanup nonetheless succeeded in eradicating greater than 200 campers from the Venice Boardwalk and made it way more welcoming to the general public.
All in all, cleanups together with enforcement have dramatically improved residents’ high quality of life and guests’ experiences.
Mark Ryavec, Venice
The author is president of the Venice Stakeholders Assn.
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To the editor: Transferring homeless folks from the streets into non permanent housing (similar to inns or motels) with out complete and simply accessible social providers is simply as ineffective as clearing encampments and shifting folks from one metropolis to a different.
Although L.A. Mayor Karen Bass claims to disagree with Newsom’s strategy, they each advocate for non permanent “fixes.”
When our options are extra geared towards us not seeing homeless folks for a quick time, relatively than geared towards really serving to them, we maintain among the blame for perpetuating the cycle of homelessness. Similar to I inform my youngsters to make selections right now with the long run in thoughts, apparently we now have to inform our grownup leaders that too.
Observe the cash: Are we spending extra on shifting homeless folks round or on simply accessible, educated social employees, psychological well being professionals and healthcare?
Till we tackle this in an actionable method, the one change that can occur is a long-term enhance in homelessness, as life in California continues to get costlier.
Matthew R. Jensen, San Pedro
