This is the second major homeless fire on Venice Avenue, under the 405, in two months. A reader wonders about the cost: How many LAFD and LAPD resources are responding to homeless health emergencies and fires at encampments and fires started by transients.
We sent that request to Councilman Mike Bonin’s spokesperson, David Graham-Caso, and we’ll keep you posted.
City Officials Should Speak to the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness
The combination of volunteers, social workers and law enforcement, coordinated through the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness, has helped numerous people off the streets in Pacific Palisades.
The group has located housing and sometimes relatives who were looking for a lost soul and has helped raise funds to supply furnishings in their new home. They make sure the person has support if it’s needed.
What the PPTFH does should be mirrored throughout the City in trying to help the homeless. Judge David Carter, who is presiding over the LA Alliance versus the City of Los Angeles in its dealing with homeless, should require the City to follow this group’s example.
An Alternative to Housing at the Beach
One Pacific Palisades resident sent the following suggestion:
“We should round up all the homeless and put them in barracks-style housing in the desert…no doubt there is an abandoned military base there somewhere.
“That solves the housing problem. Let them use whatever substances they want (drugs, booze, whatever makes them happy and they have money to afford)…that would solve the problem of those who don’t want to follow strict living guidelines.
“Let volunteers create projects to entertain them (crafts, clubs, whatever…even providing booze and drugs). I would add, issue uniforms and bedding (that would be laundered weekly) and three square meals a day. They could come and go as they please…but if they are found back on the streets, they are transported back.
“Bet that would be cheaper than all the other plans…and more humane. This business of spreading them around the city (so that all neighborhoods share in the problem), living in INDIVIDUAL houses is insane and does NOT solve anything.”
“We citizens need to stand up to our rights to clean, safe and beautiful neighborhoods that we pay plenty of tax money to expect.”
Make up your mind, if you don’t want homeless fires in CD 11, They need to be in heated housing. So have you used your journalistic skills to determine if the desert (outside of LA). Sounds to good to be true and an easy fix, why won’t anyone do it?
Andy,
It’s generally warm enough in L.A. that the fires haven’t been started because of “warming fires.”
The fires have been started because of 1) cooking; 2) couple fights/revenge; and 3) a roving arsonist (that was identified).
Sue