Council Recap: Lakewood funds shelter space & services for homeless
Published on May 24, 2023
At their Tuesday evening meeting, Lakewood City Council Members approved $83,330 to pay for annual shelter space and comprehensive services for up to four homeless people at a time from Lakewood at a Salvation Army facility in Bell that has a track record of success in helping homeless people transition from living on the streets.
“Residents may wonder why only four shelter beds when there are clearly more than four homeless people in Lakewood,” said City Manager Thaddeus McCormack. “The sad reality is that outreach workers everywhere find that most homeless individuals are not readily receptive to entering a shelter when first engaged. It can take dozens of visits with a homeless person to gain their trust. The truth is that many homeless people suffer from some level of mental illness that was a contributing factor to their plight or developed as a function of living in hazardous conditions.
McCormack has worked on homeless issues for many years as a member of the “Homeless Technical Advisory Committee” of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments.
“Sometimes outreach workers in Lakewood are lucky to persuade even one homeless person a month to accept services and help in leaving the streets,” said McCormack. “So even if only four homeless people at a time in Lakewood are willing to try to make this major positive change in their lives, we are doing a good thing for them as well and our community at large.
“Hopefully over time we will be able to transition more homeless people off the streets and into shelter,” said McCormack, “especially if they see and hear of the positive results that others are having.”
Supportive services provided by the Salvation Army Shelter include comprehensive case management, individual and group counseling to help clients overcome emotional and psychological barriers, drug and alcohol treatment services, a dedicated reintegration program for veterans, adult education, mobile medical services, and supportive and transitional housing.
An average stay in the shelter is about 90 days with the majority of individuals transitioning to independent living situations and/or becoming eligible for higher-level services funded through other programs. That means Lakewood’s four beds at the shelter could lead to 16 homeless people a year from Lakewood going through an average successful transition program.
For several years, Lakewood has dedicated a portion of the time of a Deputy Sheriff to work on homeless outreach and related quality of life issues. Last year, the city expanded that effort by also contracting with a civilian homeless outreach liaison who works in Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens and Signal Hill.
“Some people may wonder why the city doesn’t just create a homeless shelter in Lakewood,” said McCormack. “Well, the truth is, in a built-out city like Lakewood that is primarily residential in nature, there just aren’t available locations that lend themselves to such a facility. The plan we have created allows us to do something right now with an existing shelter with a good track record of success that can easily add space and capacity.
“I think the people of Lakewood want to do our part as a city to give homeless people the opportunity and tools to get off the streets and get started on a stable and safe life,” said McCormack. “We think this shelter program is a good step in that direction.”
Lakewood plans to implement a voucher system for taxis and other free transportation for local homeless residents to get to Bell. The Salvation Army shelter does not require religious services for those it helps at its shelter, although it does make those services available for those who wish to participate.