So far, seven formerly homeless people have found new homes and new lives off the streets thanks to the fundraising and programs put in place by the Malibu Task Force on Homelessness (MTFH), including one local man who goes simply by the name Kevin.
Kevin was homeless for 17 years (the last five years in Malibu) before finding permanent housing.
Visiting with Kevin, 57, in his new one-room apartment with hardwood floors, a bathroom and small kitchen on a tree-lined street in Koreatown, he said he is grateful to have had a real roof over his head since moving in four months ago.
“I love it,” he said with enthusiasm. “A shower with hot water — thank you! A refrigerator — thank you! Clean socks — thank you! You have no idea how important the simple things are until you lose them.”
Most of Kevin’s time homeless was spent living in a small tent and cooking with a camp stove. Originally from the Riverside area, he became homeless when his “wife passed away and everything fell apart,” he described.
“I gave up two houses and stopped caring about anything and became an alcoholic in the street,” he said. Eventually, he found a new girlfriend, but she also passed away.
He ended up in Malibu with the idea of walking to San Francisco, which didn’t happen.
“One day just leads into the next,” he noted.
In the meantime, MTFH raised enough money to hire two fulltime outreach workers with a van through The People Concern organization based in Santa Monica. The “boots on the ground” team has been actively reaching out to the homeless since last fall.
Social worker Alex Gittinger became a member of Malibu’s outreach team at the start of this year.
“I’m most surprised and happy about the willingness of Malibu community to help and give,” he said. “Quite often, I go to the Wednesday night dinners [for the homeless, at Malibu United Methodist Church].”
He and his fellow team member, Alex Michel, have their work cut out for them and put in a lot of hours.
“One client was jailed for a probation violation and I got him into a rehab for half a year, and I’m getting him into Turning Point [housing and wellness center],” Gittinger recounted.
Besides outreach, the team spends a lot of time on the bureaucracy of case management.
“Finding Section 8 housing is a full-time job in itself,” Gittinger related. “Then there’s getting people’s documents together, like an original Social Security card. I spent three hours at the DMV with a client because they needed a photo ID.
“We have short-, mid- and long-term plans for our clients, but sometimes they have mental health issues that get in the way, often co-occurring with substance abuse,” he went on to say. “They’re the ones that need help the most and accept it the least. A lot of the work is about building relationships, and it takes time.”
Long-term homelessness has left its mark on Kevin, even after four months of being housed — though he said his new life in his apartment has given him comfort.
“Sometimes I still have nightmares about waking up in my tent and being homeless again,” Kevin said, but “I enjoy my life and play my music.” He has a green thumb and started growing tomato plants in some empty egg cartons.
“I like just staying home,” he added. “I just keep quiet and try and show respect.”
He gives Gittinger all the credit for getting him where he is today.
“I lost everything, and by the grace of God, I ran into Alex,” he said. “He stayed right by my side and helped me through the whole thing.”
Social services for Kevin will continue, with various agencies following up regularly to see how he’s doing.
A progress report submitted by MTFH on May 31 on the Malibu Outreach Team’s efforts said five homeless Malibu residents have already moved into permanent housing, and two more are expected to sign leases and move into apartments this month.
Eight other individuals have made their way into interim housing, with one receiving inpatient substance abuse treatment.
Seven clients have housing vouchers and are looking for places to rent. Seven others have been approved to receive housing vouchers.
In addition, 51 members of the local homeless community have “enrolled” as clients of The People Concern, meaning they consented to services, are involved in ongoing case management and completed a goal plan.
Sixty-three of the homeless are receptive to services and “engaged” by the Outreach Team after having been contacted multiple times. Of those, 18 are receiving additional intensive, street-based services from The People Concern’s interdisciplinary teams, which include physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, substance abuse experts and peers.
