Although the predicted El Niño has only resulted in a few days of rain in Malibu so far, an interagency group is concerned how the Malibu homeless might fare in the face of heavy downpours, flooding and mudslides that could still occur over the next few months. Representatives from the county, city, sheriff’s department and local CART group (Malibu’s grassroots task force for helping the homeless) have been meeting and coordinating a plan.
Timothy Lippman, senior field deputy in Sheila Kuehl’s 3rd district Calabasas office, has arranged for a county shuttle to pick up Malibu’s homeless from the Malibu Community Labor Exchange (MCLE) parking lot on a daily basis and take them to an armory in West LA, located at 1300 Federal Ave., which has been designated by the county as a winter shelter location.
The MCLE is located at 23595 Civic Center Way. Pick ups will be daily at 5 p.m., although a flyer from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority notes that times may vary due to traffic or weather, and it is recommended that riders arrive five minutes early. A return shuttle will bring riders back to the pickup point early in the morning the next day. The winter shelter program is only for overnight, unless there is an emergency storm event.
Lippman explained that the decision to bring the free shuttle to Malibu was largely influenced by CART group pressure. Ridership will be re-evaluated after a month to see if enough people from Malibu are using it. The same shuttle bus is also expected to pickup in Venice and Pacific Palisades.
One of the difficulties in getting the homeless to go to a shelter is the issue of what to do with their pets and belongings while they’re there. At this time, Lippman was thinking that protocols may be put into place at county shelters to allow dogs to stay with their owners, provided the dog is well-behaved and healthy. If a dog is “disruptive and aggressive,” it will not be welcome. There is going to be one other requirement, though: dogs must be licensed to stay at a shelter. The county said the cost of a license for a dog that’s been spayed/neutered is $7.50.
In the event of severe weather and an unlicensed dog, one local from Malibu, who asked to remain anonymous, but is known to the sheriff’s department, is willing to put up pets and their owners for the night.
If the county decides not to let dogs stay with their owners in the shelter, there’s the problem of what to do with the dog while the owner goes to the shelter. Carlos Pineda, enforcement services manager for the county’s Animal Care & Control Department, attended an interagency meeting in Malibu to explain the rules. He said that a bona fide service dog is allowed to go to a shelter with its owner, no matter what. However, the definition of service dog is open to interpretation.
In general, the county requires that an Assistance Dog Affidavit form be picked up from a county animal shelter, or downloaded, notarized and sent to the main office in order for a dog to be approved as a service animal.
As to the question of what to do with belongings, since the homeless are limited to no more than one bag at a shelter, the local sheriff’s deputies are trying to track down a source of military surplus “sea bags” for the homeless, which are large-capacity canvas duffel bags that can fit underneath a cot.
In the meantime, several members of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station have already taken it upon themselves to be proactive with the Malibu homeless in this El Niño year. They have gone into the canyons and streambeds where homeless are known to camp out, and plotted their locations on a Google Earth map. Deputies Mark Winn and Mike Treinen have been particularly focused on the task.
“We have tracked every known encampment,” Winn said. And beyond just counting the homeless (or “address deficient,” as he calls them), Winn explained, “We’re educating them to get away from the creeks because of flash flooding. Someone’s gonna die because of their refusal to move. This is public safety for the homeless.”
Things may be easier for homeless living in their vehicles. It has been reported that the Salvation Army in the San Fernando Valley, located at 14917 Victory Blvd., will provide food and showers to the homeless. More information can be obtained by calling 818.781.5739.
