The People Concern, based in Santa Monica, has been contracted by the City Of Malibu since 2018 to provide two full-time outreach workers to help the city’s unhoused population. The contract was just renewed for another year by City Council through 2024.
The outreach workers coordinate with the Malibu Task Force on Homelessness to engage homeless individuals within city limits and work to get them signed up for government services, food, and housing at interim housing programs (as available). The People Concern also coordinates with Venice Family Clinic to bring medical and mental health care to Malibu’s homeless.
The People Concern first began operating a multidisciplinary outreach team in Malibu in 2017, funded by donations from private citizens and grants. It was so successful; the city took over the costs of the outreach team earlier than planned.
To date, the Malibu Outreach Team has made 4,268 engagements with people experiencing homelessness, and moved 327 individuals off of the streets and into housing.
“As inflation and the housing market continue to rise, so too does the unhoused population; and the city of Malibu is no exception,” Jason Flores, Pacific Palisades and Malibu Outreach program manager, wrote in a press release. “With nearly no service providers in the city, the Malibu Homeless Outreach Team plays a crucial role…[The People Concern] is extremely grateful to … the City of Malibu for renewing this important contract as we continue to help change the lives of so many out there on the streets.”