Westminsten Senior Center being redone for? — Storage of Homeless Stuff
By Darryl DuFay
• WHEN YOU ARE DISCUSSING HOMELESS STORAGE AT THE FORMER WESTMINISTER SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER ON PACIFIC AVE, WHICH IS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA AND ACROSS FROM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
• WHEN THE LEGALITY OF THE USE OF THE SITE FOR STORAGE HAS BEEN CHALLENGED
• WHEN THE FUNDS FOR THE PROJECT ARE IN QUESTION AND NOT AVAILABLE
• WHEN THERE ARE NO DRAWINGS, NO COSTS, AND NO TIMELINES
• WHEN THE CONTRACT FOR THE OPERATOR “CHRYSALIS” IS NOT AVAILABLE
• WHEN THERE HAS BEEN NO COMMUNITY IMPACT REPORT OR FEASIBILTY STUDY
• WHEN THE FINDINGS OF LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORIY (LAHSA) DECLARES THAT THE VENICE SITE DOES NOT HAVE ADDITIONAL SPACE TO CO-LOCATE OTHER SERVICES OTHER THAN BINS
• WHEN WORK PROCEEDS ON THE PROJECT UNDER THE GUISE OF MAINTENANCE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS
• WHEN AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN FOR MOBILE STORAGE HAS BEEN PRESENTED
• WHEN FRIVOLOUS AND CHAOTIC MEETINGS ARE HELD BY REC AND PARKS
• WHEN THE CITY DOESN’T FOLLOW THE “COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS STRATEGIES” THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GUIDING THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES:
6A – Facilities Co-Locate Services Within Homeless Storage Facilities & Create New Facilities
6D – Facilities Identify Public Land for Homeless Facilities
6E – Facilities Homeless Navigation Centers
7D – Housing Using Public Land for Affordable and Homeless Housing
• WHEN WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OFFICER’S (CAO) REQUIRED EVALUATIONS FOR CITY OWNED PROPERTIES. THIS IS A COMMON TOOL ESTABLISHED BY THE CAO AND LAHSA TO STANDARDIZE THE SITE EVALUATION PROCESS:
1. Sites are identified as potential storage/service candidates by Council motion
2. CAO conducts an initial review to determine site appropriateness
3. If further review is appropriate, CAO conducts a site visit with LAHSA, BOE, Council Office and any other stakeholders
4. Bureau of Engineering (BOE) performs initial cost estimate and submits to the CAO
5. CAO inputs certain information into scorecards and submits to LAHSA
6. LAHSA reviews the site for homeless-issues specific analysis and sends the scorecard back to the CAO
7. CAO finalizes the scorecard and distributes the scorecard back to the Council offices; and Council offices determine next steps based upon CAO and LAHSA analysis.
Yeah, filling the town and waterfront with homeless overage children until the ever increasing number of affordable units have been built in LA (as the number of homeless increases, the need increases, and the number of units expected seems to increase as well… Just ask Carol Sobel…) will keep the town ass-deep in street dwellers and beach campers ’till the end of time… The proposed apartment construction will serve few while these “temporary” measures will enable the many, “service resistant” street people who will find it easy to live on the street… Only a few low income people will get housing…. WTF, This appears to be a ploy to diminish rents and property values by increasing the crime and unsanitary conditions provided by the apparently unsolvable situation… If you lived here in the 1990s, this looks like deja vu all over again… Welcome to Galanterland..
I’m very grateful to the City Government who isn’t taking sides on any issue when it comes to homeless and low income housing and services. I’m absolutely thankful to those who want to make Venice a better place for homeless and low income people to live in. At this point investors feel that if inflation goes too high then we are all going to suffer. Pumping money into the right places is just what Venice needs at this point.