News of Venice, CA and Marina del Rey CA
Lava Mae comes to Rose Ave parking lot on Thursdays and stays until about 1 pm. One lady had just had a shower and said “I feel great.” She said she comes each week. Operator said they do approximately 35 to a one-time 46.
Lava Mae no longer goes to 3rd Ave where they first started.
(Photo by Peter Ruiz.)
The Lava Mae showers made famous at 3rd Avenue for the past year is now also at Rose Avenue. They are scheduled to come once a week to the Rose Ave parking lot as they do to 3rd Ave.
Pitstop is suppose to bring in portable toilets with wash stations each evening to the parking lot at Rose soon and they are suppose to be removed each morning for cleaning. These too, as are the restrooms at Horizon, staffed by attendants to make sure the facilities are safe and clean.
Lava Mae is now doing about 30 showers a day each Thursday on 3rd. They had been doing 20 – 25. Jerry, a Lava Mae worker, said it was just that we got more efficient. People are coming from all over Venice to take a shower. A team from St. Joseph and LAHSA was there to provide services for those needing services.
A man at the other end of the block told Update he had been in prison for 26 years and could not get a job because of that. He was told when he was in Skid Row, Los Angeles that he could collect social security but he did not “stick around” as he said. He said he was from Toledo and indicated he was not going to be around too long on 3rd.
His predicament was mentioned to the C-3 team at Lava Mae and they said they would talk to him. He apparently has to sign into the services before someone can help him. I asked him what his name was and he said “I’m the second book.” I told him it was nice to meet a Mark out here. Gave him my name and told him I had a nephew who was number one book. He proceeded to give me all the abbreviations for Matthew and we laughed. I told him it was hard to do that to a Mark.
Third Ave has changed some. There are fewer inhabitants. Those there were mainly Blacks and women. Many have moved to Rose between 3rd and 4th. When asked why fewer people, Update was told the police had been there. No one provided a reasonable explanation for what “lack of people” had to do with police having been there.
Lava Mae continues to provide showers one day a week for the homeless. They set up on 3rd Ave early on Thursday mornings and provide about 21 showers in the three to four hours they are there. It used to be Fridays but Fridays the Sanitation department comes and picks up trash and sanitizes the needed areas. One fellow said the showers were great and that he would be back. It was his first shower at Lava Mae. He had been taking a shower at St. Joseph’s but he liked Lava Mae more because “they had water pressure,” he said.
The property behind the fence is where the owner set up two portable potties for the homeless. He had signs stating that if clothes were put in potties, the potties would be removed. The potties are gone and the eight-foot fence has been installed to surround the property.
Community icon/activist DeDe Audet was present at the most recent Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) meeting, standing in for Yolanda Gonzalez to give the DWP report. At the end of the report, she was feted with a birthday cake and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” from all those present.
In other matters:
Taylor Bazley spoke regarding the enforcement of the new regulations regarding RV parking, which he said was the No.1 item constituents were calling his office about. This matter was covered recently in the Venice Update: https://veniceupdate.com/2017/01/07/livesleep-lamc-85-02-became-law-7-jan-enforcement-to-start-early-feb/
The VNC has a brand new website years in the making: http://www.venicenc.org/. They are still working a few of the kinks out, but Communications Director Evan White certainly deserves kudos for creating a much more user-friendly, modern site for the VNC. Henceforth, Board meetings will be live streamed to Facebook as well.
Becky Dennison of Venice Community Housing announced that further discussion of the Median Yard Project will take place at this Monday’s VNC Homeless Committee Meeting, at 7:00pm. The meeting will be held at Venice Community Housing Corporation’s (VCHC) offices, 720 Rose Avenue.
Three LUPC items were discussed — 656 California Avenue, 701 Indiana Avenue, 622 Brooks and 305 Ocean Front Walk. The California Project, which included 2 roof decks and was three stories tall, was denied due to inappropriate mass and scale and questions regarding Mello enforcement. The other projects were approved.
The Board approved the Homeless Committee’s call for County Public Health officials conduct immediate and periodic health inspections of the homeless encampments in Venice in response to the possibility of a MRSA outbreak. They also approved an item introduced by Matt Shaw that was in support of the Lava Mae program with the following conditions:
— A medical professional be on hand
— That Lava Mae make quarterly updates on the success of the program to the VNC
— That the VNC be consulted regarding any changes to the program
— That Lava Mae consider changing the day of the weekly service so that it doesn’t conflict with the Friday sweeps of the neighborhood.
The next VNC Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 21st.
“There is no outbreak of staph infection in Venice,” according to Councilman Mike Bonin.
“My office has been in touch with Lava Mae, the County Supervisor’s Office, the Venice City-County-Community Outreach Team (C3) and the nurse practitioner housed at Venice Family Clinic, who works with this population in Venice,” according to a statement by the Councilman.
“People living on the streets are at risk of disease and infection, but all relevant officials assure us there is no abnormal incident of illness in Venice. Supervisor Kuehl’s office has already been in touch with the County Department of Public Health, and has committed to focusing Department of Public Health resources on the area.”
Background
At the Venice Neighborhood Council, a spokesman for Lava Mae stated that 25 percent/or number of the people they saw on 3rd and Rose had MRSA. The Update when questioning Jasmin Kozowy, director of Lava Mae, outside the VNC meet and also later the next day, Kozowy said there were only six cases of MRSA that she knew of and those were cases she determined as such based on the MRSA medication they were taking. She felt there were possibly three other cases based solely on what the sores looked like.
MRSA, according to the Mayo Clinic medical information on internet: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a type of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections. It is contagious by contact.
The Venice Update Contacted the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 21 December, the day after VNC meet, and was told to call the Public Health Nurse at SIMMS/MANN Health. This was done. Update requested that the public health nurse assigned to that area contact the Update. No one has ever called the Update. Supposedly, a nurse has been assigned and if there is a problem will report such to CDC.
The Venice Update contacted Debbie Dyner-Harris (22 December), district director for Councilman Bonin, after the story on Nextdoor continued to fan the fear. She said she would see what Councilman Bonin wanted to do.
The story was in the LA Weekly today or yesterday, 30 -31 December, with quotes exactly as the story was published in Update on 21 December.
Councilman Bonin Statement
“Inexplicably, some people have used this rumor as an argument against providing services to the homeless,” according to Councilman Bonin. “Rather, I believe that this situation highlights the urgent need to help people who are forced to live on the street by providing them services such as basic hygiene and medical care, as well as resources that will help connect them with housing opportunities. I am grateful for the work of the women and men who provide services and dignity to people living on the streets, as I am for everyone who works every day to end homelessness in our neighborhoods.”
Lava Mae the mobile showering system for the homeless that stops once a week on 3rd Avenue uses the City water system at the fire hydrant and a City sewer system dump.
The City provided Lava Mae a special dump hookup. The system ties into the main sewer line and allows Lava Mae to dump all sewage into the dump without using the holding tanks. Lava Mae has a special rig to hook up to the fire hydrants wherever they go for fresh water. The generator supplies all electrical for the system.
Normally, they can shower about 25 during their morning stop on Fridays at 3rd.
City provided a connection to the main sewer system for Lava Mae.
Lava Mae just drops their combination grey and brown water hose into the main City sewer system.
Lava Mae has its own rig for hooking to the City fire hydrant for water.
And they have their own generator to supply electricity as needed.
Breaking the opening tape (toilet paper in this case) are Councilman Mike Bonin and Doniece Sandoval, founder and chief executive officer of Lava Mae. The Lava Mae bus organization has been showering the homeless in San Francisco, recently moved a bus to Los Angeles, and is now going to be in Venice one day a week.
Councilman Mike Bonin welcomed Lava Mae, the mobile showering service for homeless, into the Venice community Tuesday morning on 3rd Avenue, Venice as part of his overall Homeless Plan for Venice.
Venice has the second highest concentration of homeless in Los Angeles. It is planned that the Lava Mae shower bus will arrive in Venice every Tuesday on 3rd Ave, just south of Rose, and operate from 8:30 am until 1:30 pm.
Bonin hopes to have the County and LAHSA service agencies all available at shower time to assist the homeless in choosing supporting services to get them off the street into rehab or shelters or permanent housing.
Doniece Sandoval, founder and CEO of Lava Mae, commemorates opening of Lava Mae in Venice, CA.
Lava Mae was created by Doniece Sandoval in San Francisco four years ago after hearing the cry of a homeless woman that she would never be clean. Since then Sandoval has turned busses into showers. She wanted six stalls she said but it did not provide the privacy she envisioned so she settled for three. Sandoval has been operating the bus shown in downtown Los Angeles and Tuesday was its maiden voyage to Venice. Sandoval plans to open another bus in San Jose soon.
“Hygiene brings dignity and that opens up opportunity,” said Sandoval. She insists that the program be operated with dignity for the homeless. Her patrons are referred to as “guests.” She further insists that the services be totally safe and private and provide for the handicap as well.
Each “bus” has three complete bathrooms and one is equipped for handicapped. They hook up to a water hydrant. Shower water drains on the street; brown water is captured.
Every homeless person this writer talked with was looking forward to a hot shower. They all planned to participate. Toby, who was photographed in a previous Update story, was thrilled with the idea of a hot shower on his street that he has lived on for five years.
Cottage industries were sprouting up next to the showers. There was Narnia, T3, and an AIDS checking station that advertised condoms.
Elize’ Todd and Caitlin Adler started Narnia to help the homeless.
Elize’ and Caitlin pick up items from various places such as Salvation Army and provide them for people so they will have clean clothes when they get out of the shower.
Thomas sets up a table of rolls and coffee for the homeless and sees this as a way of giving back.
HIV testing and condoms.
“We are not going to end homelessness in Venice unless we end homelessness in Los Angeles … it is in every neighborhood in Los Angeles,” Councilman Mike Bonin said to a packed audience Tuesday at Westminster Elementary School.
The homeless survey that came out last year showed an increase for Los Angeles of 12 percent and 14 percent for Venice. Because of the increase another survey was ordered for this year and figures should be out in May but Bonin did say he felt the figures would definitely be higher.
“Homeless are everywhere … inaction is no longer acceptable … it may get worse before it gets better … but we must do something,” he said.
Venice Statistics
These two photos show the number and diplacement of the homeless in Venice as of the 2015 LAHSA count.
The following is By David Graham-Caso, Communications Director for Councilman Mike Bonin
One of the largest concentrations of homeless people in Los Angeles – and the largest concentration in Mike’s district – is in Venice, with more than 1,100 people unhoused. Mike hosted a special meeting Tuesday in Venice to explain the city and county homelessness strategies, and to outline his proposals to implement the strategies in Venice.
The following is a summary of Mike’s plan for Venice.
Preserving Affordable Housing
Building Affordable Housing
Building Homeless Housing
Coordinated Entry System
Enhanced Outreach
Enhanced and Expanded Services
Street Strategy
Preserving Affordable Housing: Mello Act Reform
Mike has proposed legislation to reform and strengthen the Mello Act, the local law that protects affordable housing in the coastal zone, making it harder for developers to reduce or eliminate affordable housing in Venice.
Preserving Affordable Housing: Short-Term Rental Regulations
Mike has proposed legislation governing short-term rentals, preventing rogue hotel operators from buying entire buildings, removing rental and affordable units from the market and converting apartments into permanent short-term rentals.
Building Affordable Housing: MTA Bus Yard
Mike and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl have proposed that the former bus yard located at 100 Sunset Avenue in Venice be turned into housing, with a significant portion dedicated to affordable housing for making at most 60% of the area median income (about $33,000 a year).
Building Homeless Housing: Dell/Pacific lot
Mike is proposing building housing for the homeless at the surface parking located between North and South Venice Boulevard and Pacific and Dell Avenue. The city could build housing for the homeless and the current amount of public parking – approximately 177 spaces – in a new parking structure.
Providing Homeless Housing: Expand Rapid Rehousing
The City is expanding its funding for Rapid Rehousing –rental subsidies and services. RRH is the most effective and efficient intervention for more than 50 percent of homeless individuals and families. RRH is also more cost effective than other options. In December, the City allocated $11 million to rapid rehousing programs – and $1.3 million of that money is administered St. Joseph Center.
Coordinated Entry System: Venice Forward
Venice Forward is a new collaborative created to more rapidly move people into housing. The cooperative venture between government, social service agencies, businesses, and residents has 3 goals: To create a functional Venice-centric casework collaborative, supportive of and integrated with the SPA 5 Coordinated Entry System (CES) and a Housing First philosophy, that rapidly moves the Venice homeless population into housing and supportive services; To create a network of willing community partners to support such a collaborative and secure additional resources, such as housing vouchers and affordable housing; To share success stories publicly to create community awareness of progress and engage more people in problem solving.
Enhanced Outreach: 211 and Venice Forward
People concerned about homeless neighbors or people in crisis living on the streets can log on to www.VeniceForward.org to ask a service provider to respond. Residents may also call the County’s 211 line, and after selecting their language, dial 7 to be connected to a community resource adviser. The person who picks up is trained to collect information and, like the web form, get this information to the head of the coordinated outreach team for a social service based response.
Enhanced Outreach: LAHSA Teams
LAHSA Emergency Response Teams (ERT) offer services to people in the City and County of Los Angeles who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including direct emergency services and transportation, shelter referrals to homeless families, unaccompanied adults, and youth, and outreach services to homeless encampment dwellers. ERT teams work in areas throughout the city, including Venice and the Venice team (2-4 dedicated outreach workers) is based at St. Joseph Center in Lincoln.
Enhanced Outreach: LAPD Chaplains
Mike is supporting the work of LAPD Chaplains Regina and Steve Weller with a $50,000 grant. The Wellers have placed hundreds of homeless people in housing, focusing on family reunification and shared housing placements. The Weller’s work helps connect people directly with available services and resources to get them off the street quickly.
Enhanced and Expanded Services: Treating Mental Illness – Exodus
The County Department of Mental Health has reopened Exodus Recovery Treatment facility, and will now offers Urgent Care beds for those in a mental health crisis, Services include:psychiatric crisis center open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year; mental health assessment; medication evaluation and management; therapeutic interventions; social services and referrals including a variety of discharge plans that range from home to hospital; services provided by an interdisciplinary team of MD’s, NP’s, RN’s, MSW’s, MFT’s.
Enhanced and Expanded Services: Treating Mental Illness – VCHI
The Venice Chronic Homeless Assertive Case Management Team (VCHIP) team is an intensive Mental Health unit that focuses on treating the most vulnerable individuals on the street. The program is funded by the County and is administered by St. Joseph Center.
Enhanced and Expanded Services: Training First Responders
LAPD Officers are now being trained on how to best respond when interacting with people who might have a mental illness. Additionally, Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Teams (S.M.A.R.T.) pair officers and mental health professionals to help assess people with mental illness in the field. Working closely with the LA County Department of Mental Health and LAPD, Mike is seeking to ensure first responders have the tools and training to adequately assess and respond in situations where there are mental health concerns. There is currently one SMART Team assigned to West Bureau, and Mike is working to have a Team dedicated to Pacific Division in the next few months. Additionally, the LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit is working with the County Department of Mental Health to assist people in Venice.
Enhanced and Expanded Services: Healthcare
Integrated mobile health teams provide street-based health and mental health treatment to chronically homeless and severely mentally ill individuals in Venice. Integrated teams are supported by the County, City, and local nonprofits and help reduce the number of costly emergency room visits by people living on the street.
Enhanced and Expanded Services: Education & Youth Employment
Homeless Service Providers play a critical role in helping our youth who, still developing, often lack the education and job skills necessary to find and keep stable employment. Safe Place for Youth (SPY) has an in house education and employment specialist which runs a 3 step program to assist our your in creating and implementing a plan as well as matching them with employment opportunities. It is imperative that programs like these continue to be supported.
Street Strategy: Storage
The City is seeking to open voluntary storage programs at city facilities so that homeless people have a place to leave their belongings, and so that sidewalks can remain free of encampments during the day. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has deemed as suitable the former Westminster Senior Center at 1234 Pacific Avenue. The facility could allow 160 people to drop off their materials and register with the Coordinated Entry System. The program would be run by Chrysalis.
Street Strategy: Showers
In San Francisco, neighbors formed a non-profit group called Lava Mae (http://lavamae.org/), which retrofitted surplus buses into mobile showers that travel throughout the City, allowing homeless people to bathe and even do laundry. Using donated busses from LADOT and/or Metro, Mike has asked LAHSA to work with Lava Mae to begin a pilot program in Venice that will retrofit the busses into mobile showers and allow homeless people to have access to showers.
Street Strategy: Bathrooms
In this year’s budget, Mike is seeking funds to allow Department of Recreation & Parks to keep beach restrooms open after hours. He will additionally consider placing portable toilets at locations identified by the Venice Neighborhood Council. Currently, Venice lacks sufficient public restrooms, especially those offered in late hours. As a result, tourists and people without homes, lacking another option, often urinate and sometimes defecate in public, or even on private property. Many people living near the beach especially, have reported human waste near or on their property. Without providing bathrooms people will continue to urinate and defecate in public spaces creating a quality of life and health risks for those who live, work, and play in Venice.
Street Strategy: Safe Parking
Program still in development. Mike is urging the City to allow programs similar to the Safe Parking programs that have been successful in Santa Barbara, where small numbers of people who live in their cars or RVs are allowed to safely park in non-profit, church or city parking lots overnight, where they have access to restrooms and can be connected with service providers.