Need Help with a Homeless Encampment?

Last night at a meeting of the Del Rey Residents Association I met Donald Holt, the head of the Homeless Services Department of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. The department fields scores of Emergency Response Teams and Outreach Teams throughout LA County and City to provide direct service and housing placements for the homeless. 

He encourages the public to call him in the instance that your home or street is the unwelcome host to a homeless encampment or those living in vehicles. His office number is 213 225 6571, and his cell number is 213 910 3557. 

Since both sidewalk encampments and vehicle encampments generate trash and human waste, he recommends that in addition to calling him to get one of his teams to your problem area that you take a photo of the encampment (or vehicle(s)) and then use the City's 311 app to send the photo and address to the Bureau of Sanitation. Donald told me that his staff would coordinate their visit with Sanitation's clean-up.

Donald also agreed that until the City starts combining offers of housing with the nudge of enforcement of LAMC 41.18 (no sleeping on a sidewalk), all his teams can do is cajole homeless individuals to accept shelter.