Los Angeles County is proud to partner with its 88 cities, Councils of Government, and unincorporated areas to address and prevent homelessness. Sarah Mahin, Director of the LA County Department of Homeless Services and Housing, recently visited the cities of Montebello and Baldwin Park, where she met with officials and saw first-hand how these cities are using Measure A funding to advance innovative solutions to homelessness in their communities.
When it comes to providing homes and services to people experiencing homelessness with a variety of needs, “it takes a village,” says Angélica Palmeros, Assistant City Manager for the City of Montebello.
The residents of the 30 tiny homes that make up the Operation Stay Safe site on an underutilized Metro parking lot in Montebello can receive case management, job training, help with substance use problems if they need it, and eventually permanent apartments. “It’s not a cookie cutter program. We have to base it on individual needs,” Palmeros says.
The city also works with a group of landlords willing to rent to people moving out of homelessness. That’s all in addition to daily meals; access to washers and dryers; bathrooms and showers; and the ability to keep pets—dogs and cats, mainly. And as soon as people arrive, case workers start helping them with a plan to get permanent housing. “There’s no down time,” says Palmeros.
Sarah Mahin, the first director of Los Angeles County’s new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, recently visited the Operation Stay Safe site where she heard from Palmeros and others about the array of services available. It takes a variety of funding sources to make this program work. The City of Montebello and grant funds help. The Local Solutions Fund created under Measure A, the half-cent sales tax increase that LA County voters approved last November will help as well.
“The city doesn’t have a huge pot of money,” says Palmeros. “That’s why these funds are so important.”
And it works. In the three years that Operation Stay Safe has been running, the majority of the residents have remained indoors — and 64 of them have moved into permanent housing.
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In Baldwin Park, Mahin toured two tiny home projects funded through the city’s Measure A Local Solutions Fund allocation. Esperanza Villa, which opened in November of 2021, has 25 units for individuals. Serenity Homes, which opened in September of 2022, has 16 units for families. Both sites have case managers and connect residents to a variety of services including job placement, counseling, medical services, mental health care, and help procuring personal documents. Meals are provided and bathroom facilities are onsite. Residents can bring their pets as well. Residents looking for jobs are connected to Goodwill Industries International for job placement.
“The Local Solutions Funds help with administration costs, meals, utilities—a large portion of the operation,” says Armando Nava, the program supervisor for Baldwin Park’s Department of Recreation and Community Services.
Each site has funding from numerous sources including the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis’ office. The Local Solutions Fund grant, according to Nava, will be split between the two sites.
Esperanza Villa was the San Gabriel Valley’s first tiny home facility and since it opened, 78 residents have moved into permanent housing, according to the city. Both tiny home sites in Baldwin Park won awards from the California Park & Recreation Society—District 13.