The Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (PPTFH) is an independent group of Palisades community volunteers, formed in October 2014, who are committed to compassionately addressing the issues associated with homelessness. PPTFH is open to everyone and firmly believes that sustainable solutions depend on the entire community’s participation and support.

Dealing with homelessness is technically the responsibility of the County and City of Los Angeles. Realistically, City and County resources are simply inadequate to meet the increasing demand for community protection and homeless support services. In order to protect and serve our community as well as our homeless individuals, our community needs to coordinate with and support city and county efforts.

Taking a research-based approach, PPTFH has developed a three-pronged strategy for addressing homelessness in the Palisades.

• Ensure community protection and safety through informed, coordinated law enforcement.

• Connect homeless people to compassionate, professional services and available housing.

• Maximize community-wide involvement and support.

The key to success of this approach is contracting with the People Concern to provide professional guidance and a dedicated Outreach Team for our community.

The People Concern is the largest provider of housing and comprehensive social services to homeless people on the Westside of Los Angeles County. It has been a model for providing highly effective, integrated, and comprehensive services for over 50 years to the most traumatized, vulnerable, and needy members of our community, including homeless individuals and victims of domestic violence.

Many homeless people have mental health, addiction, and physical health problems that require special knowledge and expertise to manage. Our fire and police personnel have limited expertise in these areas and are already stretched to meet the increasing demand for protective services. Palisades’ residents, businesses, and community organizations do not have the expertise or time to deal effectively with these complex challenges. Professional assistance is required to be effective and make progress.

The People Concern fulfills our homeless services contract requirements and acts as the fiscal sponsor for PPTFH and the services it receives.

To provide necessary professional assistance, PPTFH has funded a full-time (five days a week, eight hours a day), specially trained and equipped three-person Outreach Team from The People Concern. The Outreach Team goes anywhere within the Palisades (into the bluffs, hillsides, streets, alleys, and tunnels) to locate, engage, build relationships with, and encourage homeless individuals to accept social services and housing. The Outreach Team’s first objective is to talk with each homeless person in order to understand how to be of service. The team gathers contact, mental/physical health, and social history information, which is essential for tracking movement, behavior, and an understanding of what services are needed.

In addition to locating, engaging, and connecting the homeless persons to services, the Outreach Team provides on-call, as-needed assistance, during their scheduled hours, to residents and businesses in their encounters with homeless people. Sometimes the police are legally prohibited from taking action or are occupied with other assignments. The Outreach Team is especially helpful in these situations and can remain on site to help resolve concerns.

The cost of a full-time, three-person Outreach Team is $400,000 per year. Included are costs associated with workers’ compensation, insurance, supplies, and equipment. Also included are funds to cover move-in expenses for clients when they are housed.

Since City and County resources are generally unavailable, PPTFH raises funds from the community to support The People Concern’s provision of outreach services in Pacific Palisades.

The People Concern provides the services clients need to heal, stabilize, and prepare for housing. Once clients are housed, The People Concern stays in close contact with the client to help them remain housed. Key services include housing, mental and physical health care, domestic violence services, substance abuse treatment, and assistance in obtaining income.

Homelessness is a complex, long-standing problem and there are no easy answers or quick fixes. PPTFH’s plan to address homelessness in our community emphasizes community safety, eliminating blight, and respectfully working with homeless people to help them help themselves.  The plan’s ultimate success depends on the effectiveness of our Outreach Team and community collaboration.  We pride ourselves on an evidence-based strategy; see our Outreach Report and Volunteer Response Team Reports. 

We need the support of the entire community.  Here are ways you can contribute.