Culver City plans to open its first safe sleeping site that will provide various amenities for unhoused individuals.
The program will be providing 20 tents to support around 40 people with temporary housing with amenities including mental health services, yoga, wifi, and laundry services.
On top of those neat amenities, the city will provide meals, showers, and restrooms for the residents at the safe sleeping site.
The site will be overseen by Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit organization that monitors sleeping sites in cities such as San Francisco and Portland.
Albert Vera, mayor of Culver City, describes the importance of building those connections with unhoused individuals and helping them to feel comfortable with services provided by the city.
“Our outreach team can easily follow up with individuals to provide services on a daily or weekly basis,” Culver City Mayor Albert Vera said. “They don’t trust the system because they have been wronged so many different times, so we will bring them off the streets and provide them services that we promised them.” (West Los Angeles News).
A recent anti-camping law was passed in February by the city “prohibiting people from setting up tents, temporary shelters or public spaces.” In order for the city to enforce the new law, it required the establishment of a safe sleeping site. (LAIST)
Residents will be chosen through a list compiled by outreach workers at the St. Joseph Center.
Based on last year’s data, Culver City has around 312 unhoused individuals.
The cost for the program is estimated to be $3 million, and the typical stay length is between 9-12 months.
The first round of new residents is expected to be settled within the next couple of weeks.
Sources:
https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/culver-city-homeless-unhoused-safe-sleep-camping-ban
https://westsidevoicela.com/2023/07/culver-city-celebrates-opening-of-first-safe-sleep-site/
