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President's Message
Attendees at our last community meeting enthusiastically endorsed a cleanup of abandoned encampments in the Palisades bluffs. The encampments present a fire danger to our entire community, an attraction to transients, and toxic trash on our hillsides. Thanks to many volunteers, we have started the cleanup process. There are several encampments to remove, but we will work to clear them all and to keep the areas clean.
I don’t think you’ll want to miss our upcoming community meeting on Monday, September 25. It will be a discussion with the Executive Director of The People Concern, John Maceri, about how our Outreach Team operates on a daily basis. It will also address the “behind the scenes” resources at The People Concern that are available to our Outreach Team.
The Venice Family Clinic (through a recent grant from the Briskin family) has contracted with The People Concern to hire a housing locator, a clinical case worker, a nurse practitioner, and a psychiatrist. They will serve individuals in the Palisades who are already our clients. This will allow our Outreach Team, Glanda and Maureen, to be out on our streets more—instead of having to take time away to find housing for someone and follow up to help them stay successfully housed.
LAPD Capt. Tina Nieto has been a strong, effective supporter of PPTFH, and we’re sad to see her leave. However, we’re happy for Marina, CA, because she’ll be the Chief of Police for that city. We wish her the best.
We all voted recently on Measures HHH (for LA City) and H (for LA County). Together they represent a coordinated effort to develop a supply of “permanent supportive housing” for the homeless. What does that mean and how is the effort progressing? John Maceri may be able to discuss this at our community meeting. Also, we would be interested to hear from you about the homeless-related topics you would like us to cover in future community meetings. Send email to pacpalihtf@gmail.com.
Doug McCormick
President, PPTFH
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Outreach Team Update
The chart above reflects the effort of our Outreach Team from January 1, 2016 through August 31, 2017.
We reformatted the chart to show the number of homeless people who at one time “engaged” with our Outreach Team but subsequently left the Palisades and have not been seen for three months or longer. These people are now listed as “disengaged.” We had been counting them as possibly returning to the area. However, since they have not been seen for over three months and we have not been able to work with them towards services and housing, we are changing the tracking methodology to give a more accurate picture of how many homeless people actually remain in Pacific Palisades and their stage of engagement. If any individuals return to the Palisades, we will adjust the data in the chart accordingly.
We have also added a “deceased” category of engaged to the “disengaged” category individuals who have died. Again, this is to more accurately portray how many homeless people are in our community and in need of service. We continue to list these individuals as deceased because we don’t want lose sight of this important statistic. Preventing someone from dying on our streets from homelessness is part of the PPTFH mission.
With this new methodology and format we can see that since January 1, 2016, our Outreach Team has contacted 289 individuals who have passed through our community and refused services. This notable increase of homeless people is consistent with the growth of homelessness in the greater region. However, of the 68 individuals consistently residing in the Palisades, 50% are now off of the streets in permanent supportive housing. This is steady and exciting progress for our Pacific Palisades longer-term homeless people and our community.
Sharon Browning
PPTFH Vice President
Chair, Outreach Oversight Committee
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PPTFH Receives $50,000 Grant from
American Legion Post 283
PPTFH is the beneficiary of the generosity of Pacific Palisades American Legion Post 283 for a second time. As a founding donor, Post 283 previously awarded PPTFH $25,000 in 2015. PPTH has now received an additional $50,000 gift from the Legion. This generous donation and show of support are especially exciting because they mean that PPTFH has now raised the $500,000 needed to fund our three-year commitment with The People Concern (formerly OPCC) for a full-time outreach team to work with homeless individuals in the Palisades. Everyone in our community should take pride and share in this milestone accomplishment.
Post 283’s Executive Committee approved the donation at their June 6 meeting, followed by the general membership’s approval at their June 14 annual installation meeting. Commander Jere Romano noted that PPTFH’s work “embodies the spirit of Post 283’s commitment to veterans, protecting the nation and its communities and Americanism. It is the American way to work together to help our homeless veterans receive the care and services they deserve and to protect our community.” As the accompanying photo shows, Dr. Mike Martini and Post 283 Adjutant Kevin Niles represented the American Legion in presenting the check to Barbara Overland and Sharon Browning of PPTFH.
We are grateful to the American Legion and our other partners for their continuing support and generosity. However, our work is not done. In addition to funding our outreach team, we must now focus our efforts on raising funds to cover “move-in” costs (first and last month’s rent; utilities; refrigerator, beds, etc.) for our homeless individuals as they transition into housing. When PPTFH first started, we were unaware that move-in expenses are a barrier to getting people into housing. We now know that removing this barrier is vital in helping people move rapidly off the streets.
Barbara Overland
Chair, Fundraising Committee
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PPTFH says farewell to WLA LAPD Captain Tina Nieto
Captain Nieto has been a great supporter of PPTFH and has helped our team by granting us four full time LAPD beach patrol officers . Without Captain Nieto’s support our mission on helping our homeless would not have been accomplished.
Captain Nieto’s last day was on August 31st and she has been promoted to Chief of Police in Marina CA. in the Central Coast. PPTFH thanked her for all her support and presented her with a card and a fine bottle of wine at her going away party.
Sharon Kilbride
Chair, Enforcement Committee
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Help Us Reach Our Goal!
(We have a new, easy way for you to donate online -- as few or as many dollars as you wish!) Check it out.
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We welcome two new officers added to the LAPD Beach Patrol:
Diego Millan has 2 years’ experience with LAPD’s Pacific division. He is partnered with Jimmy Soliman, our current LAPD Beach Patrol officer.
Inez Miller served the 77th patrol in South Central for 10 years. Inez is partnered with Officer Rusty Redican, our current lead Beach Patrol officer.
PPTFH now has seven-day coverage in Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica Canyon. Having these talented officers working hand in hand with our PPTFH enforcement team volunteers and TPC outreach workers has made us more effective in engaging our homeless population and getting them into services and off the streets. Property crime has also decreased, owing to the involvement of these highly qualified officers.
Sharon Kilbride
Chair, Enforcement Committee
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(before)
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(after)
Via Bluffs Cleanup: One Down, Twelve to Go!
As of August 19, the PPTFH cleanup team, led by Tom Creed, had cleaned out the first of 13 abandoned homeless camp sites on the Via de las Olas bluffs (see the accompanying Before and After photos). Litter in the 12 remaining sites, abandoned through enforcement efforts this past year, still attracts homeless people, says LAPD. So our cleanup project must keep moving.
We need help! If you have strong arms and want to spend a morning helping Palisadians reclaim our bluffs, contact Tom Creed at tom.creed@gmail.com
Help provide cleanup supplies by donating to PPTFH online at https://pptfh.org. Tag your gift: Bluffs Cleanup. Thank you!
Nina Kidd
PPTFH Communications Committee
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The Outreach Team Never Says “Never”: An Interview with Glanda Sherman and Maureen Rivas
If you’ve come to a PPTFH community meeting or read an article about the people the Task Force has helped, you’ve heard about the great work the Outreach Team is doing. Since 2016, they’ve engaged 106 people, moved 48 people off the streets, and housed 34 people. But what exactly does the Outreach Team do? And how are they achieving such great results?
Outreach is a long, intensive process that extends from making contact with homeless individuals to securing housing and continuing care for them. In partnership with PPTFH, The People Concern’s Glanda Sherman and Maureen Rivas are there every step of the way. They’re out making the rounds in the Palisades, forging connections, and letting people know that help is available. They’re managing cases to provide both immediate necessities (a bed, laundry facilities, a hot shower) and long-term assistance (healthcare, housing services, reconnecting with family). And they’re supporting clients making the final transition into housing.
Glanda and Maureen have witnessed some remarkable transformations, including someone who’s gone from sitting alone in Temescal Canyon Park to living with their cat in a cheery apartment. But they recognize it’s never a simple process. “People want instant results,” Glanda says, “but nothing really happens until a person is able to feel comfortable with you and you’re able to start building that relationship and trust.” So Maureen chats with someone about a favorite band until they’re ready to share more personal information, and Glanda offers a water bottle, hoping a homeless person is willing to ask for something more. While they’ve seen teams from other agencies give up after a quick offer of assistance, Glanda and Maureen realize that establishing trust takes time. The reputation they’ve built in the homeless community yields results for both the people they’ve met and for people seeking them out after hearing they’re—as Maureen puts it—“the real deal.”
The path to a home and stability is not without setbacks, however. It’s hard to see a client you care about showing old symptoms or giving up on treatment. It’s even harder to have a client you’ve come to know pass away. Maureen becomes emotional telling of a Vietnam veteran who battled PTSD, alcoholism, and societal neglect before passing away. Glanda recounts a bittersweet victory, giving a dying homeless man a home worth returning to in his final days. In the face of these difficult cases, Glanda and Maureen never say “never,” remaining unflagging in their efforts to help or console. They organize medical, psychological, or hospice care, all while offering a more fundamental comfort: recognizing the humanity and worth of homeless people.
Helping homeless people is a daunting challenge, full of problems that require a range of skills and a large supply of patience. But spend a few minutes with Glanda and Maureen and you’re reassured by their nonjudgmental attitude, care, and sincerity. “We like the people we serve,” Maureen says, an understatement given the amount of concern, effort, and time they’ve put into helping people. Their past experience—Maureen as an addiction counselor, Glanda as staff member in a mental health institution—gives them flexibility to deal with various obstacles. Some days, they’re mediators deescalating arguments; other days, they’re case managers looking at the bigger picture and coordinating with PPTFH, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement. But no matter which hat they’re wearing, the Outreach Team is always striving to turn people’s lives around.
Kevin Wallentine
Communications Committee
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