131 People Moved From Venice Boardwalk To Housing, Bonin Says

VENICE, CA — Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin announced Monday that 131 people have moved into permanent housing and off the streets in Venice Beach.

"As of today, 131 people have moved off the street and on the pathway to permanent housing through Encampments to Homes," Bonin said via email newsletter Monday morning.

The Encampments to Homes initiative started this summer in the Venice area, led by outreach teams from St. Joseph Center and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Starting Monday, the outreach teams plan to work with people living in the area near Dudley Avenue to Sunset Avenue, Bonin said.

People can also join the efforts to help unhoused residents. Volunteers can fill out the form to contact Bonin's office and join, donate materials, or provide resources, including potential rental properties.

"The Encampments to Homes effort is a remarkable partnership of many people," Bonin said. "I want to acknowledge St. Joseph Center and LAHSA for the amazing work, to thank Mayor Eric Garcetti and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl for their partnership, and to recognize the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and Dr. Curley Bonds for the extraordinary work this past week."

Bonin shared the stories of several people who have gone into permanent housing after living on the street, including a woman from Oregon who was reunited with her family.

Sara says her prayers were answered when @StJosephCtr and @LAHomeless helped her move indoors as part of Venice Beach Encampments to Homes. She is one of 131 people the program has helped. Read more about her, Marcus, Rebecca and others at: https://t.co/JVKrTrJ4ee pic.twitter.com/EIwtubUTbT
— Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) July 19, 2021

Residents and Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva have challenged Bonin's response to the homeless crisis and the growing number of encampments along Ocean Front Walk in the pandemic.

Bonin was served with a recall notice June 15. The councilmember represents District 11, which includes Venice, Mar Vista, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Westchester and several other Westside neighborhoods.

It's estimated that more than 200 tents line the boardwalk at Venice Beach.

In 2020, an annual LAHSA homeless count found that 1,685 people were unhoused in Venice.

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