West Hollywood's Homeless Initiative Launches Pilot Program to Assist the Homeless

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA -- West Hollywood has launched a pilot program through its Homeless Initiative to provide on-site outreach and services to homeless residents at the West Hollywood Library.

The pilot program, which began providing outreach and services in October 2016, is a collaboration between West Hollywood, the Los Angeles County Public Library and the city's contracted social services provider organizations.

The organizations are partnering to provide on-site weekday outreach hours, which provide a connection to services and support, the city said.

"In West Hollywood, we have a tradition of working determinedly to provide people in need in our community with coordinated social services," West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister said. "We're extremely grateful for the partnerships we have developed and, although we still have a ways to go, we know this pilot program is already making an impact,"

The on-site team's goal is to connect the homeless with services that can help them, such as entering a shelter or substance-abuse treatment plans or other support, she said.

Outreach is coordinated by representatives of the West Hollywood's contracted social services agencies. In addition to providing a connection to a continuum of services from within their own organizations, the providers also have the ability to make referrals to other needed services and programs.

The pilot program offers outreach and services at West Hollywood Library with the following hours of service:

• Mondays - Ascencia, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.;
• Tuesdays - LA LGBT Center (Youth Services and Mental Health Services), 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.;
• Wednesdays - Safe Refuge, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.;
• Thursdays - Step Up on Second, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and
• Fridays - Friends Community Center and/or Tarzana Treatment Centers - 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

"We know that people who are homeless often go to libraries and other public facilities in search of services and to use the internet to connect with service providers," Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman said. "Our new pilot program attempts to reach homeless individuals wherever they are and connect them to services"

The West Hollywood Library is owned by the city of West Hollywood and operated by the County of Los Angeles Public Library.

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