Eagle Rock’s neighborhood council came to a unanimous decision recently to urge its city council representative to find money and resources for safe parking spots, permanent housing and public showers for the homeless.
The proposal came from Chloé Renée Ziegler, the boulevards director of the council, after the neighborhood council spent nearly a year exploring the issue.
“In April 2018, the [neighborhood council] hosted a forum featuring an expert panel, and in August 2018…co-hosted a community conversation at which open input was solicited from more than 100 participants,” according to a draft of the letter the council planned to send.
In an interview, Ziegler said it appears a church may help with the services: “I think [it] is looking into a beautiful little church in Eagle Rock that would be a great rich housing project for families.”
Council member Suzanne Smith said the proposed services could benefit homeless women and keep them safe.
“Women [who] were parking in their vehicles feel very unsafe, not just being moved…by the police, but also because they’re vulnerable to anyone who can be coming by,” Smith said.
At the meeting, a resident of Eagle Rock, Saul Duarte, raised the issue of a homeless person who has been parking in his neighborhood for the past two months. He said the council’s proposal could help.
The homeless man has “been there for about two months, he keeps moving car every 72 hours because otherwise they’ll chain his tire and get a $25 dollar ticket, so it’s good to find something like what she was talking about, a safe place for them,” Duarte said.
It’s unclear where the money will come from, but the city of Los Angeles approved $450 million last year for homeless services as part of its budget, according to local news articles.
Community News reporters are enrolled in JOUR 3910 – University Times. They produce stories about under-covered neighborhoods and small cities on the Eastside and South Los Angeles. Please email feedback, corrections and story tips to [email protected].
