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As part of LA’s efforts to expand services and housing for people experiencing homelessness, a recently conceived program will expand into Venice beginning this month known as Venice C3 (County-City-Community Partnership), and will focus on men and women in the area around Third Avenue and Rose Avenue in Venice.
The C3 model systematically engages people living on the streets by providing access to resources such as interim housing, urgent care, primary care, mental health services and substance use disorder treatment, and helping them regain health and housing stability.
The C3 model is built on a three step process:
- Step One: An outreach team, working five days a week, begins to engage with homeless individuals.
- Step Two: As individuals living on the street get to know and build trust with the outreach team, they are assisted in connecting to various services and programs, including substance abuse and/or mental health treatment, detox, or bridge housing as appropriate.
- Step Three: Individuals are supported to move into permanent housing and linked to ongoing supportive services and treatment.
“I am very grateful that we are able to bring this highly effective, evidence-based program to Venice. We already know what works in tackling homelessness. Men and women need access to services to help stabilize their lives, and they need a home. That’s what Venice C3 is all about,” said L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who is spearheading the effort.
In its first year, the Venice C3 team has set a goal of engaging 300 individuals, or roughly one-third of the men and women who are homeless in Venice, providing services to 150 of them, and securing permanent housing for 75 individuals. These projected goals are based on the success of the initial C3 pilot program.
“The homelessness crisis is the most urgent issue facing our neighborhoods, and the C3 model is a proven solution. Working with Supervisor Kuehl’s office and local partners, we are going to make real progress toward the functional end of homelessness in Venice. For too long, Los Angeles has failed to address homelessness, leaving people on the streets and allowing encampments to take over our neighborhoods. Both the people living on the streets and the neighbors who want clean and safe communities deserve and demand a lasting solution to this crisis, which must include housing and services to be effective. This Venice C3 will make life better for everyone in the community and is a big part of the ongoing effort to end homelessness,” said Mike Bonin.
Venice C3 is a partnership between LA City, the County of Los Angeles, the Department of Health Services, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Behavioral Health Services and St. Joseph Center. The infographic below explains the C3 model and how it will be implemented in Venice.
Read more on Supervisor Kuehl’s website.
