Homeless study outreach meetings scheduled

PALMDALE – As part of its current homeless study outreach program, the city of Palmdale and its partners are inviting the community to attend its community meetings to learn more about the program and the outreach results.

The meetings will be held on Tuesday, March 13, at AV YouthBuild Campus, 38626 9th St. East; and Tuesday, March 20, at the Highlands Church, 39625 20th St. West. Both meetings will run from 6 to 8 p.m.

“We’re encouraging our residents to attend and meet with the various service providers to get an update of what’s been happening so far and to share their thoughts and opinions while learning more about what the city does to combat homelessness through prevention and to assist those in need,” stated Palmdale’s Director of Neighborhood Services Mike Miller.

“So far our outreach teams have completed over 140 face to face homeless field surveys, spending 1,252 hours in the first two weeks,” Miller said. “They have spoken to people experiencing all various types of homelessness from being on the streets to living in recreational vehicles or temporary housing.”

“The data we’ve collected so far has been very informative and is showing us where the real need in the community exists,” added Miller. “Our goal is to utilize the information collected and to partner with our local service providers to meet those needs.”

Funded by a $50,000 grant from Los Angeles County through Measure H funding, the homeless outreach program consists of eight teams working concurrently to make contact with homeless people who are on the street, in temporary housing, or living in RVs and cars.

The outreach program will run through March 22.

The community partners participating in the outreach effort are Advancing Communities Together, Palmdale Victory Outreach, AV YouthBuild, Antelope Valley Partners for Health, Mental Health America, Valley Oasis, Salvation Army, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES). The consulting firm of LDM and Associates will be providing technical assistance in the preparation of the homeless plan.

A community survey is also available on the city’s website, www.cityofpalmdale.org. Residents are encouraged to take the survey, which is available in English and Spanish and share their thoughts and opinions, which will be used to develop the city homeless plan.

For more information, contact Palmdale’s Neighborhood Services Department at 661-267-5126 and ask for Stacey Andrews or Mike Miller.

[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]

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