The City Is Ramping Up Its Actions To Help Address the Issue of Homelessness
Culver City is taking a significant step towards addressing homelessness and improving the lives of unhoused individuals, Culver City will soon open its first-ever “Safe Sleep” and wellness village and will begin transitioning clients into the program over the next few weeks. This program aims to provide safe and secure accommodations for up to forty people experiencing homelessness within the city and is a form of transitional and low-barrier housing.
Culver City Mayor Albert Vera said, “On January 3, 2023, the City of Culver City proclaimed a local homelessness emergency. The Safe Sleep site aims to foster a safer environment for our unhoused neighbors. This project offers a safe place where people can rest and sleep, access services, and receive wraparound support to work towards permanent housing”
The Safe Sleep program has ambitious goals: to reduce the loss of life among the homeless population, eliminate encampments, and provide improved access to vital resources for unhoused neighbors. The initiative comes as a response to the growing homelessness crisis in Culver City and the surrounding region.
On July 26, a Tesla went over the side of an embankment in Palms near the National off-ramp and landed in an encampment, showing that unhoused residents of the area in encampments are at risk and safe places for them to sleep are needed. No one was killed in the wreck, but had the residents of the encampment been there sleeping on-site, the accident could have been a tragedy.
One of the core features of the Safe Sleep site will be the provision of twenty transitional suites. These suites will come with around-the-clock staffing and an array of supportive services to ensure the residents’ well-being. Homeless individuals staying at the site will benefit from three nutritious meals a day through Everytable, access to restrooms and showers, garbage and recycling collection services, and convenient laundry facilities. Moreover, they will have access to crucial healthcare services and additional support to help them transition to stable living conditions. Toiletries and bedding are supplied, with winter and summer bedding ready for each season, and the tents are rainproof and raised on planks. There is storage space for their belongings and even a space for pets.
Urban Alchemy, a social enterprise based in San Francisco that was founded in 2018, will run the site. The first Safe Sleep villages were born out of the Coronavirus pandemic. Urban Alchemy stepped in to support the vulnerable in San Francisco by quickly opening the city’s first Safe Sleeping Village.
According to the 2022 Homeless Count, there are an estimated 350 people experiencing homelessness in Culver City. Culver City is ramping up efforts to address homelessness in the community. The City, along with its partners, is addressing homelessness with housing, services, and outreach. The City’s goal is for this project to be the national model for a safe-camping site.
