Hermosa receives $1 million to help homeless get services
by Kevin Cody
Hermosa Beach has received a $1 million federal grant to help Hermosa’s homeless. The grant is part of $22.6 million in federal funding for 36th Congressional District projects, recently announced by 36th District Representative Ted Lieu.
Hermosa will use the grant to form a “Mobile Crisis Response Pilot Program.”
“We receive almost daily requests for our police to respond to non-emergency situations involving people experiencing homelessness who have mental health crises. A police response diverts safety personnel from their primary duties, and does little to address the root causes of the mental health issue behind the call,” City Manager Suja Lowenthal said in a statement released on Monday.
Hermosa’s homeless response team will work with Harbor Interfaith Services in finding support services for the homeless, Lowenthal said in her statement.
Local homeless counts from last week’s 2023 Great Los Angeles Homeless Count will not be available for several months.
The 2022 Homeless Count found 34 homeless in Hermosa Beach, nine in Manhattan Beach and 99 in Redondo Beach.
Other local programs receiving federal funding secured by Representative Lieu this year include:
- $1 million for the Manhattan Beach Safe Cycling Project
- $1 million for the Friendship Foundation, which offers programs in local schools for students with developmental disabilities
- $3.5 million for the City of Los Angeles for a Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant Modernization project. ER