The plan includes an outreach team that will routinely visit parks and city-owned parking lots to offer services to unhoused individuals. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

The Beverly Hills City Council approved an updated homelessness plan on March 18 that will renew and expand funding by nearly $1 million for current programs that provide support and housing for homeless individuals in Beverly Hills. A significant aspect of the homelessness plan is the continued coordination with Step Up on Second, a non profit organization that provides short-term and long-term housing units in addition to support services in locations across Los Angeles.

“As of today, we have 14 of 30 units occupied and residents are flourishing,” Beverly Hills Human Services Administrator Chris Paulson said during the March 18 City Council meeting. “They’re learning basic skills of daily living like cooking and doing their own laundry and some have even started taking community college courses and are tending to long-deferred medical needs.”

The council first approved a 10-year agreement of over $14 million with Step Up on Second in August 2023. The updated plan includes an additional $530,000 for Nastec security services to transport homeless individuals to temporary housing at all hours. Additionally, it allocates over $120,000 to maintain the five-member outreach team and nearly $70,000 for the continued operation of a software system used to maintain data on homelessness, in addition to other funding that has yet to be specified.

The agreement with Step Up on Second falls under the oversight of the Beverly Hills Fire Department.

“It’s important that we continue to offer the assistance and support to those who are unhoused,” BHFD Chief Greg Barton said. “The partnership with Step Up on Second is valuable as they have over 40 years of experience supporting people with serious mental health conditions and chronic homelessness, helping them recover and stabilize.”

The homelessness plan was also approved on the same day as a revised housing element, which is partly aimed at increasing affordable housing in order to mitigate the risk of residents becoming homeless.

Paulson said that over the past year, homeless outreach ambassadors interacted with 1,582 homeless individuals in Beverly Hills.

“That does not mean there are 1,500 unhoused individuals living in Beverly Hills,” Paulson said. “Many of them are maybe only in town for one day or one hour.”

Paulson added that based on counts by the outreach team, there are 31 permanently homeless individuals residing in Beverly Hills.

Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian raised concerns about the amount of money being spent – in particular the $530,000 to Nastec – to address a relatively small population of homeless individuals.

“As a psychologist I am the first one to want to support these programs. I just think that it’s an [exorbitant] amount of money to be focusing for the 31 people,” Nazarian said.

Despite Nazarian’s concern over city spending, the homelessness plan was unanimously approved.

Amid the homelessness crisis in the greater Los Angeles area, Beverly Hills is a rare example of an area where few homeless encampments can be found. This is due to an anti-camping ordinance that prohibits tents, sleeping bags and other camping equipment in public areas like parks and sidewalks. However, to enforce the ordinance, Beverly Hills must provide immediate housing, due to a court ruling. According to Paulson, the updated homelessness plan will make enforcement of the ordinance easier by expanding housing services to homeless individuals in Beverly Hills.

“We do need to remind everyone that it is not illegal to be homeless,” Paulson said. “Once these folks have gone off the street and have entered permanent supportive housing, they are free to go wherever they like. That could be coming back to the Beverly Hills Public Library. It could be going back to Beverly Gardens and various other places. But the great thing is they do have a home to go home to.”

Kevin Connor, lead coordinator for the Beverly Hills outreach team, praised the city council for their continued investment in the homelessness programs.

“I’ve been doing this work for over 20 years,” Connor said. “What Beverly Hills is doing is big city stuff. We’re a small city … It’s really great work.”

The homelessness outreach program is overseen by the Beverly Hills Fire Department. (photo by Edwin Folven)