On August 4, 2023, a collaborative effort involving the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Recreation and Parks, and Clean Harbors Environmental Inc. was undertaken to address a homeless encampment situated in the Venice Beach restrooms. To ensure safety, workers donned white hazardous materials suits in adherence to established protocols.
In a bid to enhance the efficiency of coordinating efforts across various departments engaged in managing homeless encampments, Councilwoman Traci Park's office appointed a specialized Homelessness and Housing Coordinator to streamline approaches.
The cleanup operation was executed by three distinct waste management teams, each with specific responsibilities. The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and Recreation and Parks teams, distinguished by their yellow safety vests, joined forces with the Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc. team, identified by their orange safety vests. The Clean Harbors team initiated the process by carefully sorting through refuse to identify and segregate hazardous materials such as batteries, syringes, and urine. Subsequently, Los Angeles Public Works sanitation workers took charge of collecting the remaining non-hazardous waste.
The cleanup endeavor received substantial reinforcement from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) played a pivotal role in extending vital outreach services to aid unhoused individuals and cater to their necessities.
To ensure the safety of all participants and to garner cooperation from the homeless community, Los Angeles Park Rangers maintained a continuous presence throughout the duration of the cleanup operation. This endeavor aimed not only to maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the area but also to uphold safety standards.
Notably, despite the enforcement of Ordinance 41.18, which prohibits sitting, lying, or sleeping in public places, as well as storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property in the public right-of-way, no citations were issued during the cleanup operation at the Venice homeless encampment.
It is crucial to comprehend that these cleanup actions, like the one conducted at Venice Beach, are just fragments of the broader efforts undertaken by the City of Los Angeles to tackle homelessness. It is imperative to acknowledge that these initiatives are not comprehensive solutions to the larger issue. The city remains actively engaged in devising sustainable, long-term strategies to address the root causes of homelessness and provide essential resources to those in need.
Garry's RU-vid Channel is: @VeniceEveryday
11 сен 2024
