Hospital Discharges Figure in Plans To Address Homelessness
Ventura County agencies can expand services offered to uninsured people discharged from hospitals, teens moving out of foster care, and inmates leaving prisons and jails to help reduce homelessness, according to a draft report by the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Fifty public and private agencies are members of the coalition, which presented the draft report at a conference on Monday.
The draft report also recommended that agencies provide services more proactively rather than wait for homeless people to seek assistance. In addition, building more housing for low-income county residents could help prevent homelessness, according to the draft report.
Cathy Brudnicki, executive director of the coalition, said the coalition will spend at least five months soliciting feedback on the draft report (Griggs, Los Angeles Times, 12/12).
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday also moved to address homelessness, approving $19.3 million in housing assistance for:
- Discharged hospital patients;
- People living in shelters or on Skid Row; and
- Juvenile offenders released from corrections facilities (Los Angeles Times, 12/13).