HAWTHORNE POLICE GUIDE TO HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS

OUR APPROACH

The Hawthorne Police Department’s strategy for addressing homeless encampments is guided by the City’s five-year plan outlined in Resolution 8015 (January 2017). Our approach is built on three key values: Compassion, Collaboration, and Engagement.

COMPASSION

Being homeless is not a crime.

Our priority is addressing the welfare and health needs of individuals living in encampments, not criminal enforcement. Hawthorne has not pursued criminal prosecutions, citations, or arrests solely for homelessness.

We treat each person with respect and dignity—regardless of their circumstances.

Every individual’s story is unique. While homelessness can be chronic, transitional, or episodic, we recognize the importance of tailoring services to each person's specific needs.

Although homeless encampments are sometimes associated with increased crime, we do not stigmatize these communities. Our focus is on assisting individuals, not criminalizing their situation.

COLLABORATION

We are part of a larger network dedicated to supporting people experiencing homelessness. By partnering with over 15 organizations, we connect individuals with the health, housing, and support services they need. These collaborations enable us to prioritize public health and welfare while working toward long-term solutions.

ENGAGEMENT

Homelessness affects all segments of our community. It is essential to include the perspectives of:

  • Business owners and employees

  • Faith-based organizations

  • Schools and neighborhood associations

  • Homeless advocates and support groups

  • Neighboring cities and regional partners

Our goal is to create a safe and inclusive environment while working toward the ultimate objective: ending homelessness in Hawthorne.

STRATEGY

Like many communities nationwide, we face complex challenges in addressing homelessness and public safety. Our strategy is proactive, solution-oriented, and collaborative.

Key Initiatives:

✅ Implement problem-solving strategies to address homelessness with long-term solutions.
✅ Establish a dedicated Homeless Outreach Team to provide targeted support and response.
✅ Select and train specialized personnel to work effectively with individuals experiencing homelessness.
✅ Multi-disciplinary approach, involving social services, mental health professionals, and law enforcement.
✅ Collect, analyze, and share data to understand needs, measure progress, and refine strategies.
✅ Form regional partnerships for a coordinated response across jurisdictions.
✅ Seek diverse funding sources to sustain and expand assistance programs.
✅ Develop or expand homeless courts to provide alternatives to the traditional justice system.

By following this approach, we aim to foster compassion, collaboration, and engagement—ensuring that homelessness is addressed with dignity and effectiveness while promoting public safety.

Homeless Encampments


What are Homeless Encampments?

An unsheltered homeless person lives in “a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings, or on the street. About 44 percent of homeless people are unsheltered. Unsheltered homeless are usually single men, who, unlike homeless families, are less likely to live in emergency shelter, transitional housing, or permanent supportive housing.

Another categorization of homelessness is whether the status is temporary (due to an eviction, prolonged unemployment, job layoff, or domestic violence) or chronic. The federal definition of chronically homeless is an “unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years”

Impact on the Homeless Population

Conditions in homeless encampments can be dangerous to health. Garbage attracts rodents and other vermin. Food cannot be stored, and dishes cannot be washed properly, facilitating the spread of food-borne diseases. Depending on a camp’s location, some residents might use portable toilets or public facilities, but most are likely to use an outdoor location. Poor hygiene contributes to dental and skin problems. Other environmental hazards, such as batteries and fuels, are used for heating and cooking.

Homeless as Victims

Most people who live in homeless encampments lack health insurance, but they frequently have chronic physical and mental health conditions that require ongoing medical attention. Barriers to seeking routine medical care lead many to the emergency room for non-emergency care. There is some indication that tuberculosis and sexually-transmitted diseases are of special concern. Many transients living in encampments report addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Despite the notion that homeless encampments are safe havens for those living an otherwise rough or unconventional life, these camps can be venues for serious violent crime.

Impact on the Environment

In addition to concerns about the hazardous materials mentioned above, which potentially harm both the transients and the surrounding environment, inadequate human waste disposal at large encampments along rivers can pose a hazard to the water supply of nearby communities.

Another hazard linked to homeless encampments is fire.

Residents of homeless encampments turn to wood stoves and camp fires for heat and cooking. If left unattended (typically by intoxicated transients), these fires can become out of control and burn down camp structures and injure people. Larger fires can spread to more populated areas and damage buildings and infrastructure.

Impact on the Larger Community

Criminal activity by the chronically homeless.

Numerous studies have pointed to a strong relationship between homelessness and criminal activity.  Even if transients are not hard-core violent offenders, evidence from police case studies shows areas adjacent to transient encampments have higher levels of petty and serious crime unrelated to “routine behaviors,” such as drug dealing and usage, disturbance, theft, prowling, burglary, panhandling, fighting, vandalism, armed robbery, rape, and aggravated assault. Stolen property, weapons, and wanted felons have been found in homeless encampments.

Threats to business viability.

Urban homeless encampments have a more immediate impact on the nearby community because of proximity. Many chronically homeless behaviors, such as sleeping on the streets, panhandling, public excretion or urination, and public intoxication, are threatening or undesirable. In some urban settings, police rate transients and their behaviors as a bigger problem than drugs, car burglaries, public fighting, cruising, or noise.  Entertainment districts are particularly vulnerable to transient behavior because of the availability of people with disposable income, park benches, unattended public restrooms, and lax enforcement of laws governing street behavior. The presence of transients creates an environment of lawlessness. During the day, transients sitting in front of businesses can scare away customers.

SOURCE: US DOJ Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Encampments

 Hawthorne Police Response to Homelessness

The purpose of the Homeless Encampment Action protocol is to develop a standard process for municipalities and special districts to identify, respond to, and remove homeless encampments within the City of Hawthorne. The procedures set forth in this document are intended to facilitate the removal of encampments while supporting the relocation of the encampment inhabitants into shelters.

Identify the needs of people at unsheltered sites

Most successful plans include these elements, generally in this order:

Visit the encampment to determine 1) how many people live there and if they have any special needs. This may include assistance medical treatment, substance abuse assistance, mental health, and other treatments as identified by the advocacy groups; 2) if there are any environmental hazards that need to be handled by trained personnel, that include fires, bio-hazards, loose electrical wires, or any other hazards to the unsheltered people or other assisting personnel; and 3) the proper deployment of police officers, advocacy groups, and others to adequately identify the needed resources to assist the homeless population.

Enlisting community support to address the problem

Aside from Promoting the “Housing First” model. This strategy for housing chronically homeless people puts them into their own permanent housing units first instead of first treating the underlying problems to make them “housing ready Because of the intense public debate in many cities about how to deal with homelessness, it is a very good idea to involve homeless advocacy groups early in your planning process. Other stakeholders, particularly those who may be making demands for police action, such as residents, business owners, politicians, and city officials should be involved in negotiating what is acceptable in public spaces. These groups include Los Angeles Homeless Services Association (LAHSA), LAHOP.org, St. Margaret’s Homeless Center, Hawthorne Homeless Services Coordinator, the Hawthorne Homeless Task Force, Gardena / Hawthorne Mental Evaluation Team (GHMET), and many others.

PROCEDURES

  • Any entity responding to a report of, or discovering a homeless encampment, will identify any immediate hazard to be addressed. Document with photographs whenever possible. An “immediate hazard” is an imminent threat to the health or safety of the homeless or the community, e.g. a fire, and its removal is exempted from the 72-hour time requirement.

  • Each homeless encampment will be treated as a separate investigation and an SOB Operations Plan shall be authored by the SOB Commander.

  • The SOB Commander will notify the County’s Health, Housing and Homeless Services outreach teams via e-mail (GHMET, LAHSA, St. Margaret’s, Homeless Services Coordinator, and any other outreach programs as needed).  Immediately upon becoming aware of any encampment. The SOB Commander will send the resource team to the identified site as soon as practical to find and offer alternative housing and services to any inhabitants. It is desirable that individuals either move into services or vacate the area on their own and remove their own belongings.

  • After the CORE Team has visited the site, the team will contact the notifying jurisdiction of the situation and provide any relevant information (Public Works, Code Enforcement, Republic, HPD Metro).

  • The responsible jurisdiction will arrange to have the encampment posted with the vacate demand. It is encouraged that the posting provides a minimum of 72 hours’ notice for inhabitants to relocate, be printed in multiple languages as appropriate for the area, and includes the date, time and location of posting. Any “immediate hazard” to health and safety identified is exempted from the 72-hour posting time recommendation.

  • After posting, and up to two hours prior to the time expiration, the CORE Teams will continue to go out to assist individuals to find housing and other services.

  • After expiration of the notice, the City or jurisdiction may proceed to remove the encampment after the following is completed:

  • Conduct a quick field review of the encampment (i.e., look around at the items which are in plain view).

  • Take sufficient photographs, notes, or otherwise document the condition and extent of area covered by the encampment.

  • Each agency with jurisdiction is encouraged to keep a record of the date, time and location of the removal of a homeless encampment.

  • During removal of the encampment, if any of the following types of items are apparent, reasonably safe and not a sanitary hazard, they should be held by the appropriate maintenance yard for a minimum of 30 days prior to disposal. Items stored may include but are not limited to the following:

  • Watches, Medication, Eyeglasses, Jewelry, Personal photographs, Personal records

  • A receipt and the location where the above belongings are stored shall be issued to its proper owner.

  • Anything stored from a location can be kept in one box/container that is marked with the date, time and location of the removal. Possessions are to be released to persons who can identify them in accordance with each agency’s policy.

  • Persons illegally trespassing or lodging may be arrested immediately. However, normally law enforcement personnel will only make arrests if someone refuses to leave or is suspected of committing a criminal offense.

  • The property owner is responsible for cleaning up and making safe the area of the encampment. This will include cleaning any hazardous waste found in the area and repairing or replacing items such as fencing.

  • Individuals assigned to remove the encampment should take appropriate safety precautions in the course of the work, including the proper use of PPE.

  • If necessary, request the County Health Department’s Environmental Health Services to inspect and report on issues involving the protections of the homeless and workers during encampment removal, including hazardous waste.

  • It is the goal not to permit the re-establishment of encampments once they have been removed through this procedure. This will include the following activities:

    • After encampment removal, the area will be posted with signs saying “No Camping” or “No Trespassing” and include the telephone number of the CE information and referral hotline

    • The agency with jurisdiction will provide routine patrol of the areas to prevent the formation of an encampment.

    • Any citizen who would like to report an encampment should be directed to contact the City of Hawthorne Code Enforcement Unit or the Hawthorne Police Department non-emergency number.

SUMMARY

After intensive outreach and wrap-around services have been provided, an encampment will be scheduled for clean-up to mitigate any hazards to unsheltered people. The following protocol is followed:

  • A minimum of 72-hour notice is given to vacate

  • Unsheltered people will be provided with additional literature and resources and care-packets.

  • Unsheltered people are allowed to take any items of personal value

  • The Hawthorne Police Department will secure and store any items of value for 90 days

  • All remaining trash, biohazard / contaminated items, debris and any shrubs will be removed

  • Graffiti will be removed, any damaged structures such as fences, gates, electrical panels will be repaired

  • Homeless advocates are invited to be present before, during and after any scheduled clean-up.

Our Partners

·        Behavioral Health Services – Family Health Services

·        Behavioral Health Services – Patterns

·        Behavioral Health Services – South Bay Outpatient

·        City of Hawthorne

·        LA County Department of Mental Health - South Bay Mental Health Center

·        Harbor Interfaith Services

·        Hawthorne New Star Family Justice Center

·        Hawthorne Police Department

·        Hawthorne Recreation and Community Services

·        LA Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)

·        Mental Health of America

·        People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)

·        South Bay Cities Council of Governments

·        South Bay Coalition to End Homelessness

·        St. Margaret’s Center

City of Hawthorne –  Department of Recreation and Community Services

The City of Hawthorne’s Department of Recreation and Community Services coordinates the city’s homeless taskforce and partnerships with all of the groups. 

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)

In December of 1993, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles mayor and City Council created the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) as an independent, joint powers authority. LAHSA is the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which is the regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles County. LAHSA coordinates and manages over $400 million annually in federal, state, county, and city funds for programs that provide shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.

Harbor Interfaith Services

The mission of Harbor Interfaith Services is to empower the homeless and working poor to achieve self-sufficiency by providing support services including shelter, transitional housing, food, job placement, advocacy, childcare, education, and life-skills training.

People Assisting the Homeless (PATH LOS ANGELES)

Across the state, we help people find permanent housing and provide case management, medical and mental healthcare, benefits advocacy, employment training, and other services to help them maintain their homes stably. Since 2013, we have connected more than 9,000 people to permanent homes.

PATH was founded on the Westside of Los Angeles by a group of concerned community members looking to support their neighbors on the streets. What started as community members providing food and clothing to those living in the streets, has grown into one of largest homeless service providers in California. In Los Angeles we provide a variety of services for our neighbors experiencing homelessness that include employment, outreach, homelessness prevention, housing navigation, interim housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES (BHS)

Behavioral Health Services is a not-for-profit community-based healthcare organization providing medical services, substance abuse, mental health, drug-free transitional living, housing for women with HIV, and prevention services for the local community

DMH SPA 8 HOME OUTREACH PROGRAM

Homeless outreach services to gravely disabled individuals who have a co-occurring or severe mental health disorder

FULL-SERVICE PARTNERSHIP FOR ADULTS (AGES 26-59)

Adult Full-Service Partnership (FSP) programs are designed for adults ages 26-59 who have been diagnosed with a severe mental illness and would benefit from an intensive service program. 

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM (DMH) – SOUTH BAY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

Address: 2311 WEST EL SEGUNDO BLVD. HAWTHORNE CA 90250

Operation Hours: MON - FRI 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Phones: (323) 241-6730

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE RESOURCES

Retrieved from South Bay Coalition to End Homelessness

Rainbow Services Hotline #: 310-547-9343

Center for the Pacific Asian Family Hotline #: 800-339-3940

1736 Family Crisis Center Hotline #: 213-745-6434

WomenShelter of Long Beach Hotline #: 567-4663 

LA County DPH DV Council and County DV Hotline: 1-800-978-3600

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: Its courthouse-based domestic violence clinics (Downtown LA, Long Beach, Santa Monica) are providing assistance with restraining orders on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m. Call 800-399-4529 extension 8097 for help.

NEW JUSTICE FAMILY CENTER

Our agency is committed to never allowing any Intimate Partner violence/domestic violence victims to become homeless. We achieve this through our connection with shelters that provide temporary housing as well as programs that provide emergency relief such as hotel vouchers, etc. However, we can only achieve this if First Responders direct DV victims to our agency. 

DMH – MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATION TEAM 

Hawthorne Police Department has a police-mental health co-responder program to supplement mental evaluation activities. This program, which is co-supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), helps uniformed officers effectively respond to and link people in crisis to appropriate mental health services.

MENTAL HEALTH OF AMERICA

If you would like to have a location/encampment in SPA 8 with people experiencing homelessness added to the list for COVID testing you can email Kerri Thomas at kthomas@mhala.org

SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

We work on issues of mutual interest to our constituents such as water/energy efficiency via our Environmental Services Center; transit services, transportation issues and specifically our South Bay Measure R Highway Program; Livable Communities including our new initiative on homelessness; Climate Action Planning; our advocacy of fleet conversion to electric vehicles for improved air quality and more. 

USC STREET MEDICINE TEAM

Homelessness has grown to epidemic proportions in California. In Los Angeles County alone, more than 52,000 people are homeless. The vast majority of homeless people are not living in shelters and have little to no medical care available to them. Street Medicine serves the homeless community by providing direct care on the streets and under bridges to the unsheltered and hardest to reach populations. All care is provided free of charge and delivered onsite, including dispensing medications and drawing blood for testing. The Street Medicine movement has grown exponentially in recent years and is now active in more than 60 American cities. Not only does Street Medicine offer care –often lifesaving care– but it also reduces costs for communities by addressing many health concerns before they intensify.

USC has named homelessness as a priority in need of unique and innovative solutions. Research has shown that among people who are homeless:

·         Average life expectancy is 42-52 years; it is 78 for housed individuals 1

·         38 percent have two or more major medical illnesses 2

·         25 percent have a severe mental illness 3

·         At least 30 percent have a current drug-use disorder 3

The Keck School of Medicine of USC Street Medicine is an emerging collaboration of interdisciplinary healthcare professionals that aims to improve care for the homeless while advocating for healthcare justice in Los Angeles through medical and social service outreach and research. The city’s homeless encounter numerous barriers to primary healthcare despite experiencing a disproportionate burden of acute and chronic health issues. Under the direction of Brett Feldman, MSPAS, PA-C — an internationally recognized expert on Street Medicine– our program offers services that address the circumstances that undermine the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of our city’s homeless.

City of Hawthorne – Department of Recreation and Community Services

The City of Hawthorne’s Department of Recreation and Community Services coordinates the city’s homeless taskforce and partnerships with all of the groups. 

St. Margaret’s Center

Provides food programs, including: groceries, sack lunches, and senior food distribution; utility assistance; immigration processing; counseling services; adult education classes ( ESL, Citizenship, GED); tutoring for adults and youth; CalFresh and MediCal application assistance; homeless programs; mobile showers; health screening; workshops; and holiday programs.