Homelessness Among Malibu's Top Concerns, According To Survey

MALIBU, CA – The results are in from an online survey on homelessness conducted by The City of Malibu in late January. One result in particular stood out: 33 of 570 respondents have been homeless at some point in their lives.

A total 572 people responded to the 15-question survey. Out of 570 respondents, 88 percent of people live in Malibu, and out of 564 respondents, about 60 percent of people work in Malibu.

Survey respondents ranked fire safety and homelessness as the top concerns, followed by traffic/congestion. Over half of respondents (318 out of 565) believe homelessness is a very serious problem in Malibu.

Public Safety Manager Susan Dueñas designed the survey to learn more about the community's opinion on how to address homelessness.

“The city’s goal is to develop a plan that will enable us to help homeless individuals in a more effective way, mitigate public health and public safety impacts, and align our local efforts with those of the Los Angeles County region,” Dueñas wrote when the survey was released.

A majority of responses supported “provide readily available treatment for mental illness and substance abuse,” “develop a case management program for individuals released from jail, medical care, mental health programs and other institutions to prevent homelessness,” and “collaborate with neighboring cities and the County to leverage investments and provide services and housing.”

Malibu has already received a $50,000 grant from Los Angeles County, based on a determination that there were 180 "unsheltered persons" in Malibu in 2017. The grant money will be used to establish and execute a Homeless Strategic Plan, according to Malibu Times.

The city is already in talks with neighboring areas, and also intends to reach out to Agoura Hills, Calabasas, and "cities on the other side of the hills," Dueñas told Malibu Times.

“We want to develop a strategy with Santa Monica for sure, and [Pacific] Palisades actively,” she told the newspaper. “Recently, we’ve been meeting monthly. We had our first meeting—a Palisades-Malibu coordination group.”

For the specific survey results on homelessness, visit malibucity.org/homeless-survey.

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