Finding clear guidance on how to respond to situations involving unhoused citizens in our neighborhood can be tricky. There are multiple city and county agencies that deal with support for the unhoused and it can be hard to know how to find a compassionate and appropriate response.
The Hollywood Heights Association has put together the following guide to respond to encounters with the unhoused in our neighborhood. Please remember that this applies to the Hollywood Heights neighborhood only and is based on the best information we have. We will keep it updated as things evolve.
| Situation | Agency | Contact | Response Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encampments. (person(s) likely to be at the same location when an outreach comes out) | LAHOP/LAHSA (LA Homeless Outreach Program / LA Homeless Services Authority). | First put in a request: https://www.lahsa.org/portal/apps/la-hop/request Then, loop in CD4 by forwarding the info to our field deputy: josef.siroky@lacity.org | 24-72 hours |
| A person suffering from severe mental illness, but the situation is not necessarily time-sensitive | Dept of Mental Health – Psychiatric Mobile Response Team (PMRT) | Call 9-8-8 (or 800-854-7771) | 3-4 hours |
| Time-sensitive, but non-violent and non-criminal. Need for assistance /well-being check. (ex. Loitering, noise disturbances, improperly clothed, under the influence) | CIRCLE (Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement). (FAQ) | Call 877-ASK-LAPD; select “non-emergency police dispatch” option. | 20 minutes |
| Time-sensitive and dangerous/potentially violent situations. | LAPD MEU/SMART (Mental Evaluation Unit / Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team) An LAPD officer + mental health clinician | Call 9-1-1; ask operator for a MEU/SMART team | ASAP (LAPD will generally deploy before MEU/SMART unit) |