L.A. is housing more people than ever, but an even greater number keep falling into homelessness. This first-of-its-kind prevention program calculates who seems most at risk for landing on the street.
Dulce Volantin and her partner, Valaria Zayas, pose for a portrait on their rooftop in Los Angeles. When asked what this program has meant for her and her partner, Volantin chokes up as she says,"The world, the world.""Sounds kind of shady," she recalls thinking.
With that goal, the pilot program is using artificial intelligence to predict who's most likely to land on the streets, so the county can step in to offer help before that happens.Dana Vanderford leads the Homelessness Prevention unit within the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services in Alhambra, Calif."We have clients who have understandable mistrust of systems," Vanderford says. They've"experienced generational trauma.
Elizabeth Juarez, case manager at the Homelessness Prevention unit, cold calls potential clients to enroll them in the program. She says when people's lives are unstable their numbers and addresses often change. When she does get through, she finds many people facing eviction or dealing with domestic violence.
it can take a minute to process what's happening. She explains how the program offers a case manager to work with people for four to six months. They'll help figure out how to spend $4,000 to $6,000 dollars in aid, money which he won't have to pay back. "We discuss, 'How is your living situation?' '' she says."So while somebody might be physically housed, is it safe in there? Do you have a bed? Do you have what you need in your home to thrive and feel stable?"Ricky Brown is a new client in the prevention program. The 65-year-old was a handyman but went on disability after injuring his back when he was in his 40s. He was barely getting by in a one-bedroom apartment in L.A.
"That's our main goal," Theus says,"to make sure they are able to take care of themselves after we're done." In just over two years, L.A.'s pilot prevention program has worked with 560 people. Data shows a large majority have stayed housed so far, but the program is conducting a more formal long term study. This is the view of downtown Los Angeles from former client Dulce Volantin's rooftop.
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