PRESS RELEASE

People Assisting The Homeless

PATH

August 16, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeremy Sidell (310) 977-7866 jeremys@epath.org

New Apartment for Homeless Venice Resident Demonstrates Success of Roadmap to Housing Program
Rosendahl and Agency Officials Help Tenant Move from Vehicle to a New Home VENICE A groundbreaking program designed to move people living in their vehicles into permanent housing will celebrate a milestone Thursday when 65year-old Alfred Adkins moves into his new apartment.
Adkins has been homeless living in a vehicle for 10 years, mostly on the streets of Venice, which he has called home since he was 11 years old. On Thursday, Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and the Housing Authority of the City of L.A. (HACLA) will help Alfred move into his own Venice apartment. "I feel like I won the lottery! I feel like a normal person with my own apartment. I am very appreciative and thankful, said Mr. Adkins. Earlier this year, Rosendahl and LAHSA hired PATH to implement a program to help homeless persons living in their vehicles in Venice and its surrounding communities, called A Roadmap to Housing. Since that time, PATH has lined up permanent housing for 35% of the 126 people living in vehicles who are enrolled in the program. The emphasis of this program has always been on placing people in permanent housing, said Councilmember Rosendahl said. I see this as a model for the rest of the city. In April, Rosendahl partnered with HACLA to designate 25 Section 8 housing vouchers for people in the Roadmap to Housing program. The Councilmember also secured additional vouchers through the Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program. Since then, PATHs staff has been working tirelessly to identify individuals who are eligible for the vouchers and guide them through the extensive application, interview and placement process. Adkins is the second person to be placed in housing. Earlier this month, a 50- year-old woman was housed through the program. She and her dog had been living in the Venice area in her vehicle for 10 years.

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PATHs Vehicular Outreach team first encountered Adkins while he was living in an old school bus on the streets of Venice. He was a familiar face to many in the community. He has been on a fixed income that was not enough to keep his apartment. Without Roadmap to Housing, he would never be able to afford housing anywhere in Los Angeles, let alone the Westside. Its especially meaningful when we get to help someone like Alfred, who weve seen so often over the years, said Joel John Roberts, CEO of PATH. Days like this are the reason we devote so much of our time and energy to addressing homelessness. Adkins will officially move into his new home on Thursday. Rosendahl, Director of Section 8 Peter Lynn and PATH staff will host a brief lease signing ceremony, and help him get settled into his new apartment. Adkins move-in coincides with the release of PATHs six-month progress report, which touts the success of the program and recommends its team focus exclusively on outreach, intervention, and housing placement not on management of temporary overnight parking lots, which had originally been recommended as part of the program. Founded in 1984, PATH works to address homelessness in Southern California through a combination of services leading to housing, including rapid re-housing assistance, strategic outreach, permanent supportive housing development and supportive services for the most vulnerable populations. PATH serves more than 4,000 people in need each year. To learn more, please visit www.epath.org. ###

PATH