AROUND TOWN
SEPTEMBER 2022
PARAMOUNT REVERSES REGIONAL HOMELESS TRENDS
Numbers Drop 56% Since 2019
A 37-year-old female living on the streets of Paramount was reaching out for help. A team of City and law enforcement partners provided support. Within hours, she was driven to a mobile shower and then to a women’s shelter where she received a hot meal, a bed, and case management assistance to guide her into long-term housing and a new chance in life.
L.A. County has seen a rise in the number of people suffering homelessness. The City of Paramount, during this same time, has experienced a healthy reduction in its homeless population, with the numbers dropping 56% since 2019.
Early on, Paramount developed a strategy to discover solutions. An important component was hiring specialists from City Net to assist in gathering statistics to accurately identify individuals living here without housing.
City Net concentrates on a specific area, engaging those they encounter to get an intimate understanding of their situation, unlike traditional homeless counts like those conducted by L.A. County.
The census revealed 59 unsheltered adults in Paramount, down from a high of 105 in 2019. The decrease over the past year was 31% (85 to 59).
and got them into housing. The mother is now part of a job development program and continues to receive the non-profit’s services.
The City’s “Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness” includes:
•One employee spending half of each day checking on homeless neighbors.
•Funding for motel vouchers.
•Transportation to shelters, onsite medical treatment, making social services or mental health appointments, getting ID cards from the DMV, picking up prescription medications.
•Secure storage services for homeless neighbors to keep their belongings safe.
•Reserving 12 Salvation Army shelter beds for Paramount in the City of Bell, close enough for individuals to be near their support systems. Everyone receives three meals a day, employment search assistance, and long-term housing navigation. The cost is paid through the City’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) proceeds.
Here are Paramount’s numbers for helping folks transition:
•2020: 14 individuals to shelters, 4 to Safe Parking sites.
•2021: 18 to shelters, 6 to Safe Parking, 27
dedicated to working harder and ever more creatively in hopes of moving our homeless neighbors into permanent housing.
GOGO GRANDPARENT –RIDE SHARING MADE EASY!
The City has a new transit option for seniors 55 and older and disabled residents.
Now they can use Uber and Lyft without downloading the app if they aren’t comfortable arranging ride-sharing directly.
Paramount is the first City in Southern California to offer this service. Transportation is available for:
•In-town trips to government and medical offices and shopping centers.
•Out-of-town medical visits (up to 5 miles outside of the City).
•For qualified residents cost is a $1 co-pay per one-way trip, the City covers the rest.
•Rides to the Elderly Nutrition Program/ Paramount Senior Center are free!
•Available 7 days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
To register, call (562) 220-2090.
MAYOR
Vilma Cuellar Stallings
VICE MAYOR COUNCILMEMBERS
Isabel Aguayo
Annette C. Delgadillo
Peggy Lemons
Brenda Olmos
