There are greater than 6,800 RVs in Los Angeles County that unhoused individuals name dwelling, in line with the 2024 homeless count. That’s greater than the variety of tents (about 4,200) recorded in that very same survey. Of these, 3,691 are in the city of Los Angeles.
Leisure autos have appeared throughout the county and town of Los Angeles, generally parked alone on a avenue, generally in teams that unfold over a number of blocks. Some are dilapidated and inoperable. Others are in working situation and folks can drive them from location to location.
However in contrast to a tent or cardboard lean-to, RVs provide substantial safety, privateness and shelter. And in lots of different locations, individuals are allowed to dwell full time in RVs. So understandably, RV dwellers usually don’t consider themselves as homeless and few wish to commerce their automobile for a mattress in a gaggle shelter. (Who would?)
Over time, as neighborhoods have complained about trash, fires and crime at some RV encampments, Los Angeles metropolis officers have struggled to determine how one can persuade this section of the unhoused inhabitants to depart their autos behind.
Sadly, the L.A. Metropolis Council’s recent solution — to tow illegally parked RVs in some areas with out doing outreach or providing companies or short-term housing — is more likely to backfire and runs counter to town’s efforts to scale back avenue homelessness.
For those who kick homeless individuals out of their RVs, they might find yourself residing in a tent on the sidewalk subsequent to the place they have been parked. The RV could also be gone, however its occupants are much more unsheltered than they have been. That’s ridiculous. This can be a difficult state of affairs, however that is simply the improper approach to cope with it.
The truth is, the council’s movement is so broad that it directs transportation officers to tow away “any and all autos” which can be stopped or parked in violation of quite a few parking restrictions. The Authorized Support Basis of Los Angeles, in a letter to town lawyer, mentioned the council overstepped its authority in ordering towing of autos that will violate parking restrictions however don’t represent a visitors or public security hazard or aren’t parked in posted tow-away zones.
We perceive that RV encampments can pose issues. They’re huge and ponderous, and make it troublesome for different drivers to navigate round. They completely take up parking areas, generally alongside metropolis parks. RV dwellers have been identified to dump their septic tanks into the streets. Some RV occupants find yourself transferring belongings into the adjoining avenue or sidewalk.
Over time, town has tried to discourage encampments by placing up indicators on streets prohibiting in a single day parking of outsized autos. When that occurs, RV dwellers merely transfer to a different avenue or, in some instances, stay there. Town can solely tow so many as a result of there isn’t sufficient city-controlled storage even for the quick time period. Nonetheless, between Might 2022 and June 2024, town issued 1,134 parking citations to RVs and towed 638 of them. (Towing stopped in the course of the pandemic and resumed in 2022.) It is usually costly. Towing, storing and ultimately dismantling and recycling RVs might value town thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
One factor is for certain — town can’t simply tow its method out of the issue. A extra prudent technique can be to observe the method for transferring individuals out of tent encampments. This method has already proven it will possibly work. Metropolis officers have elevated outreach to RV campers lately, together with by Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Protected program, which provides individuals in encampments interim housing, largely in motels and lodges. RV campers will usually settle for motel or resort rooms, although some gained’t when the provide is contingent on relinquishing the RV. Since June 2022, 196 RV dwellers took housing.
Metropolis Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and the nonprofit West Valley Houses YES collaborated on a pilot program that started in 2022 within the San Fernando Valley and has efficiently housed 146 RV dwellers. Councilmember Nithya Raman, the present chair of the Metropolis Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, has pushed for a citywide technique to accommodate RV dwellers and provide them money or present playing cards to half with their autos. It labored in Rodriguez’s district. Persons are understandably reluctant to surrender their autos. A $500 incentive could assist. However service suppliers say campers fear about what they may do if the motel keep doesn’t work out and their RV is lengthy gone.
Town ought to contemplate different choices as nicely, together with utilizing metropolis heaps to supply short-term RV storage and opening protected parking heaps for RVs. The heaps would should be bodily larger than these for vehicles, and open 24 hours — in contrast to town’s present protected parking heaps which can be open solely at evening. However it will most likely be easier and cheaper than providing up hundreds of motel rooms for a number of months. As an alternative of spending all its efforts attempting to get individuals out of RVs, town ought to work on discovering or creating locations which can be protected for RVs.
This course of takes time. Nonetheless, metropolis officers ought to proceed to ramp up efforts to achieve out to RV dwellers and provide them housing. Towing illegally parked RVs with out doing that will eliminate RVs however will go away extra individuals residing on the road.
