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Health & Fitness

Marina and Ballona Homeless: Help Still Wanted!

Friends of Ballona Wetlands leads agency action. 

On August 27, I wrote about the plight of the homeless inhabiting upland areas of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve and environs.  (http://marinadelrey.patch.com/groups/friends-of-ballona-wetlands/p/ballona-homeless-help-wanted). The non-profit group, Friends of Ballona Wetlands raised this issue to elected officials and agency leaders in a letter dated August 15, after the group’s supply trailer near the western dunes was burglarized, and a fire was started among interpretive displays.   

In response to the Friends’ letter, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department hosted a meeting on November 13 in Marina Del Rey which brought together local elected officials, social service agencies, business owners, enforcement agencies and interested groups concerned about the increase of homeless-related crime and environmental damage in the area.  Friends Executive Director Lisa Fimiani, Founder Ruth Lansford, and Board Member Dr. Edith Read attended the meeting, reiterating the rise in associated potential environmental and safety issues.  

Among the concerns cited by the Friends’ are campfires in areas surrounded by flammable brush and eucalyptus trees, human waste entering the wetlands and Ballona Creek, vandalism and theft, trampling of wetland vegetation, and fence and gate damage.  The Sheriff reported that some 30 individuals have been approached by various agencies in the ecological reserve, and there could be as many as 60 homeless inhabiting the area, creating encampments throughout the reserve’s upland (dry) areas. Crime and vandalism is on the rise in surrounding neighborhoods, and some homeless are becoming more brazen.  Aluminum bicycle rims recycled for cash at recycling centers have been traced to bicycle “chop shops” in the reserve.  The Sheriff described a percentage of the homeless as “service resistant”, meaning they might have financial resources, a storage unit, and a place to go, but they still choose to live in the reserve’s upland areas.

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Meeting attendees discussed these issues, constraints to action and possible solutions.  One notable constraint is a federal Supreme Court ruling that prevents law enforcement from confiscating and discarding the possessions of homeless citizens. California Department of Fish and Wildlife, landowner of the ecological reserve, has already begun repairing exclusion fencing and is discussing trash removal efforts with the Friends.   The attendees agreed to work together to identify funding and develop a joint plan of action.  A follow up meeting will be scheduled in December. 

Friends of Ballona Wetlands conducts educational tours and performs minor habitat restoration work in the Ecological Reserve under special permits from responsible agencies.  Friends’ volunteers and visitors have witnessed the negative impacts upon sensitive habitat areas and upon the Friends’ facilities, all funded through charitable donations.   

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Libraries have been written about the plight of our city’s homeless citizens.  We seem to have many good ideas for solutions, but we’re not so good at funding or executing on our plans.  We need to do better. 

Clearly, additional volunteer and government assistance is needed to address this issue.  In a few years (with any luck), our state will create or restore a variety of wetland and upland habitats in degraded upland areas of the ecological reserve where the homeless congregate; areas where former wetlands were filled in with dirt when the Marina was constructed.  While restoration of wetlands in present upland areas will deter camping, in the interim enforcement personnel are working with social service staff and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine what can be done with limited funds. This issue is only the latest example highlighting the urgency of restoring wetlands at Ballona, and the need for funds dedicated to supporting long-term management of the Ecological Reserve. Whatever the ultimate restoration plan, its execution will displace long-standing homeless encampments.  No time like the present to begin thinking about how to accomplish this in a positive, caring way, and with a long term solution in mind.   

Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!

www.ballonafriends.org

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