A home to the Homeless

The main attractions of California are, predictably, the beaches. People come from all over the world to visit the famous beaches along the California coast. In fact, my hometown Santa Monica beach is one of the most popular beaches in the U.S., with over 50 million visitors each year (Heal the Bay). While many people love to take advantage of the vast public space along the coast, many don’t realize that there are limitations to beach access. In Los Angeles, and other cities along California, access to the beach is only allowed during certain hours (Lovett). Technically, from the hours of 12 A.M. to 5 A.M., beaches are closed. This may come as a small inconvenience to the millions of tourists that visit the city each year, but to locals it is a problem. Especially for those that have no home, it is an addition to the already problematic issue of Los Angeles homelessness. For that reason, the beach curfew should be lifted, opening the beach at all times.

There are three reasons for the beach curfew. The first of which is safety concern. Swimming in the dark can be dangerous for inexperienced swimmers. This law particularly caters to tourists, who may not have much experience with the ocean. Without an on duty lifeguard, people are more likely to drown, or be otherwise hurt while swimming at night. However, locals who have spent their lives going to the beach are experienced enough to know their own limitations, especially at night. They understand better than anyone else the risks of night swimming, and could serve as an example to less experienced swimmers. With the lifting of the beach curfew, beaches would most likely become more crowded at night, providing an opportunity for self-regulation, much like certain beaches that never have active lifeguards.

The second major concern is crime on the beach. This was actually the main reason that the curfew was put into effect in the 1980s (Rylah). In areas such as Venice Beach, gang activity has historically been an issue. In recent years this trend of gang activity along the coast is decreasing (Lovett). This is in large part due to the gentrification of the coastal towns. Venice Beach, and Santa Monica before it, has seen major renovations and improvements to the local real estate. This has increased the cost of living in these areas, and consequentially forced gangs further inland. Police activity has also helped reduce the issue of gang activity. The police regularly patrol beaches, especially Venice (Lovett). This constant beach presence has discouraged gangs from using the beach as a place to operate. Despite this downward trend in gang activity, it is still cited as a main justification for the beach curfew.

The real issue that has kept the beach curfew alive is homelessness. It is a common thought in Los Angeles that vagrant occupation of the beaches makes them less attractive, particularly to tourists. This is a logical thought, but it is important to understand the homeless situation in Los Angeles in order to grasp the damaging affects that this beach curfew has on the homeless population.

Homeless people in Los Angeles tend to gravitate towards the beaches, because they provide a place to sleep that is much more comfortable than an alleyway or sidewalk. They also provide certain amenities that are extremely beneficial to homeless people. Many beaches provide public bathrooms, showers, and drinking fountains that homeless people could not access elsewhere. Many people make the beach their home, where they live and sleep. For many, it is a place of refuge from the concrete jungle of L.A. (Holland).

For the most part, homeless people who live around beaches keep to themselves, and are not a bother to beachgoers. However, California, and L.A. specifically, has a problem of mentally-ill homeless populations. This is because of Ronald Reagan’s policies as governor of California in the late 60s and early 70s. Reagan went on a campaign of deinstitutionalization that resulted in the release of thousands of psychiatric patients from mental hospitals into the streets (Torrey).

As patients were moved from mental wards to nursing homes and halfway houses, the wards were closed permanently. Reagan also helped pass the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, which ended involuntary institutionalization except in extreme cases. With this, Reagan essentially forced psychiatric patients out of hospitals, with little chance of them being readmitted into a mental hospital. This led to an increase in both homelessness and crime. With the first wave of deinstitutionalization, about 11,000 people were released into Los Angeles, the majority of whom ended up homeless or in jail. This trend continued as more state hospitals were closed. By the mid 1970’s studies showed that 6.7% of county jail inmates were psychotic (Torrey).

This is why Los Angeles, and California as a whole, has such major issues with the homeless population. As a result of Reagan’s mental health blunders, people now associate all homeless people with the mentally ill population that Reagan displaced.

The homeless population suffers the most from the beach curfew. They are the first people that police will target on beaches because they are seen as a danger. In fact, a homeless rights rally in April served to enforce the claim that ordinary citizens are not of concern to law enforcement in this matter. As protesters camped out on the beach after hours, the police took watch of them, but took no action to remove them from the beach. This only helped prove that police were targeting the homeless with this legislation (Holland). As a result of this targeting, many homeless people will receive tickets for loitering and vagrancy at the beaches that they call home.

Most homeless people do not have the money to pay for such tickets, and many will see repeated charges. From this point homeless people have two choices. They can remain on or near the beach at risk of eventually being incarcerated. The other option is to start making their way inland to find shelter free from the harassment of the police. This second option is largely undesirable, especially to residents of coastal towns where the vagrants find shelter. They complain that by forcing the homeless off of the beaches, they are finding their way into residential neighborhoods, where they commit crimes (Rylah). Los Angeles is placing a higher value on their image as a tourist destination than the well being of their residents.

The homeless of L.A. are placed in a tough situation. Many do not have access to the public services that they need. If the city of Los Angeles wants to “protect” its beaches from the homeless, it much first provide somewhere else for them to go. California could benefit greatly by following in Utah’s steps when it comes to dealing with homelessness. Through the Housing First Program, Utah has seen a 91% decrease in chronic homelessness, defined as at least one year spent on the streets. Officials say they are now approaching 0% chronic homelessness throughout the state. This not only provides a humanitarian approach to getting people off the streets, but has also shown to save the state money (Glionna).

The average annual cost of housing and social work for one person through the Housing First program is $11,000. This is dramatically less than the $17,000 average spent annually on hospital and jail visits for the homeless on the streets. The other huge advantage is that it is entirely voluntary to participate in the program. Anyone who desires a roof over their head can claim one, and if not, they are free to go on their way (Glionna).

Of course, California would have to establish this program on a larger scale, as the homeless population is quite larger than that of Utah. However, this would essentially eliminate the need for the beach curfew. This program would decrease the number of people living in the streets and help homeless people find mental health. With the threat of “invasion” of our beaches eliminated, Los Angeles would likely be inclined to lift the curfew to the benefit of tourists. This would draw visitors to the beaches for more time, which could serve to increase the economic stimulus that tourism brings to coastal towns.

This program would also benefit the local population greatly. It would reduce the amount of homeless people in residential areas, and allow the beach to belong to the people again. If the curfew were lifted, locals would once again be able to enjoy the beach at any time, with no fear of mentally ill homeless or the police to harass them. Most people live in Los Angeles to be able to go to the beach, and more would access it without the current restrictions.

There implementation of the housing program and lifting of the curfew would mark a huge turning point in California’s approach to homelessness, which is essential for a state that, “has more anti-homeless laws on average than other states” (Glionna). Those who have nowhere to go would have a safe place to take shelter. Meanwhile, those who choose to live without a home would be able to utilize the beach to their desire without fear of harassment from the police.

Works Cited

Glionna, John M. "Utah Is Winning the War on Chronic Homelessness with 'Housing First' Program." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. .

Holland, Gale. "Venice Homeless Activists Challenge Beach Curfew." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. .

Lovett, Ian. "Cities Are at Odds With California Over Beach Curfews." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. .

"Recreation & Economy." Recreation & Economy. Heal the Bay, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. .

Rylah, Juliet Bennett. "Some Los Angeles Beaches Could Be Open 24/7." LAist. LAist, 11 Feb. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015. .

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