Redondo Beach reaches 'Functional Zero Street Homelessness', moving people to stable housing

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Redondo Beach recently celebrated becoming the first city in the South Bay to reach "Functional Zero Street Homelessness."

"The goal for functional zero is to get people off the street within 90 days of their homelessness experience and Redondo Beach can now get people off the streets within 14 days," said Ronson Chu, the homeless services senior Project Manager.

Redondo Beach was chosen by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments to develop ways to reduce homelessness regionally. Almost four years ago, significant steps in that journey were taken with the homeless court, a once-a-month opportunity to address the city's petty crime problem.

Since we showed you the court in 2020, 169 defendants have participated in homeless court, 74 are in permanent housing, 63 are in interim housing and fewer than 2% have returned to court on new charges.

"Sometimes when you drag your past along with you, you don't get that; you don't feel like you get that second chance," said Valerie Campos, a housing navigator for Harbor Interfaith.

"When you get that opportunity to make your life become this new thing, you want to leave the past behind... so expungement in the homeless court, that's what they give you... they give the opportunity to start fresh," she added.

Multiple funding streams provided Redondo Beach pallet shelters, an effective tool for moving individuals from homelessness to stable housing. But success also came through program collaboration, led by people like Campos, who was once homeless herself and is now a critical connection to others in similar situations.

"When I go out there on the streets and pull people off the streets like how they did to me, I encourage, I'm there from beginning to the end when they move into their apartments and even after," Campos said.

It took almost seven years for the city to reach this milestone, but the work will also serve as a blueprint others can follow. And three neighboring cities are already following in the footsteps of Redondo Beach.

"I'm thrilled that we are on a path to functional zero as a county," said L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell. "And how do we get there?... City by city. Unincorporated community by unincorporated community. Community by Community. We can get there within five years."

"We don't have to solve for the 75,000 people in L.A. County.," Chu said. "Everyone just do your community and we'll be good."