Homeless liaison outlines referrals, motel vouchers and service gaps; council asked to advocate for resumed mobile showers

Adriana Lopez, the homeless services liaison for Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood and Signal Hill, updated the City Council on March 26 on outreach, referrals and services available to people experiencing homelessness in Hawaiian Gardens.

Lopez said her role is to coordinate across agencies (LAHSA, PATH, Whole Child, Department of Mental Health and others) and to refer residents for motel vouchers, short‑term housing and specialized clinics. "I am the homeless services liaison representing the 3 cities that are in LCA 4," Lopez said, adding that she attends monthly SPA‑level coordination meetings and the State/City/County meeting to track cleanups and service activity.

She described specific supports and two recent success stories: a person with mental‑health needs who was connected to Department of Mental Health housing after referral, and a homeowner who needed a toilet replaced to pass inspection and keep a housing voucher; PATH flex funds covered the repair so the resident retained their voucher. Lopez explained that many services require multiple agencies to coordinate and that confidentiality rules (HIPAA) prevent her from sharing exact placement counts: "Because of the confidentiality in this type of work, I can't really give out names, and I really don't have specific numbers," she said.

Lopez also raised a service gap: the county‑funded mobile "shower of hope" program that had operated weekly in the city for about two years lost funding last month. The program averaged about 19 shower users and helped connect people with caseworkers and the mobile clinic that visited the same site monthly. Lopez asked the council to advocate for restoration of the shower service; council members agreed to follow up with the county supervisor’s office and the city manager.

Other points: Lopez described LAHSA and PATH services such as motel vouchers, short‑term housing, assistance obtaining IDs and birth certificates, and flex funds for urgent repairs or basic needs. She noted that HMIS (the Homeless Management Information System) access is limited for her as a contractor, making it difficult to produce local placement statistics. She recommended that staff distribute a LAHSA agency‑contact PDF to help residents and outreach workers find the correct referral pathway.

Council response: Council members thanked Lopez, asked about the city’s point‑in‑time count (postponed because of fires; Lopez said results were forthcoming), and asked the city manager to follow up with the county supervisor’s field office to advocate for the mobile shower and mobile clinic return.