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CRAIG
BRILL
FOR
LA COUNTY
SUPERVISOR
INDEPENDeNT FOR CHANGE
CraigForSupervisorLA.com
ENHANCING PUBLIC SAFETY
TRANSPARENCY
INDEPENDENCE
COMMON SENSE
MY VISON FOR CHANGE
Once elected, I will act swiftly and decisively in order to effect positive change in our communities. My priority is to ensure public safety by correcting the homelessness crisis we are now facing.
We need to hire a greater number of well-trained mental health professionals to assist those experiencing homelessness and/or mental health issues. We need a District Attorney who will enforce laws and keep our streets safe, making public safety the number one priority.
It is now time to change the failed homeless industrial complex that has squandered billions, while conditions continue to get worse. Fourteen cities have effectively ended homelessness with accountability and compassion, and we can too! I intend to put real-time data into action for each and every homeless person living in LA county. I will see that transitional housing and accompanying services are put into place effectively and immediately.
Homelessness has become an epidemic in Los Angeles County. Today, we have 66,436 people experiencing homelessness in LA County. We need an effective relationship-building team to cultivate strong connections with the members of our homeless community. Sustained positive relationships and trust will allow this team to successfully secure mental health care and housing for these individuals. This will help keep our streets safe. Additionally, this team will assist with paperwork, which is often unduly burdensome for those seeking assistance.
Right now, the system is failing the mentally ill and many others. Mental illness is not an isolated issue, it is an issue that deeply affects us all. One in five adults in the United States experience mental illness each year, and one in twenty-five adults experience severe mental illness.
Twenty percent of people experiencing homelessness in the United States live with a severe mental health condition. Those with mental illness are more prone to commit acts of violence, as evidenced by the fact that seventy percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have been diagnosed with a mental-illness.
Violence on our streets is a serious problem. Homicides arrests have increased 47% over the last two years, with over 400 homicide arrests in the last year alone.
A year ago, my neighbor was a victim of one of these tragic acts of violence. My neighbor, Gabriel Donnay, was brutally stabbed to death in his driveway by a mentally ill homeless person. Witnessing the pain his family and friends were experiencing, motivated me to run for office. After his death, I organized our neighbors and arranged community meetings with elected officials to address these issues directly. During these meetings, I vowed to one day be the type of elected representative who would tirelessly work to keep our streets safe and solve the issues of the day with the commitment and vigor necessary to succeed.
Currently, there are not enough hospital beds for severely mentally ill patients. I want to put a system in place that ensures homeless individuals will no longer be able to refuse mental health care when they pose a risk to the safety of the surrounding community. The Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) allows those suffering from mental health issues to refuse treatment, and this does not guarantee and protect public safety for all.
Our politicians fail to treat this homelessness crisis as the humanitarian crisis that it is. We must work together to solve this issue, and together we can effect change! This is why I am running. I intend to submit my proposals on how we will solve this crisis humanely and with compassion.
I promise results once elected.
