Homelessness FAQs

You can contact the Malibu Outreach Team directly at 310-460-2638 or MalibuOutreach@ThePeopleConcern.org. Be sure to provide as much information as possible regarding the individual and their location. You can provide your contact information or remain anonymous - in either case, an outreach worker will reach out to that individual as quickly as possible to offer any services they may need.

If you have an immediate safety concern about yourself or anyone else, you should immediately call 911 or call the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station directly at 310-456-6652.

One of the largest agencies in Los Angeles County providing services to the homeless population, The People Concern, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Los Angeles,  works to build self-sufficiency, restore dignity, and help the most vulnerable to become contributing members of the community, enhancing the quality of life for everyone concerned. Their ultimate goal is to transition homeless individuals from living on the street to achieving and maintaining permanent housing.

Since 2016, The People Concern has fielded two, full-time outreach workers in Malibu to engage regularly with the City's homeless population. The workers locate, engage and build relationships with each individual and, once they gain their trust, offer appropriate assistance, including necessary social services, medical care, substance addiction treatment, and more. Throughout the process, they work with the individuals to complete the process of being placed in permanent housing. Through mid-2018, the outreach workers have successfully assisted 30 homeless persons in Malibu to get off the street and into permanent housing with another 18 placed in interim housing.

To leave a message directly for the outreach workers of The People Concern, call 310-460-2638 or email MalibuOutreach@ThePeopleConcern.org. For more information about The People Concern, visit ThePeopleConcern.org.

The City’s Homeless Outreach Team, in partnership with City staff and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, works proactively to offer a variety of direct services to the homeless population in Malibu, including temporary and transitional shelter/housing. In 2024, the Outreach Team housed 72 people through their outreach services, and they continue to successfully house multiple people per month this year. 

To proceed with an encampment removal on public property, specific protocols must be followed by both the pertinent municipality and law enforcement. If there is an imminent threat, the process can go quickly but otherwise can take up to two months.

Before clearing any encampment, people experiencing homelessness must be given access to outreach services, and clear warnings must be posted noting the scheduled clean-up day - usually 72 hours in advance. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) helps oversee this process when there are five or more encampments in an area.

Encampments can be reported to the Malibu/Lost Hills Station at 818-878-1808 or the City’s Public Safety Department at 310-456-2489, ext. 236 at any time. However, if you see an encampment fire in the brush or other criminal behavior that requires law enforcement assistance, always call 911 immediately.

The Sheriff’s Department can cite individuals for starting illegal warming or cooking fires, and the Fire Department will extinguish the fire.

City staff, the Outreach Team, and the Sheriff’s Department conduct regular field checks to ensure there are no encampments in the hillsides or other vulnerable areas of the City while strongly advising all people experiencing homelessness of the heightened danger that fires bring at this time of year. Additionally, City staff works with its partners at the LA County Board of Supervisors to ensure the Emergency Centralized Response Center is readily available for immediate shelter placements during fire season while leveraging all other shelter resources readily available to the City.

Encampments on private property are subject to different protocols and should be reported to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 818-878-1808, or the City’s Public Safety Department at 310-456-2489, ext. 236. If you report an encampment on your property, the Sheriff’s Department can cite them for trespassing and remove the individual(s).

If you are reporting an encampment on someone else’s property, the Sheriff’s Department and the City can identify the property owner, check for a Letter of Agency on file, and/or contact the property owner to see if they want them removed. Sheriff's Deputies cannot remove a homeless individual camping on private property if the property owner is not interested in having them removed unless the individual is causing a disturbance or committing a crime.

The City is unable to control transient behavior, but City staff and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department conduct routine field checks throughout the City to ensure that new encampments are addressed promptly. Once an encampment is addressed, people experiencing homelessness are strongly advised against forming another encampment while being informed of local ordinances and penal codes they’d be subject to.