San Pedro Church Working with Nonprofits to Provide Services

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

The Warren Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church has services every Sunday, but the Rev. Adam Stevenson intends to have the church help people all week long. Stevenson calls his idea “life stations.”

“If you find yourself in a place, in a station in life where you are dealing with a particular issue in life, well then we will have someone there prepared to meet your needs,” Stevenson said.

For example, Rainbow Resources, a nonprofit based in San Pedro, will be training church members on how to assist victims of domestic violence. Stevenson also intends to help people who are struggling with their mental health, or who need housing.

“All these different things, we will have trained individuals within the church,” Stevenson said. “Not only can we send you to the resources, but we will have individuals who will walk alongside you. If you look at the word ‘encourage’ in its original language, it means to walk alongside. And that’s what we intend to do.”

Warren Chapel CME Church sits across Bandini Canyon which connects to Peck Park. Stevenson noted that if people are having problems, they will often hang out there. Stevenson said he often speaks with them and asks if they need food or other help.

“But if the church is closed until Sunday, we’re not really helping,” Stevenson said. “So that is the goal, to have it set up in a way that we can be in constant contact, and where we have individuals that are able to walk alongside and where they can reach out to them, and help them all the way through the process.”

Stevenson said he got the idea for the life stations from his experience as a pastor of Warren Chapel, where he has been since 2014.

“What I’ve found is that when people have traumas, or find themselves in certain places in life, one of the first places that they come is the church,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson said it is normal to see new people sitting in the back of the church.

“What I’ve started to notice over time is that while we were maybe spiritually feeding them, we weren’t coming alongside them to help them get the resources and the things that we needed,” Stevenson said.

He saw it as a mismanagement of people. If his church was going to be the first stop for people in crisis, then Stevenson decided it was necessary to have the right resources for whatever they need.

Stevenson said that clergy sometimes bite off more than they can chew. He said that pastors have had to operate as if they were psychiatrists, psychologists, or marriage and family therapists.

“We’re stepping in territory where we don’t have the knowledge or the skill set, so we may have been not assisting,” Stevenson said. “I won’t say that we’re doing harm, but I think for people to grow spiritually healthy, they have to be emotionally healthy as well.”

Stevenson said the project is in its beginning

POLA Seeks Public Input on Waterfront

The Port of Los Angeles is asking local stakeholders to provide their input at a community workshop Feb. 23 that will focus on how to better link the larger region, San Pedro and its neighborhoods, to the LA Waterfront’s many areas and attractions.

San Pedro’s waterfront connectivity plan initiative will explore a variety of transportation methods and mobility solutions to get to and between LA Waterfront areas — including the new San Pedro promenade and town square, the World Cruise Center and the West Harbor development now under construction. Potential ideas explored will include new and improved pedestrian and vehicular routes, transit, crosswalks, wayfinding signage, open space and active programming. 6 to 8 p.m., Feb. 23 https://www.portoflosangeles.org

POLA Boys and Girls Club, 100 W. 5th St.,

City of RPV Releases Draft EIR for Proposed Portuguese Bend Landslide Remediation

RANCHO PALOS VERDES — The City of Rancho Palos Verdes Feb. 9 released a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Portuguese Bend landslide remediation project, an estimated $33 million public works project that aims to slow a continuously moving landslide that has significantly damaged homes, utilities and infrastructure for nearly seven decades.

The Draft EIR found that the project would have no significant impacts with measures that mitigate potential impacts to a less than significant level. The Draft EIR is available on the city www.rpvca.gov/landslide for public review and comment for a 64-day period from Feb.

A public hearing to present the Draft EIR findings and solicit feedback is scheduled to happen during the city council meeting March 21. www.rpvca.gov/landslide

Tenant Rights and Resources

With tenant protections changing and some expiring on March 31, it is important to know your rights as a tenant. StayHousedLA.org has created a list of current tenant protections and which ones are expiring.

Know your rights: https://www.stayhousedla. org/tenant_rights

En Español — https://www.stayhousedla.org/ es/

If you are a tenant who needs legal services, you can apply for them here: https://www.stayhousedla.org/referral

En Español — https://www.stayhousedla.org/ es/referral

Attend a tenant rights workshop; https:// www.stayhousedla.org/workshops

En Español - https://www.stayhousedla.org/ es/workshops

Details: 888-694-0040

Extend Homelessness Emergency Outreach

Efforts in Downtown Long Beach

LONG BEACH — Due to the consistent demand for services, the city’s Mobile Access Center or MAC will extend its street outreach efforts in downtown Long Beach in February. This focused outreach will allow Homeless Services Bureau staff to conduct meaningful engagement and continue to build relationships, an essential component in increasing access to resources and services. Data show that some people are contacted 10 or more times before becoming open to receiving services.

Details: https://tinyurl.com/homeless-emergency-outreach

LB Announces Business Improvement Districts Grant Awards

LONG BEACH — The City of Long Beach announced a total of $100,000 in new business improvement districts grant awards, which will support sidewalk activation, special events, and clean and safe initiatives. This program is in addition to the existing LB Recovery Act funding for BID Grants