SR-702-015 (2)Attachment II
Lett~ers: Input from the Public and Serrrice
Providers Comments
~
BAYSIDE DISTRICT
~~
DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA
THIRD STREET PROMENADE
July 30, 2002
Mayor Michael Feinstein
A.nd Members of the Santa Monica City Council
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mayor Feinstein and City Council
Over the past six months, the ad hoc Public Safety Committee has convened a series of
meetings with local merchants, social service providers, residents, advocates, and City
officials to address increased concerns of unacceptable behavior in Downtown. We have
heard time and time again about angry and aggressive confrontations between visitors
and transients, about door stoops being used as toilets, about intimidating behavior. We
have heard complaints about the parks and other public areas being monopolized by a
select few, leaving our public areas inaccessible to all.
The Committee worked hard to separate the issue of homelessness and unacceptable
social behavior. They were educated with help of our City staff and, in turn, educated the
public on what could be done to address specific concerns within the confines of the law.
Th_ e~rouu was clear in the communication with all present that the problems do not lie
with the social service aQencies located in Santa Monica, but outside the systems
su~orted by this communitv.
So after many hours of discussion and debate, the Committee, and ultimately the Bayside
District ~orporation Board of Directors, outlined specific issues they believe will make a
positive difference in the ambiance of our powntown if addressed by City Council.
The first. recommendation asks City Council to increase support of the existing social
service unfrastructure to help the downtown homeless population. The Board feels
the social service agencies in Santa Monica are positive members of this community and
should ~~e supported to the fullest extent available.
Next, the Board recommends a limitation of public feedings that take place in public
areas, such as parks, by the number of people served, the frequency of the feedings
or any other means. The considerable number of feeding programs are not connected,
in any v~iay, to social services. The majority of individuals or groups who provide food
1351 Third Street Promenade, Suite 301 Santa Monica, California 90401-1 32 1 Phone (310) 393-8355 Fax (310) 458-3921
do not require pernuts by the City. The Board believes that strict boundaries on this
activity wi]!.1 serve as a catalyst between food and social services.
The Board recommends a review of existing trespass laws and asks City Council to
modify the local ordinance to prohibit camping or loitering in private space
immediately adjacent to public space. The existing trespass laws do not provide
enough pratection for local merchants. Individuals who camp or loiter on merchants'
properties often are intimidating, and leave trash and filth in the doorways. A new law,
which could prohibit such activity without the express written consent of the property
owner, would make a dramatic difference in the lives of local shopkeepers.
And finally, the Board BEGS the City to fully staff and maintain the full complement
of police officers and community service officers in the District. For many years,
Bayside District Corporation has asked that all of the officers and community service
officers budgeted for powntown be provided. The Downtown is the heart of this
community, and the laws can only be enforced if there are law enforcement personnel in
the area. We hope that hiring practices adopted in this year's City budget cycle will have
a positive impact on this issue.
We understand this is a multi faceted issue, and that the community is part of the
solution. ~ayside continues to educate and inform merchants and visitors about roles
they can play to help. However, these cooperative efforts cannot work without City
intervention. We implore you to direct staff to come back to you without delay.
Sincerely yours,
~a~(/1.G~- ~l~ s~,
/
Ann Greenspun
Chair, Ad Hoc Public Safety Committee
Cc: Bayside District Corporation Board
Susan McCarthy City Manager
Marsha Moutrie, City Attorney
Chief James T. Butts, Jr.
Joel~ Schwartz, Sr. Administrative Analyst, CCS Human Services
Joh~n Maceri, Executive Director, OPCC
Donna Gentry, The Gentry Group
Barbara Tenzer, Tenzer Commercial Brokerage
Toc~ Lipka, Executive Director, Step Up on Second
Kathy Dodson, Executive Director, Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
Downtown area merchants and concerns citizens
«~
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a u e r
September 9, 2002
Community and Cultural Services Department
Mr. Mayor and Members of City Council:
Once again, the a~nnual Review of the City's Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services and Related Issues
(2001l2002) is before you for consideration.
Over the years, my friends antl neighbors have asked this city government take steps to retluce Santa
Monica's large papulation of street people and transients. This ciiy council has only made excuses as to why
nothing can be done. This year as in past years, "the homeless" is still the number one community problem.
Now, I find my self in the company of the Bayside District Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, Santa
Monicans for Responsive Government antl many others in requesting decisive and swift steps be taken to
permanently reduce Santa Monica's overly large and potentially dangerous transient population.
Since last year, Santa Monica's street population has grown. The downtown area has become so overrun
with transients, divnks and punks, that it is now, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal, "Last
years place to go." And, ladies and gentlemen, those are not flowers you smell, it's urine and excrement.
The combination ~of multiple free handouts by organizations as far away as Ventura, Van Nuys and Covina
along with a veritable menu of services has made Santa Monica a magnet for anyone looking for a hand and a
handout.
Over forty out-of-town organizations give away food in Palisades Park. An army of substance abusers,
transients, and mE;ntally ill have taken over the downtown and many of our parks where children no longer
play.
Criminal activity conducted by transients continues. An armed robbery of a transient in the 900 block of
Ocean Avenue a couple of weeks ago resulted in the victim being shot in the head. This is a clear indicator
that some transients are armed and the transient population is becoming increasingly dangerous and violent.
I've been toltl by city employees that drug tlealing is also on the rise -- especially in Palisades Park. And,
despite the "happ~~ face" propaganda this city and its service providers put on our "homeless" population, ~
still have a large riumber of felons, ex-cons, parolees, sexual molesters and other dangerous individuals within
the transient community.
Since last year, ~nro families who had begged you to do something about the problems have moved to "safer"
towns. Jeri Amstutz, whose graphic vitleo of drunks carousing antl fornicating in a parking lot adjacent to
her Bay Street condominium which was played at the Annual Review two years ago, has left Santa Monica.
Jo Ellen Van BusN;irk and her family have also moved out of the city from their Wilshire/Montana area
apartment. It was Jo Ellen's daughter who was "stalkedp by a mentally i~l transient who still hangs out at
Reetl Park near St. Monica High School.
2
This City needs tc~ change direction regarding its homeless policy. After almost 20 years and weil aver $100-
million spent, the situation continues to tleteriorate. There are no overaA goals except to provide more
services and thro~w more money at programs that are marginally successful at best.
We need to set a goal to cut the number of transients in the community from the estimated "over 1000 per
day" (based on a now outdated 1999 city census) down to 500 per day by 2005. By setting goals, everyone
from Police to thE; service providers can focus all their efforts at achieving the same positive results.
The following are ten recommendations to consitler to reduce the overall transient population and make
services more effiicient:
1. Curtailment of feeding programs in the parks. The number of pubfic food handouts must be reduced.
Feedings shou~d be moved indoors and linketl to serviees. The outdoor food lines hosted by out of town
organizations are a disgrace.
Being that hundrE:ds of municipalities and jurisdictions here and across the country have constitutional
regulations that provide various controls over public feedings and gatherings, hitling behind the lame "it's
unconstitutional" excuse just doesn't cut it, anymore.
2. Antisocial and criminal behavior must not be tolerated and policing should be set a level wherein antisocial
or criminal beha~~ior can be dealt with. And again, if ordinances have to be rewritten and strengthened to
stop aggressive a~nd antisocial behavior, then get it done and quit making excuses.
3. Alcoholism an~d public intoxication is a major reason for complaints about transients. This city council has
shown no interest in dealing with alcohol availability. In fact, it's #31 on the Planning Qepartment list of
priorities. City cc~uncil should ask our Chief of Police and the State of Califomia Department of Alcoholic
Beverage Control to step up enforcement of alcohol laws.
The ready availaE~ility of cheap alcohol attracts inebriates and habitual drunkards to our neighborhoods. Many
liquor stores, tak.e-out outlets, tlrug stores, markets, bars and taverns routinely and consistently sell alcohol
to known inebriates. These irresponsible licensees must be observed, cited, prosecuted and put out of
business.
4. Santa Monica should encourage the County of los Angeles, HUD and other funding sources to spread out
the funding and work with other cities who want to create and/or maintain services of their own, Instead,
two years ago (~ity Manager, Susan McCarthy, Joel Schwartz and others wrote letters to the Los Angeles
Homeless Services Agency requesting that LHASA not divert SuperNOFA 2000 funds to other municipalities
who had requested them to use for their own homeless support programs. Susan McCarthy wrote of Santa
Monica, "I stronqty urge LAHSA Commissioners to continue funding proven programs..." This monopolizing
of a finite amount of money available, makes it impossible for other municipalities to do their part
There has been rnuch rhetoric from Mayor, Michael Feinstein recently about sharing the homeless burtlen
with cities such ~as Culver City, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but that's not going to happen if we hog
the resources.
3
The best way to c~et other cities to do their part is to notiiy them that we are cutting back on services and
now is the opporl:uniiy for al! cities to take their share of the "continuum of care." Having seen the
"homsless" nightrnare we've brought on ourselves, there's virtually na chance surrounding municipalities will
"share the burden" unless they find suf6cient numbers of homeless and transients within their own borders
and are compelle~~ to act.
5. Establish a priiority system for accessing services based on length of time in the city. We need to urge
those coming her~e from out of town to seek services at their
place of origin oir where they lived mast recently.
6. Services must have a sunset clause. Progress through the system should be mandated and if they don't,
services are cut o~ff. Nobody should be allawed to use services indefinitely. There should be incentives to stay
with programs. F'eople should not be permitted to repeatedly dropout and reenter programs. The day
services that allovv individuals to exist on the streets in drunken and drugged out stupor, mental fogs and in
pain and misery should be terminated.
7. Service qualii~r must be improved There needs to be more senrices for the mentally ill, elderly and women.
Funding should t~e redirected to focus resources and these the most vulnerable section of homeless saciety.
8. Service organizations shaufd communicate and ne#work with the Police Department's Homeless Team.
Communication between Police and providers is vital to locate, outreach to and serve those in need in the
homeless community.
9. We have to "get tough" with those who are here to freeload and negatively affect our quality of life. This
city must be read~~ to implement and funtl increases in poiicing, specifically, the Homeless Liaison Team, Park
Rangers, and a mental health worker. If necessary, adopt a set of health and sanitation codes similar to the
County of Los Angeles, and hire a code enforcement person to make sure our restaurants antl food lines
meet applicable food handling and sanitation requirements.
10. Although noi; usually recognized as part of the "homeless problem," the hundreds of day workers seeking
day employment in the vicinity of Colorado and 11th Streets must also be dealt with. Due to lack of
sanitation facilities, private property all over the area is now being used as a toilet. The city needs to
follow through on setting up a supervised facility to enable these individuals to seek employment off the street
corners, with a pllace to sit down and rest and with sanitary facilities such as is done in West Los Angeles.
Sincere`-~~
Bill Bauer
bilbau@aol.com
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CLAR.E
f~undation, inc.
William Blatt
Kathleen Chamales
Ann Christie Petersen
Brian Daly
Marina Forstmann Day
Roy Hartry
Matthew Healy
Richard Hirsch
Elizabeth Ives
Johnny Lindstrom
Jim McCabe
Dorothy Richards
Jack Rosenbaum
Lloyd Silvers
Cameron Stewart
Linda Tigner-Weekes
Robert Timmins
Caroline Vincent
Jeremy Zimmer
September 9, 2002
Joel Schwartz
Homeless Services Coordinator
Human Services Division
Ci ,ry of Santa Monica
16~65 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Joel,
As Executive Director for the CLARE Foundation, and its ten programs serving men, women
and families, I once again thank the City of Santa Monica for its support and partnership as
we provide compassionate recovery services to those struggling with a drug or alcohol
addiction.
Today, CLARE's programs reflect the demands of a turbulent year. As national addiction
rates have risen (in response to September 11) our client base has also grown. CLARE
prc>vided service to more than 18,000 people in FY2001/2002. Our number of registered
clients rose by more than 23% (to 2,392), Of these, 74% percent were self-reported
homeless, an 8% increase from the previous year.
CL.ARE's Detox/Primary Program remains our most prominent point of contact for homeless
addicts. Last year, 1,661 individuals (1,335 men and 326 women) crossed Detox/Primary's
do4rway at Pico Boulevard and Ninth Street in pursuit of a sober life. Ninety two percent of
them (1,529 people) were homeless at the time of entry. But our results remain encouraging:
80'% of registered CLARE clients successfully complete their recovery program. Our 91 %
sur,cess rate in Detox/Primary speaks volumes about the value of treatment among the
ho~neless and low-income population.
Nicholas Vrataric But new challenges await us. Last year, our dual diagnosis population (clients whose
ad~iction is compounded by mentai iilness) rose from nine to 13 perce~t. These men ar.u~
women come to us with a tangled array of physical and mental problems. Many require a
pre~cise medication schedule that has been disrupted by addiction. Others have made a
desperate attempt to "medicate" their illness with their drug of choice. In either case, dual
diagnosis clients require specialized counseling, more referrals and additional recovery time in
order to make a meaningful recovery.
Our other concern is job training. As on-site treatment concludes, each client faces a difficult
transition back to mainstream life. We found that job-training workshops ease that transition.
Inc:luding workshops in the latter phases of recovery helped us hone individual skills, boost
se9f-esteem, and fortify clients against an early relapse. The results were encouraging, but
our efforts to continue these workshops have been frustrated by a struggle for funding in this
post-9/11 environment.
We will address these and other challenges with the same commitment to addiction recovery
that has characterized CLARE's work here for more than 32 years.
1871 9th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Tel 310.314.6200 Fax 310.396.6974 TDD 310.450.4164 www.clarefoundation.org
I thank you and the City of Santa Monica for the compassion you bring to these issues, as
well as your steadfast friendship and ongoing support. If you have any questions on these or
other matters, please don't hesitate to cali me at (310) 314-6228. Thank you for your time
and we look forward to working with you in the future.
~n~s;;-,~ ~ ; ~,
~..
P'f
~~~~ ~~r~~~
~~~ ~
~~~i~ct[. . '. ~`,~-i,,.~s.s~~
Executive Director
Page 1 of 2
From: 'Tom Fuller" <tom.fuller@vcamail.com>
Date: 9/12/2002 5:46 PM
Subject: Anual Review- Homeless Services
While I'm sure the (:ity's intentions where good at the time, I hope that at
this point, the City uvill recognize that the City's policies toward the
homeless have beeri a failure. Uncontrolled public feedings, the provision
of no-strings-attach~ed benefits and lack enforcement of nuisance crimes have
made Santa Monica the world renowned Home of the Homeless. Listen to the
people who are foot:ing the bill, the tax payers and the business community--
this has got to stop! The homeless are ruining our neighborhoods and our
businesses; and, thf~ City's policy is not helping them-- it's facilitating
their maladaptive bE~havior.
Let's try providing Ic~ving, yet firm, tough-love assistance for a change.
Let's provide all the help we can-- shelter, housing and job assistance,
mental, drug and al~~ohol abuse counseling-- to those that WANT it, and tell
the drug and alcoho~l addicts and the pan-handlers-- the Vagrants-- to get
out of town. Read this paragraph again. I am NOT anti-homeless. Let's make
Santa Monica the be~st in the world when it comes to helping the truly needed
and responsible... b~ut get rid of the vagrants that make the true homeless
look so bad.
I am sure that you ~vill receive many letters on both sides, which make the
same arguments th~~t you've been hearing (and ignoring) for years. I'd like
to take the opportunity to challenge the basis of many of the arguments made
by the pro-homeless (and certain members of our City Council):
1. Homeless advocates often say that the increase in the homeless population
in Santa Monica is due to the recent economic downturn. This is ridiculous.
Survey the people in the food lines in the park and find out how many have
actually have been E~mployed within the past 12 months. Find out how many
where employed in ;Santa Monica. Answer: very few.
2. The rise in rents in Santa Monica has forced people out of their
apartments and ont~~ the street. Survey them- how many people in the food
lines have actually lived in Santa Monica, in a paid apartment-- Answer:
very few, if any.
3. Find out how many are actually from Santa Monica; that have actually
lived here, paid taxe~s here, contributed SOMETHING, ANYTHING to our city.
Answer: Very few.
These people are not from Santa Monica. Sure it is nice to help solve our
state's, our country's, homeless problem one mouth at a time, but Santa
Monica can't do it allone. We need regional solutions, that provide the
appropriate help th~~t does not encourage bad, irresponsible behavior.
Page 2 of 2
Sadly, this debate has been framed as some sort of class struggle. Rich
against poor, haves against have-nots, gentrifiers displacing the working
poor. I think that the opposite is true. The vagrants in our parks and on
our streets impact the working poor as much as anybody. Vagrants are
ruining business anci the City's tax base... money that the city could use to
help the working poor. Make no mistake. The goose is dieing; have you
figured out where the golden eggs will come from when it's dead and gone?
Protect the Promen~~de.
I would love to see ~the day when I can stroll through Palisades park and
enjoy families-- rich,, poor, black brown and white-- enjoying the park. The
people who live, work in Santa Monica are entitled to that.
Please help us take our city back.
Tom Fuller, CFO
VCA Antech, Inc.
Tom.Fuller@vcamail.com
Telephone # (310) 571-6505
Fax # (310) 571-691)5
September 8, 2002
TO: Mayor Feinstein & City Councilmembers
FROM: Anita Holcornb
RE: 2002 A,nnual Review of Homeless Services
CC~ Joel Sr,hwartz, Julie Rusk, Barbara Stinchfield, Susan McCarthy
City Hall
1685 Main ;3treet
Santa Moni~;a, CA 90401
(f ) 310-458 -8201
[Fj 310-458••1621
CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF SANTA MONICA'S VAGRANCY PROBLEM
CALL FOR REFORM
EFFECTS
It is cfear to everyone, by now, the negative effects to ou~ community inherent in Santa Monica's
vagrancy problem. Individuals who fail to rise out of homelessness through purposeful social
services insist on, and are allowed, to linger as va~3rants on our streets for years. Dealing with
the effects i:~ the overwhelming challenge for the F~olice Department.
CAUSES
The challer~~e for the City and the Social Services Department is to recognize the core causal
factors and make changes. While it is very important to regulate impromptu, unsanctioned public
feedings arnd tink them to services, fundamental reform of the "stabilization services" themselves
is imperativ~~.
City funding is limited and homeless resource pro~~iders are saturated. Many homeless clients
are on waitiing lists for most services.
The Ciry m~ist:
+ 13egin a transition from providing general services that just sustain the horrreless on
i:he street, to services that fit the needs of the individual and move them out of
liomelessness.
+ ~~fficially recognize we cannot provide services to ALL, then proceed with ;;ervices that
,~erve our local homeless clients.
PG. 1 of 2
From: "Esili Kelly" <wmkelly@attbi.com>
To: <;~usan-mccarthy@ci.santa-monica.ca.us>
Date: 9/11 /2002 8:21 PM
Subject: homelessness
I have been a Ilocal resident for 25 years. The problem with homelessness is
worse than I h~~ve ever seen it. While our social service programs certainly have
success storie:~, they have attracted far more problems to our area. We have
become a mag~net for vagrants and transients who have no intention of changing
their lives. It i~~ time we look at a REGIONAL solution to the homeless problem!
We need to stc~p out-of-town folks from indiscrimnately feeding individuals in our
public parks. We need to make it clear that we can help a few people, but not
everyone. Mo:~t of the homeless are not people who just happened to lose a
job. They are ~people with serious patholgy, and we do not want them to all
congregate in ~~ur community. The intentions of the city, social service providers,
and outside feeding groups are good. But I think they are destroying our
community. Please send a message to the other cities that we alone cannot
solve this problem. If you don't do this, yo~ will probably destroy the businesses
that pay the ta;Kes to support social service programs.
Thank you
William Kelly, PJI.D.
3121 3rd Stree~t
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310.396.1141
~- ~ OCEAN PARK COMMUNITY CENTER
~
A~~ess Center September 9, 2002
~iampion ~iounselins'
Mr. Joel Schwartz
Daybreak Center Homeless Services Coordinator
and ashelter Human Services Division
N~ghr Lighr City of Santa 1Vlonica
Youth Ou~-eac~ Servi~es 1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
so~ourn Services for
Battered W men Re: Comments on Annuat Review of the City°s Coordinated Plan for
d Th Ch ~Id
an eir t ren Homeless Services
Turnin~ Point Dear Joel;
Transitional Housin~
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft of the
Board of Directors ~~ Homeless Review. We appreciate the City's continued efforts to ~
address the needs of homeless people through a coordinated system of
Dazlene Lasher
Chair caze, and by providing funding to a variety of community based agencies
Gary A. Richwald, M.D working in partnership to solve difficult problems facing our community.
Vice Chair OPCC's year-end report to the City documents the numbers of individuals
Christina Erteszek
Secretary
served in each of our programs.
Meian;e s~e~~e~ , We continue to be concerned about the numbers of
Treasurer homeless and runaway youth on the Westside, and the significant increase
Rae W. Archibald in dual and multi-diagnosed individuals seeking services at the Access
Patr"'a saz"'°°a` Center. With the exception of basic emergency services and referrals,
Colette Brooks
Don Burklrimer
there are no other resources available to meet the needs of youth on the
Candace Crowley streets.
Ja°e~ w. D°~ The number of clients served daily at the Access Center averages
Richazd Hirsch, ESq. 230 people. The majority of these individuals are mentally ill or substance
Steaven K.Jones
Maynazd Ostrow
BUUSIIlg, requiring significantly more staff time to meet their needs.
~~haza T. Pete=S Limited human and financial resources, as well as physical space,
Jeffrey Chen Rohwer constrain our abilities to continue serving such a dramatic increase in
Alan Strauss clients with multiple challenges in their lives. We need to address these
Honorary gaps very soon, or we're going to have significantly more people on the
Sheila J. Kuehl, Esq. streets that aze unable to get the services they need. These are the people
who often represent the most negative stereotypes of homelessness, and
John Maceri who have the most difficult time accessing services and getting off the
Executive Director
streets.
Deborah Maddis
Asso~~ate v~re~cor The food distribution programs in public areas have become a
Jeffrey D. Rennell source of concern for businesses, residents and visitors. I would encourage
F'na°°e D"e°`°` the Council to seek solutions that balance those concerns with an effort to
Roxann Smith
Director of Development
~.~53:~t~i Street ' i)anta 1~onica, C'A yol~o!-27z5 •~3io~ z6y-66y6 • Fax ~3io~ s64 66y~ • wwcv.opcc.net
~ ~ ~ ~. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~11}51 ~ssyy,~
~ ~ ~~ ~~~~~ .
~
~
iF~mtstii~?t~Vt>tt,~rAr ~~ ~~i ~~( ~~ s~;~ ti i~ ~
Pacrf rc Par~
SANTA MONICA + CALIFORNIA
Septembe:~s, 2~02 THE FAMILY AMUSEMENT PARK
Mr. Joel Schwartz
City of Sainta Monica
Sr. Administrative Analyst, CCS Human Services
1685 Mairi Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mr. :ichwartz:
I would lik~e to take this opportunity to provide you with a brief history of Pacific
Park. We opened our doors to the public in May of 1996. The Park is comprised
of a finro a~:.re amusement park located on the historical Santa Monica Pier. The
Park is unique in that it is the only west coast amusement park located on an
ocean fror~t pier. Being located on the Santa Monica Pier, a world famous tourist
attraction :and icon for the City of Santa Monica, we pride ourselves on providing
our guest:: and the community an extraordinary entertainment experience, in a
safe envir~~nment through exceptional customer service.
Due to our unique location, it is important i:o emphasize the adverse impact of the
increasing number of transient related issues for the Park, Santa Monica Pier
and the suirrounding Community. Having been with Pacific Park since its
inception, I can testify to the dramatic incr~ase of transient encounters by my
staff over i~he years. We are faced on a d~ily basis with the challenge of
engaging ~~nd escorting off premises, som~etimes very aggressive, violent and
mentally unstable individuals, with signific~nt risk, at times, to our own safety and
well-being. Recently, one of my officers was struck in the face by an unstable
transient tlnat was non-compliant when asked to leave the Park.
While we <~II sympathize with the plight of 1:he homeless and want to be
responsible citizens, I feel the risk of allowing the curren# situation to continue will
have a devastating impact on our entire cummunity.
Sincerely,
~~~~l
" , <~
/
Manuel L. Flores
Chief of S~~curity
Cc: Mary Ann Powell, CEO/GM
380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California 90401
Phone: (310) 260-8744 ~ Fax: (310) 260-8748
September 13, 2002
Joel Schwartz;
Homeless Seiuor Administrative Assistant
City of Santa Monica
Dear Joel:
St. Joseph Ce:nter is writing to support Santa Monica's continued funding of homeless services.
At a time of unprecedented cuts in health caze and mental health services in the County of Los Angeles,
continued support of services to assist homeless men, women and children to move from the streets to
housing and self -sufficiency is even more crirical.
As you know, the California budget crisis has flowed down to the local level. The Los Angeles County
Department of Mental Health has, reluctantly, mandated cuts of up to 20% to programs and agencies
providing outreach, case management and mental health services to the homeless. At the same time, the
County Department of Health Services is closing trauma centers and primary care clinics that provide the
only source of health care to the homeless.
Everyone who lives on the Westside is aware of the acute shortage of affordable housing, transitional
housing and emergency shelter. Without a means for homeless persons to get off the street, their mental
health and medical conditions will go untreated. Unireated mental health and substance abuse impacts not
only the individual, but the health and security of the whole community.
St. Joseph Center supports the 1991 Homeless Task Force recommendation that Food Programs be linked
to social services. Every community has homeless persons in their neighborhood. We support a regional
approach to homelessness and encourage neighboring cities to assist homeless in theu communities. The
city of Santa Monica has worked hard to create a continuum of care that works to bring individuals out of
homelessness. Food programs should support this continuum and should encourage participants to become
involved in ongoing services instead of inerely handing out food. We are willing to work with city
personnel and. other agencies to coordinate this effort.
We appreciate the City's efforts to support collaboration and partnership among residents, social service
providers, business and civic organizations, the Faith community and homeless persons as a means to
bringing about solutions to this complex issue.
Sincer~ ~
~ ~~Q~
Rhonda Meister
Executive D'n•ector
St. Joseph Center 204 Hampton Drive, Venice, California 90291
did i. qatel(a~verizon. net
Hello All,
I have been living in southern California for about 7 years now, and I
finally had the pleasure to live close to the beach, for just over a
year. You see, II come from NY/NJ, so this is definitely a dream come
true.
However, that diream changed into a nightmare very quickly. I live on Bay
Street, across from the dilapidated Pioneer Boulangerie. At first, I
noticed a few transients/homeless walking around on the street and into
the vacant lot arid building - now, it has become their new residence.
I am very empathetic to the homeless, but not when they infringe on my
rights to a peace;ful living. Currently, even visitors to the beach (they
usually park on ~~ur street, due to the easy access) are afraid to walk
down the street during the day. The transients/homeless in southern
California are suibstantially different than those in Manhattan -
Manhattan transients are very passive. The local transients here not
only aggressively panhandle, but they harass people, following them for
blocks and blocMcs, engaging in verbal and sometimes physical harm. They
have even haras~sed my 3-year-old son!
These transient;>/homeless have consistently threatened to harm us because
we ask them to leave and call the police. They threaten our safety and
instill fear in our own neighborhood! They travel in gangs, break
bottles on the si~~ewalks and streets, slash residents' tires, touch and
grab children! They jump out at unsuspecting pedestrians and visitors,
attempting to ste~al a wallet or handbag.
I don't understand how this can be in a city that promotes family life!
How can parent:~ feel safe about taking their children for a walk when
these disease-in~fested, drunk and drugged-up transients have no regard
for others!?! How can women feel safe walking down the street alone,
when transients are sexually harassing them!?! How can men feel safe
when transients are threatening harm to them or their families!?! How
can businesses flourish when transients are blocking their doorways?!
How can tourist:~ enjoy southern California when they are being harassed
and followed bac;k to their hotels?!
We (residents o~f Bay Street, between Main and Nielsen Way) call the Santa
Monica Police Department one to two times a day, on average.
Unfortunately, thie most the SMPD can do is tell them to leave, which is
fruitless, since the transients return to the same "party" location as
soon as the police leave.
One officer expl~ained that this is the best they can do because of
"Homeless Rights." I am appalled that taxpayers do not receive the same
consideration in this town!
The City of San1:a Monica is aiding and abetting known criminal action!
They are defec~iting, urinating and screaming obscenities day and night,
yet the City cannot do anything about it?!?! We might as well be living
under the Talibsin regime!
I want to understand why the City Council cannot do something about this
issue. Clearly, this is the bane of everyone's existence in this town,
businesses and residents. This cannot continue. People who work hard to
maintain a lifest!~le in this city deserve some respect and safety.
There should be~ a clear avenue to make changes to insure the safety and
peaceful living in the community. The homeless issue has plagued the
city of Santa Monica for over finro decades and yet the city has been
unsuccessful in finding a resolution. I would like a response and a plan
of action regarding the homeless. I expect to receive some
correspondence by the end of the week. I am extremely disappointed in
this city government. The upstanding residents of Santa Monica pay for
your salaries - NOT the homeless.
I will be contactii~g the local media - KABC-TV, KNBC-TV, KCBS-TV,
KCOP-N, KCAIL-N, KTLA-TV, KTTV-N - regarding the atrocities to which
Santa Monica re~sidents are exposed and the carelessness of the City
Council.
look forward to your response. Thank you for your time
Sincerely,
Nandita (Didi) P;atel
147 Bay Street ~20
Santa Monica, C.A 90405
310-452-9933
~~"i~,~ ~.~,~~ ~~'i~~
~ ~s~~r~~~~~an~t~' ~~~i~°t~cr~~w~~~
September 11, 2002
Mr. Jcel Schwartz
Homeles~s Services Coordin~tar
Human Ser~~ices Division
City of Santa Monica
1685 Mai^ Street
Santa Monica, California 904~1
Dear JoeY,
Please find attached a summary commentary for your Annual Review
of the FTomeless Services offered within the City of Santa Monica. We
have been discussing a variety of issues for the last several moa~ths and have
tried to provide a comprehensive overview for the City's review.
Comments and suggestions are from a variety of perspectives ~nd are
individual in nature. We did not reach 100 percent consensus on mamy
aspects, but as you we(1 know there are as many solutions to homelessness as
there are homeless individuals_
T'hank you for your encouragement and support in helping Side By
Side, a community partnership move these messages forward.
Sincerely, ~
"~~~. ~
Moira I.aMountain
Secretary
Attachment
Post Office Box 3622, Santa Manica, California 904U$
(310) 39?-$911 vc~ice (310) 392-8229 f~ax
Re~view of Santa Monica's Homeless Services
By Those Who Use Them - 2002
PR0~3LEMS FACING THE HONdELESS OF SANTA MONICA
AIVD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESOLVING THEM
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS:
~ THE REALITY O]F HOMELESSNESS 1N SANTA MONICA
750+ homeless ~citizens will sleep on Santa Monica's streets and in its alleys tonight.
~ THE HOMELESS - EVERYBODY~S SCAPEGOATS
The homeless a~re as much the victims of current events as the rest of us. They are NOT the cause
of all woes!
• PROBLEMS OF A:OMELESSNESS SPECIFIC TO SANTA MONICA
Homeless eating at public sites will be forced to find other, less pleasant, ways to obtain food if
these sites are c:losed. There is a severe lack of temporary shelter, affordable housing, and gainful
employment in ~the area.
• PUBLIC PROPERTY PROBLEMS~ INCLUDIN~ PARKS AND RESTROOMS
Reported ruden~;ss by park workers toward the homeless. Problems using public restrooms: early
closings, late op~enings, inconvenient locations, men in the women`s' restrooms.
~ PROBLEMS WtTH SOCIAL AGENCIES
O.P.C.C.'s mant~ra: "If you don't have an appointment, get out!"
• PROBLEMS WITH MEDICAL SERVICES
Homeless woulci find thei.r health much improved if they were able to receive proper medical care.
~ FROBLEMS WITH THE WINTER SHELTER PROGRAM
Homeiess who have experienced these conditions will avoid attending, even in the dead of winter,
rather than face these harrowing, demeaning processes.
~ A HOMELESS SHELTER IN SANTA MONICA
PLEASE HELP US FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO STAY!
At least, help us find somewhere to store our belongings during the day.
• The reality of :Homelessness in Santa Monica
750+ homeless citi:aens of Santa Monica sleep on this city's streets any given night!' Most of them
would gladly give 1;heir eyeteeth for a place to live and a decent job. There are many reasons for
homelessness; each~ of Santa Monica's homeless citizens has his or her own story ....
Anna is white-h,aired, in her nineties and can walk only with the aid of a crutch. When she needs
to use the restroom in the middle of the night, she slowly hobbles to the nearest open facility. The
soft clicking of her crutch as she passes sometimes wakens me ....
Tom, in his late fifties, was 'downsized' out of his job after years of loyal servfce. He's been turned
down for severad jobs. Perhaps it's his age, or the shabby, 'worn' look forced upon him by his
homeless condition, or that he's forced to carry everything he owns with him when he goes for a
job interview, or that some businesses will not let him come in to pick up an application blank ....
`Pops', a seventy year-old disabled gentleman, was recentdy run over and killed because his
disability did not allow him to walk all the way across a marked pedestrian crossing before the
tra~c light changed . . . .
These are the huma~.n beings --the ep O.ple -- who sleep on the streets and in the alleys of Santa Monica.
They could be yow~ father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your son, your daughter, or YOU!
Los Angeles County has lost more than 12,000 jobs since 9/11 ? A homeless job seeker, no matter how well
qualified, must lie albout his or her living conditions and work experience to even be granted an interview
A recent `for rent' ad offered a room in nearby Venice for $795 a month; most one-room Santa Monica
apaztments rent for $1200 or more.' . A homeless person trying to survive on $221 a month (General
Relief j has no way to afford shelter even if he or she could somehow qualify for a lease without a let-
ter of recommendar.ion from his or her CURRENT landlord.
"If I let myself fall into deep sleep at night, I may wake to find myself being kicked in the head, beaten
with a two by four, or even stabbed or shot by some drunk or gang of Nazi skinheads. " At least seven
homeless people have died on Santa Monica streets and alleys in just the past few months. No one can
guess the number af crimes committed against the homeless, since it is futile for the homeless victim
to report them. 'The Santa Monica Police Department (S.M.P.D.) can tell you EXACTLY how many
crimes by the homeless have been reported (210 calls in one year reporting vehicular ha.bita.tion, for
example), but they keep NO statistics at all regarding crimes committed AGAINST the homeless.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Treat each homeless citizen as an individual, with dignity. We ask the City Council to issue a
Proclamation rFCOgnizing the right of every homeless person to live with dignity.
• Provide sensiti~riTy training for ALL city employees. Side by Side, Santa Monica's coalition of
housed and honneless, stands ready to assist in any such training.
• Provide decently-paying employment to otherwise qualifed homeless. Perhaps add a clause to
City contracts requiring one percent employment of homeless residents.
• Provide decent shelter for those homeless trying to pull themselves back into society.
• Require the S.M.P.D. ta maintain records concerning crimes committed AGAINST the homeless.
• The Homeless - everybody's scapegoats
Bigots and bullies :Find the homeless easy targets -- an unorganized group with no political rights or
power. But the homeless aze also the victims of circumstance, not the perpetrators!
Consider:
• the turn-down of both business and tourism since the September 11, 2001, attack on our country;
• the precarious state of our economy (massive fraud, corporate bankruptcies, weak economic
growth, and a seesaw stock mazket);
• the once-uniquE~ Promenade now reduced to just another'cookie-cutter' chain-store mall;
+ former custome:rs who have decided to shop elsewhere rather than brave traffic congestion created
by the downtov~m Transit Mall;4
• the vetoed Target store, which would have drawn large nzunbers of customers to the area;
• the young people who hang out along our streets during the day, then go home and sleep in their
own beds every~ night;s
• the 'professionaa panhandlers' who drive to Santa Monica every morning and change into their
grubby `work' rlothes;6
• the wandering groups of drunks and others who pass though the Promenade at all hours of the night
far less concern~ed with the sanitary conditions of the Promenade than those who call it'home'.
The homeless are as much the victims of these events beyond their control as anyone else! They are
NOT the cause of a~ll woes!
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Institute a positive promotional campaign to combat inflammatory newspaper articles and to
introduce the public to the human face of homelessness.
• Establish better communications between the police, other city departments, and the homeless.
Regulaz contacl; (as Side by Side has with the City's Department of Social Services) would help
each group better understand the other.
• Problems of homelessness speciSc to Santa Manica
The wonderful climate and beauty of Santa Monica, not the food lines, draw many homeless here, just
as they do tourists! And we're not alone -- Orange County's homeless population ha.s increased by
17% during the pa..~t yeaz.$
The Santa Monica Daily Press claims that Santa Monica's homeless citizens have access to 21 meals a
week -- three meals a day. That number includes meals served only to those in organized programs
(SAMOSHEL, Daybreak, etc.). Realistically, there aze only about eight reliable, open-to-all-needy
public meals served weekly: (O.P.C.C. Mon-Fri, H.O.P.E. in Palisades Park Wed/Thurs, and City Hall
Sat). The local organizations that rw~ them depend on donations for the food they offer, not City Hall.
Smaller food lines are available only to those able to travel, dragging their belongings behind them, to
scattered sites with sometimes conflicting schedules, and are willing to tolerate pre-meal preaching.
If current public food offerings are outlawed, those who depend on them will be forced to obtain
nourishment in other ways. There will be more aggressive panhandling, petty theft, dumpster-diving,
tx'ash can buffet, m~re food poisoning, etc. Acts of civil disobedience (eating in public) will increase.
Few of Santa Moni.ca's homeless citizens will consider leaving their `home town' !
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Provide a place where the homeless can sit down at tables and eat in peace.
(See "A Homelass Shelter in Santa Monica" below.)
• Encourage our :Eaith-based community, businesses, and private citizens to become more involved.
• Problems in Public Parks and Restrooms
Park restrooms are sometimes closed as early as 8:00 p.m. while public (nonhomeless) events are still
in progress; restrooms are opened much later in the morning than official operating hours.
There have been a~nutnber of incidents concerning rudeness by park workers toward the homeless.
Usin~a public restroom should not require anyone to surrender their privacv or safetx There are
several reports of inen wandering into the parks' ladies' rooms. These perverts should be prosecuted!
Park employees seEm unable to provide reasonable security for women using the restrooms, then refuse
to take incident reports or to ca11 the police to file reports.
RECOI~ZMENDAT[ONS:
• Increase the hoiars of operation of public restrooms to at least coincide with their posted schedules.
We recommend tha.t at least some be kept open 24 hours a day.
• Sensitivity training for all park personnel. Increase supervision; if necessary, increase staff.
• Add signage in the downtown/Promonade area indicating the location and hours of public
restrooms, using internarional icons to assist non-English speaking visitors.
• Place portable restrooms near the homeless; for example, near the Arizona Avenue beach entrance
in Palisades Park. Restrooms need to be closer than 15 minutes' wa1k.
• Install security ~cameras outside women's restrooms, monitored from a centrallocation.
• Problems with Social Agencies
Homelessness doesn't start at dusk and end at dawn. It exists 24 hours a day! "What about Ocean
Park Community Center (O.P.C.C.)?'' you ask. "You could stay there during the day." WRONG!
O.P.C.C.'s mantra is "If you aren't here to keep an appointment with your case worker, get out!" But
there are not enough case workers to assist all those requesting help. Some homeless have even been
referred to downto~vn L.A. agencies to obtain assistance!
RECOlVIMENDAT:[ONS:
• Increase social services staff (Volunteers? Mentors? There are many retired people with a wealth
of experience a.~d wisdom living in Santa Monica.)
• Provide more a~nd better training of, and retention of, employees, especially case managers.
• Offer an alterna.tive to the current maze of social programs -- something similar to the highly
successful nonl~near LAMP program in L.A. Part of the resistance to case management is the
`pound the square peg into the round hole' attitude of many social service providers.
• Offer an incentive (a weekend at one of Santa Monica's beachfront hotels, perhaps?) to stimulate
case workers' active participation in helping homeless off the streets.
• Problems with medical services
Many homeless are in serious need of inedical caze. Someone who could pass out aspirin, band-Aids,
sun-screen, etc., fr~~m time to time would be a Godsend. Dental treatment, in particular, is badly
needed but virtuall~~ nonexistent.
T'he only free clinic: in the area, the Venice Family Clinic, three miles away frorn downtown Santa
Monica, requires the potential patient to arrive early in the morning to sign up for a possible afternoon
appaintment, then wait afterwards for hours for their prescription -- an up to 12-hour long ordeal!
At least 1/3 of 5anta Monica's homeless citizens are in desperate need of inental care!9 Since
America's mental care facilities closed several years ago, these poor souls, some so lost that they can't
even remember the:ir own names, struggle to survive on our streets! Many are Vietnam veterans, some
even confined to wlheelchairs!
RECOMMENDAT'[ONS:
• Medical studeni; volunteers could visit the homeless at public food lines, treat common ailments on
the spot, and reiFer those needing further treatment as necessary.
• The city's medi~cal community should produce a bilingual brochure or booklet, `Taking Care of
Your Health Wl~ile Homeless'; distributed to all homeless.
• Winter Shelter Program (again)
Informal interviews; with attendees of 2001-20Q2 westside homeless winter shelters reveal that the
problems enumerat~d in last year's zeport stall persist; there seems to have been no improvement
whatsoever. In sorne cases, conditions have even deteriorated.
Scheduling: Until last year, shelters were weather-activated for approximately one month before
and one month after the daily cold-weather schedule. With an El Nino alre~dy forming in the
South Pacific, ~rlans for an extended wet weather shelter program should be reconsidered.
• Location: The nearest cold weather shelter is in Culver City, nearly an hour's bus ride away, in a
California Natic>nal C3uard barracks subject to being commandeered without notice by the military.
An alternative shelter location should be developed immediately.
• Health problenns: Having one's head only 6-10 inches from some stranger's snoring/coughing
face creates a sE;rious risk of catching communicable diseases. Dirty cots and blankets, used
night after nigh~t without cleaning, promote epidemic health problems: flu, lice, etc.
• Regimentation: Homeless are forced to stand in line for long periods in the dark (regazdless of
the weather) be.fare entering the shelter, signing in, receiving cot assignments, using the restroom,
etc. They are often required to attend time-consuming social or religious meetings, and even to fill
out surveys for comm~rcial data-gathering firms before being allowed inside!
• A6andonment:. Homeless are awakened at 4:15 a.m. and evicted from the shelter before dawn,
regazdless of th~~ weather. When th~ey are dumped back on Santa Monica's streets, there is no
place open at 6:00 a.m. where they can go to get out of bad weather.
• Lack of securily:
• Personal ite;ms must be stored in the open or under cots all night; one can only pray his or her
properly wiXl still be there in the morning.
• There have been several incidents, unreported to the police by shelter staff, when homeless
persons, both male and fernale, have been physically attacked by other shelter attendees.
Imprisonment: Some staff inembers use their position of authority to harass and bully. Often,
their attitudes a.re more like those of prison guards than of those assisting people needing help.
Failure to instantly obey any command can result in being thrawn out into the night.
Noise: 100 - 200 people together in one room make a lot of noise - coughing, snoring, getting up
to use the restrc~om or to smoke a cigarette, etc. Noisy cliques keep others awake during the night.
• Poor quality of transportation:
• To reach the shelter, homeless must arrive early (4:00 - 5:00 p.m.) at an exposed waiting azea,
wait (sometimes for hours, in the rain} for a chartered school bus, then pray there will be
enough empty seats for them to squeeze on.
• Often, it's "Biggest bully, first on!" Smaller, less aggressive shovers and pushers get left
behind.
• Steps onto t:he bus are steep, aisles are very narrow, seats designed for very young children are
cramped. T'he result, with obscene rap music blaring from boom boxes, is a very unpleasant,
very uncomfortable ride in the dark.
• No provisions have been made to transport and accomodate disabled in wheelchairs, on
crutches, etc., who need shelter the most.
• Anyone whose property will not fit on their lap faces having their belongings thrown into dirty,
greasy storage compartments under the bus. Upon arrival, their property is quickly dumped
onto the open (perhaps even wet, muddy) ground, where they must try to locate their
belongings in the dark.
• At least, there were fewer complaints concerning the quality of food this year.
Many homeless who have experienced such conditions will avoid attending any shelter, even in the
dead of winter, rather than go through such harrowing, demeaning processes.
There will be a new shelter operator this year. Side by Side looks forward to working with them to
alleviate the above-described conditions.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
• Improve selection, training, and supervision of shelter staff. Side by Side, Santa Monica's coalition
of housed and homeless, stands ready to assist in any such training.
• Extend daily arnd seasonal schedules so nobody need be evicted into the dark, cold, and/or rain.
• Provide transportation suited for use by the riders. Big Blue Bus has wheelchair ramps, wide
aisles, and comfortable seats. Perhaps the low bidder is not always the best choice!
• Sleep deprivation among the homeless is a serious problem. Shelter residents should be allowed at
least eight hours of sleep each night -- slightly over six hours a night (10:00 p.m. - 4:15 a.m.) is
not enough. St~rictly enforce `lights out' and `silence' policies.
• Provide each pe,rson with a plastic ID card when they initially register at O.P.C.C. or the shelter.
This would pernnit much faster access to services; a simple `swipe' would register the user and
reduce long re~istration lines. This simple computerized system is used at numerous
conventions anrl trade shows handling thousands of people a day.
• Change bus pickup/dropoff points to sites offering protection from the weather and adequate light
ing for protection and loading/unloading.
• IF YOU WAN'F US OFF THE PROMENADE, PLEA~SE HELP US FIND SOMEWHERE TO
STAY DURIN(J THE DAY!
• REC4NIMENDATION #1:
If you want the homeless out of the parks and off the Promenade, PLEASE HELP US FINb
SOMEWHERE ELSE TO STAY! Ri~ht now there is simply NO ALTERNATIVE!
On any given night, nearly all of the approximately 300 shelter spaces in this city are occupied by par-
ticipants of organized therapeutic, religious, or social programs. Waiting lists are long. The maze of
bureaucracy and regimentation required to get a space for the night is both frustrating and demeaning.
For Santa Monica's other 750+ homeless, there are only a few spaces available on an 'emergency'
basis, usually reserved for battered women.
Santa. Monica shelters are open only during nighttime hours. Where would you have the 'sheltered'
homeless go during; the day after they've been evicted?
Local merchants and their nation-wide parent organizations have contacts and resources that the home,
less cannot access (tax write-offs, etc.). We ask that they use thern to help us find an unused building,
warehause, or even a vacant lot where we can create a permanent 'safe haven' shelter as an alternative
to the Promenade and parks! We would be overjoyed to have a place away from the Promenade tha.t
offers us s~fe shelter at night, restrooms and showers azound the clock, and security for our property
during the day.
• RECOMMENDATION #2:
At the least, we need somewhere to safely store our properiy during the day so we can search for food
and work without being forced to drag our belongings along with us.
SOURCES
' Economic Roundtable Physical Census of Santa Monica Homeless, October 27 1999
2 Billboard near LAX, August 2002
3 Santa Monica Daily Press, numerous inflammatory newspaper articles, Spring/Summer 2002
' Santa Monica Daily Press, August 28 2002
5 Santa Monica Daily Press, July 12 2002
e Santa Monica Daily Press, July 9 2002
' Sanfa Monica Daily Press, July 13 2002
8 KNX-AM Radio, September 8 2002
9"About a third of homeless people have long-term mental illness."
Nan Roman, National Alliance to End Homeless, Washington, pC
Quoted in Toledo Blade, January 29 1999
Special Thanks to ~fnita, Calvin, Dave, Domta, Eric, Joel, Mozra, Randy, Ricl~ Ruth, Teresa, and all
the other housed ar~d homeless citizen.s of Santa Monica who provided invaluable insights and
suggestions during the preparation of this document.
Prepared by KAMCo for Side by Side, a community partnership of housed and homeless
and Making Change..., a community human rights newspaper
235 Hilt Street, Santa~ Monica, CA 90404
Phone: (310) 399-7C-20 Fax: (310) 392-8229 e-maif: makingchange@earthlink.net
website: www.geocities.com/homelesssm
- ~~
, ~
~
November 9, 2001
Step Up on Second
Santa Monica City Council
c/o Joel Schwartz
Senior Administrative Analyst, Homeless Services
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main Street, PO Box 2200
Santa Monica, CA 90407
Dear Members of the City Council;
NUMAM 5
'OZ AGO 1 Z A 9:41
I am writing this letter as input for your annual review of homeless services in the city.
Step Up on Second is a contract with the City's Human Services Division Cserving mentally~ 11 adul s. First I would
like to commend the City Council because of the quality staff in the entire Hurr~an Services Division. They are a
highly professional staff who have partered with Step Up in providing high quality services in the most cost efficient
manner possible directed towards the greatest needs.
I would like to address two main issues as part of your review; the sheer increase in the numbers of homeless mentally
ill and the lack of accessible, affordable permanent housing.
Step Up has experienced a 37% increase in average daily attendance in our program over the same periods last year.
We have also seen the increase in the number of homeless mentally ill that we are serving; some 40% of participants
this year compared to 35% last year. These numbers taac our existing system of services in a fiscal environment in
which there are not only no new funds but reductions in current funding. Last year alone, we served some 36,500
meals (breakfast and dinner), 365 days a week. Some 35% to 40% were served to homeless mentally ill individuals.
The common theme among all mental health service providers is the lack of affordable permanent housing. Step Up is
known for our comprehensive service center which includes 36 units of SRO (single room occupancy) apartments
located on site. We have a waiting list of hundreds and we have not opened our wait list for some time. We are
currently vigorously pursuing the possible acquisition of 1327 Ocean Avenue, a 13 unit apartment building located
immediately behind Step Up. While this would be a significant accomplishment, it is a drop in the bucket relative to
the need for permanent housing for homeless mentally ill individuals. As vou may know, the national figure ~s that
some 33% of homeless individuals have a mental illness. We are working diligently on the problem and welcome
additional resources within the City.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to have input as part of your review process.
5 i ~~cer~! ~ ,
_- ~~.~
Tod Lipka
Executive Director
Member Services & Administrative Offices
Fresh Start Store
1328 Second Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 394-6889
Faac: (310) 394-6883
Adult Targeted Case Management Services
Partners Program (Integrated Service Agency)
1843 Lincoln Blvd., Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: (310) 392-9474
Fax: (310) 392-7341
~~
~
A ,
~ . .
Lending comfort and dignity through housing and services
Board of Directors
Russ Whittenburg, President
Richard Davis, Vice President
Ann Lederer, Secretary
Kim Defenderfer, Treasurer
Kris Andresen, AIA
Eileen A. Brown
Audrey Butnam
seth coccari
Rev. Patricia Farris
Billy Frumovitz, MD
Christopher Harding, Esq.
Robert Lench
Michael Levi, DPM
Cazol Mullaney
Cindy McQuade, LCSW
Booker Pearson
Chuck Pietrafesa, MD
Malik Rodriquez
Jane Spiegel, MD
Allan Young
Advisory Board
Dave Mderson
Pastor James Boline
Chief James T. Butts, Jr.
Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels
Carol DeFore
Ahmad Gramian
Stephen F. Harbison
Jerry Harris
Patricia C. Hassakis, MD, MPH
K.J. Laessig
Bill Mortensen
Nancy Mortensen
]udy Neveau
Rev. Donald Shelby
Dr. Ilene Straus
Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson
Robert J. Wagner
Dr. Monika White
Executive Director
Andrew Duff Parker
September 16, 2002
Mr. Joel Schwartz
Homeless Services Coordinator
Human Services Division
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
;Dear Joel:
~n behalf of the Board of Directors of Upward Bound House I would like to
thank you for this opportunity to provide feedback on the Annual Review of the
City's Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services.
Our County's homeless population is huge and we, here in Santa Monica, are
experiencing just a small percentage of the dispossessed, albeit a highly visible
percentage. Even before our latest recession it was reliably estimated that on any
given night, 84,000 persons are without stable housing! Now with our poor
economy and affordable housing shortage, every agency I know is experiencing
unprecedented demands for services.
The picture most people have of the homeless is that of a panhandler or some
permanent unfortunate denizen of the street muttering to himself. In reality, the
homeless are diverse lot. The vast majority are temporarily homeless - workers
who lived paycheck to paycheck, but got pushed over the financial brink by
illness, flight from an abusive partner or any number of life's surprises. Most find
shelter with family and friends, but many need the help of programs like Upward
Bound House to help them get back on their feet.
Thankfully, the Westside has a very good network of social service agencies that
can help. Each agency fills a role in a continuum of care that is designed to help
individuals and families get back on their feet. The problem is that for every
success story, of which the majority of homeless qualify, there are always
individuals and families teetering on the edge. I believe that we need to keep
extending our hands out in charity to these individuals by supporting the good
work of our local social service agencies.
Unfortunately, the most visible of the homeless is a stubborn percentage of
individuals with mental illness andlor chronic substance abuse histories - the
result of a failed community health system and our human frailties. For these
individuals we need to develop services and housing situations that are
04 Washington Avenue, Santa Monica CA90403
Phone (310) 458-7779 Fax (310) 458-7289
Adm in @ UpwardBoundHouse. org
appropriate. I am personally a big fan of single room occupancy housing projects with on-site
clinical supervision and strict code of conduct regulations.
Outreach to these individuals is critical. We need to use every opportunity to make contact and
encourage individuals to come in out of the rain. For this reason, I am urging the Council to
develop regulations that encourage (or mandate) all public feeding programs be tied to
continuum of care outreach services. If outreach services are inadequate, then we need to beef
them up. I do not think it is less compassionate to mandate that all social services, even feeding
programs, work together to encourage individuals to avail themselves of every opportunity to
live happier lives.
Sincerely,
''~=C~
` _.. _
~ Andrew Duff Parker
Executive Director
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
September 12, 2002
Raymond Schulrze, MD Choir
Michwl S. Wilkss, MD, PhD ChainElect
Card Archia, MD, Chpir Medical ProcNce and
M~dicol5ervicss
BrimO.Kan,MO,YceChairMedicnlPracliceo~ To: The Mayorand City Council of Santa Monica
Medicol Services
Mdy Haas, Chair Foundafion Board
loonnaPubeliqr,~o,~ha;.~~~~~,~.m~.=
Morsha Tem le, Es ., Vice Chair Yolunker Services Re: The Annual Review of the City's Coordinated Pian for
Frank Matricardi, Dr. PH, Secre~ory Homeless Services
Barbara A. lsvey, MD, FACP, Assisronf Secrefary
JeHrey E. Sinaiko, Choir Finance
Bnice Lamoureux, ~ce Chair Finonn
Susan Adelman
Neal Baer, MD
Irmo Cden
~ o~~~•~= Founded in 1970, the Venice Family Clinic's mission is "to provide
Mayer B. Davidwn, MD
Raymond Eden ~
comprehensive primary health care that is accessible, affordable and
~=a,. F~.a:~~,., Pho compassionate to people with no other access to such care." Our
Bill Flumenbaum
Jimmy H. Hara, MD services include: daily clinics for children, adults and the homeless;
Ka~l Keener, Esq.
Deborah laub
weekly clinics for well babies, women, seniors, prenatal and chronic
GordonJ.lee care patients; specialty clinics in cardiology, dermatology,
Viren Mehta
LowellMilken ear/nose/throat
neurology
optometry
ophthalmolagy
orthopedics
Rull~ Moss
William D. Parenfe ,
,
,
,
and podiatry; social work including group and individual counseling;
'°`°"°T°'°"° health education and nutrition counseling and Earl
Head Start - a
Rulh Rossman y
P~~~ S~~^ program for infants and their families designed to break the cycle of
Fem Seizer
A~o~ S,a~oy
poverty.
Ruth Singer
Russel Tyner, A.I.A.
In 1995, Los Angeles County's budget crisis threatened the loss of over
FOUNDATION BOARD 26,000 primary care visits in the West Health District, and the loss of
~,~,H,a,
~ha;, unduplicated, urgently needed public health services in this
,
H0lIfYG.CIMBf05 community. The Venice Family Clinic created a coalition of nine
Ifrt10 S~ LOU COIBII
,a~•Y~~~==m~^ partners which privatized services at two County facilities that were
Salma Hayek
MichaelJacobs slated for closure: the Yvonne Burke Health Center in Santa Monica
Ira Kirshbaum and the Venice Health Center on Venice Boulevard
Toda\, he Venice
Deboroh laub .
7
ChuckLorre Family Clinic provides a medical home to over 17
000 children and
~. ~~~~i~ a=MO ,
adults who make over 83,000 visits each year to our four sites in Venice
John C. Molina Based on the number of visits we provide
and Santa Monica
Bryce Perry .
Kennelh Romberg annuall the ran e of services we offer and the number of volunteers
R~Y P i p Dhw'd Segal who participate, ~the Venice Family Clinic is the laraest free Clinic in the
~ctoria Mann Simms, PhD
nf
~
JeHreyE.Sinaiko .
C
U
Rulh Singer
Carde Slavin
Ed Sullivan
Irvingl~Wen~n'aub Venice Family Clinic Response: a Health Care Program for Homeless
"'°ry """ we`'~'9 Families
Billie Milam Weisman
R~~,z~~~e~ Since 1984, the Venice Family Clinic has been providing free primary
,o~e~x,a~"Z~~ke~ and specialty health care to homeless families. Last fiscal year, 3050
homeless children and adults made visits to the Clinic. During this time
BOARD EMERITUS 429 homeless patient visits from Santa Monica. Overall,
~nre provided 5
Rulh Bloan
Dmiel Hillman
MD ,
the Clinic provided 15,440 patient visits to people from Santa Monica.
,
Gail Margolis, E:q.
Tel 310 392 8630
Fax 310 392 6642
604 Rose Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
www.vfc.net
individuais to public health benefit programs for food, hotel vouchers, job
placement and Medi-Cal.
We also pr~vide each homeless patient with the opportunity to take a shower, to
look through our supply of clean, barely used or new clothing, and to take what
they need. We give them new underwear and personal hygiene kits (travel sized
toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and soap which are donated to the Clinic).
We began doing outreach to the shelters when we realized that many of the
homeless families at the shelters were not being served during our daily walk-in
clinics. Often, they are too overwhelmed by their situation to seek medical care
Furthermore, a large majority of these homeless families are headed by single
mothers, rr~any of whom have left their husbands because of abuse. The low
percentage of these women seeking our services made us realize that we had
not remove d the barriers to care such as the need for child care, transportation
and a less threatening environment than a waiting room and clinic which has
many men in it. We provide medical outreach to Turning Point, Daybreak and
the Sunlight Mission - all in Santa Monica.
During outreach to shelters, the Clinic sends a team to area shelters to set up a
temporary mini-clinic. The team includes one physician, one nurse, one social
worker, one clinic coordinator and one or two volunteer assistants or health
educators or mental health professionals. The physician and coordinator meet
with families, asses their health care needs and determine a plan for those with
the most acute needs. The rest are given referrals to the Clinic's walk-in services
(because they may need lab or x-ray work, optometrical examinations, or more
sophisticated procedures which can only be provided on-site at the Clinic). The
physician also identifies families who are most critically in need of social work
and refers them to appointments that night with the social worker or volunteer
psychologist. We can provide between 10 and 12 medical visits in one evening.
On behalf of the Venice Family Clinic's Board of Directors, volunteers, staff and
the children and adults who we serve, please accept our sincere appreciation
for the cor~tinuing support provided by the City of Santa Monica. Thank you
again for the opportunity to share our vision of a healthier community.
Sincerely,
~~
Elizabeth Benson Forer, MSW/MPH
Chief Executive Officer
~
r., ~ ~ . ~
~
P.O. Box 1565, Santa Monica, CA 90406 .(310) 828-6016 Fax: (310) 828-2646
www.westsidefoodbankca.org
September 13, 2002
Mr. Joel Schwartz
City of Santa Monica
Human Services Division
1685 Main Street, Room 212
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Deaz Joel,
As Executive Director of an agency that has been funded by City of Santa Monica for its
work as a"prevention of homelessness" program, I would like to submit this letter as part
of the discussion surrounding the Annual Review of the City's Coordinated Plan for
Homeless Services.
Following the tragedies of September 11, within Westside Food Bank's service azea
thousands who worked for travel-related enterprises were laid off or received reduced
work hours. Many of those affected were SM residents. A year later there are many who
have not economically recovered, especially in the context of an economy that was
already weakening and that remains fragile.
Over the past year, the food bank has noted at its local member food pantries increases in
requests for food assistance that historically have been rivaled only by the increases we
observed during the earthquake year of 1994. From September 2001, through August
2002, there were approximately 20% more food assistance requests at Santa Monica food
pantries than there had been in the previous twelve months. During that same period
there were 16% more Santa Monica residents who received Westside Food Bank's food,
but, in spite of extending ourselves to increase our weekly food-buying budget by $1,500,
we were able to distribute only 11% more food within Santa Monica. Since, during the
past year, local pantries have been unable to make up for our food availability deficit,
these statistics suggest not only that there has been an increase of need, but that there is
now less food at local food pantries for each person in need than there was a year ago,
before September 11.
We have always understood that the Food Bank and the food pantries it serves help to
defend against homelessness by keeping low-income families and individuals from
having to choose between paying rent or paying for food. Today that defense is not as
strong as it was a year ago.
Sinc ely,
Bruce Rankin
Executive Director
~E ~1GER )A
P.<:). Bc3x ?.,~.
~nica, CA t)t~406-i 302
~co~l itiun~a>r_s.cor~~
September l~ 7, 2002
Mr. Joel Schwartz
Homeless S~ervices Coordinator
Human S~en~ices Division
City of Santa Monica
1685 Main ,',treet
Santa 1VIonic:a, CA 90401
Dear Joel
On l~ehalf of the Wests'rde She~ter 8~ Hunger Coalit'ron we appreciate the opportunity to
provide feed:back on the Annual Review of the City's ~oordinated Pian for Homeiess Services.
As a coalitio~n of over twenty-five service groviders and faith-based organizations working
together to serve poor and homeless peopte, we commend the ~ity on iis continuing efforis to
adciress ~e r:~eeds of the m~st vulne~able in~fnbers ~f our corntnuni~y.
eotlectivety, we serve an increasing number of peopte with a hisiory of ine~at iltness,
substance abuse, or both. We are stretched to provide appropriate services for individuats and
famities with muhiple challenges in their tives tlaat require significantly more resources on every
level_ Ernergency shetter beds, as an a~ternative to s~eeping on the streets, are very lirnited fnr
inctivictuals and even more timited for famities. Many shehers require sptitting the famity up, and
most won't ziccept referra~s of peopte who are nat curreirtly ctean and sober. The lack ofavaitabte
beds teaves peopte no choice except to use public areas for sleeping. And for those who are able
to access ei~~er~emergency or tr~nsitional housing programs, the lael~ of affordable permanent
housing is creating a backtog in the curreirt continuum. Urrtil we devetop more beds that are
easily accessibte and avaitable year round, we witl continue to struggte with thousands of people
being forcect to continue tiving on the stre.~s.
In recent man~hs the numerous food ttistribution programs in pub~ic spaces have been
receiving a tc~t of attention. We beiieve that access to food is a basic necessi~y for survivat and are
nat advocatir~g against feecting hungry geople. However, we also believe that atong with food we
shoutd be providing access to other services io assist people in moving offfihe streets. Food
prograrns liniked to at~er vitat services will u~t'rrnately do more to help peopte regain their lives.
We challeng4, tl~e argumeirt used by some of the food distribution programs that "there aren't any
homeless pec~ple in our community." In fact, every community in Los Angetes eounty has poor,
hungry and homeless peopte who need services provided locatty. We urge the ~ouncil to find
ways to encourage thasc from other areas that want to help to use their resources in their awn
backyards. Ig~noring the problems that exist everywhere does a huge disservice to the City's
efforts to meE:t tocal need using tocat resources. Programs operating outside the continuum of
care make it liard to coordinate services and provide meaningful information on the impact ofthe
continuum.
We 1~ ok forward to continuing to work together to find sotutions that assist people in
~~~ ~~~~ th ~ dignity, and creating a community that is clean and safe for atl of its residents.
i~.
~r 1~,, f~~ "'
~ ~,~ ~
~ f
~~!~;I~~~f7~~,~fP.C
Co-Chair
Westside She~her and Hunger Coalition