How many homeless people do we have in Santa Monica?

Santa Monica’s homeless population is decreasing. There has been an overall reduction of 8% in Santa Monica’s homeless population at any point-in-time from 999 in 2007 to 915 in 2009. On the night of January 27, 2009 the point-in-time street homeless population was 480. Of a total shelter population of 435 in, nearly 75% were individuals, while 25% were families. No homeless families were found on the streets. 

The 2007 Countywide Homeless Count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimated that 1,506 persons were homeless in Santa Monica at any point in time.  In order to provide a direct comparison to the 915 individuals, vehicles, tents and boxes directly enumerated citywide on January 2009, the 1,506 has been adjusted to exclude any projections or multipliers, and to reflect all shelters and institutions included in the 2009 Santa Monica Homeless Count. 

Why are there still homeless people in Santa Monica?

In FY08-09 City-funded social service programs provided 2,979 unduplicated homeless and formerly homeless adults with case management, temporary and permanent housing, addiction recovery, mental health services, and employment assistance leading to the following outcomes:

• 406 (14%) were placed in permanent housing.
• 583 (20%) homeless persons received emergency or transitional housing. 
• 495 (17%) adults found and maintained jobs leading to self-sufficiency. 

The number of people served in City-funded programs over the course of a year is distinct from the point-in-time number of 915 individuals directly counted within the City boundaries on January 27, 2009 because more people experience homelessness – and request services – over the course of one year than at any single point-in-time.

While hundreds of people become housed and self-sufficient every year, there remains a subset of the homeless population which has very special needs.  These individuals are the most vulnerable segment of the homeless population in that they are gravely disabled and/or chronically homeless.  For this population, the traditional Continuum of Care has not been as effective as it has been for others.  The City has worked hard to come up with some innovative approaches to meet their needs and link them to services and ultimately housing.  Learn more about these approaches here

Every day new people become homeless and flow into Santa Monica. While our continuum works hard to move people off the streets, our capacity to do so in a region with a significant homeless people is impossible.  Until homelessness is addressed throughout the region, there will be homeless people on the streets of Santa Monica

Do other cities have homelessness?

California has more homeless people than any other state:

• 27% of the nation’s homeless live in California.
• 12% of the nation’s homeless live in Los Angeles County.

Santa Monica is a small community perched on the edge of the largest homeless population in the country. Only about 20% of all of the homeless people directly counted during the January 2007 Homeless Count were in sheltered locations (in emergency shelters, transitional programs, or other programs).  The rest were unsheltered.  The Homeless Count showed that Santa Monica is heavily impacted, along with Skid Row and Venice, but that doesn’t mean we should do less.  Others should do more.  The City’s position is that homelessness is a regional issue.  Santa Monica is doing its part but all of the jurisdictions in the County must do their “fair share”.  We cannot solve homelessness alone.

Do services attract homeless people to Santa Monica?  

Some people may come to Santa Monica because this is the place where the services they need are available.  They can find safe shelter and connect to a case manager in order to begin the process of transitioning to self-sufficiency.  In all likelihood, though, these aren’t the people you continue to see on the streets or in the parks year after year.  If people are coming for case management, they are working within our continuum in order to move off the streets. 

Homeless people choose to come to Santa Monica for the same reasons people from all over the world come here: Santa Monica is a relatively safe community with beautiful open spaces and year-round access to the ocean; the City is small and easy to navigate; the climate allows for outdoor living.  But some of Santa Monica’s most desirable characteristics may enable people to remain on the streets: the local parks offer places for people to congregate and space for food distribution; a large tourist population means that panhandlers have a constant stream of people to appeal to; because this is a beach community, there are public restrooms and showers; and unlike many beach communities, we have open spaces (like parks and beaches) right near our commercial neighborhoods.  These are often the “services” that attract homeless people to this community.

The City recognizes that the qualities that are our greatest assets for tourism and the infrastructure provided for residents and tourists make us attractive for homeless people.  We are actively addressing a number of strategies to provide alternatives that are linked to services.

• Local ordinances address: camping in public spaces; soliciting money; sitting or lying in specific doorways at night; and permitting requirements for certain public feedings. There are posted rules for public restrooms and other public facilities.
• OPCC, a City grantee, operates SHWASHLOCK, which stands for Showers, Washers and Lockers to alleviate some of the burden on public restrooms and link people with case management.  
• City staff, including the City Manager, are working with the local volunteer meal providers to move the outdoor meal programs from the parks to indoor locations where there is a link to case management services.  Currently, two meal providers, Hand to Hand and H.O.P.E. have moved their food distribution activities indoors.  As planned, community outreach teams and social service providers have been available whenever the food programs are operating. Additional sidewalk cleanings have enhanced the appearance of the immediate neighborhood and SMPD has continued its increased patrols in the vicinity to address concerns for safety and security. 

The City’s goal is to engage people in services, assist them to become stable, move them off the streets and parks into appropriate housing and help them maintain their housing.

How many shelter and housing resources are available in Santa Monica?

There are currently 459 shelter and transitional housing beds in the City of Santa Monica, and approximately 393 permanent, supportive housing beds, a total of 852. Almost 300 permanent supportive housing opportunities are available to disabled homeless individuals and families; plus 58 emergency, transitional and “safe haven” beds are reserved for mentally ill individuals.

How do Santa Monica's shelter and housing resources compare with those offered in other cities?

A few shelter “facts”, based on 2006 data from an inventory maintained by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) along with data from the individual cities of Glendale, Pasadena, Long Beach, Bell, Artesia and Whittier:

• Santa Monica ranks third behind LA and Long Beach for year-round beds.
• Santa Monica ranks fourth, when taking various seasonal beds into account, in the number of beds in the County of Los Angeles  - only the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Lancaster reported more beds than Santa Monica. *   
• Santa Monica had 7.8 year round beds per capita, second only to Bell at 9.5 year round beds per capita (which includes a 350-bed shelter operated by the Salvation Army, designed for regional use.) 
• The 2006 data is compiled including some permanent resources such as Shelter Plus Care vouchers. In that inventory Santa Monica is listed with 673 emergency, transitional and permanent housing beds**,  30% of the total 2235 beds (emergency, transitional, permanent, seasonal shelter and motel vouchers) available in SPA 5. ***

* With calculations that include a mix of year round and seasonal shelter, transitional beds, some permanent housing units and vouchers, these cities report:    Los Angeles (26,353 –72% of those year round), Long Beach (3,125 – 90% year round),  Lancaster (837 – 62% year round),  Santa Monica (673 – 100% year round).

** Since 2006, the last time comparison data was available, Santa Monica has expanded its housing inventory to 852 emergency, transitional and permanent housing beds.

 *** SPA 5 includes Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Venice, Westwood, Westchester and Santa Monica. 

What types of housing resources are being developed in Santa Monica?

City resources are devoted to developing a range of permanent and supportive housing. Permanent supportive housing, not more shelter beds, will end an individual’s experience of homelessness.

Permanent supportive housing is cost-effective. Studies show that the net public cost of providing permanent supportive housing for homeless people with mental illness and/or addiction is about the same or less than the cost remaining homeless.

Does Santa Monica "criminalize" the homeless?

No, Santa Monica does not criminalize homeless individuals. As detailed in the City’s Action Plan to Address Homelessness, the City strives to strike a balance between meeting the needs of homeless individuals and responding to the impacts of homelessness, which is a top community concern. City polices focus on behaviors, not specific classes of people.

How is the City addressing chronic homelessness?

Chronically homeless individuals are one of Santa Monica’s three priority populations. New and existing housing and service resources are prioritized towards stabilizing and permanently housing chronically homeless individuals.

Santa Monica’s Chronic Homeless Program Service Registry is a list of our chronically homeless individuals and is used to direct housing and services to the people who need it the most. At the end of June 2009, 386 people were on this list, 219 of whom are vulnerable and in fragile health. Multiple intensive case management teams are working with Service Registry individuals to get them off the streets and into permanent housing. At last count, in June 2009, 39 of the 386 (10%) were in permanent housing.

How much does the City spend on services for homeless people?

There are many costs associated with homelessness and various ways to calculate the economic impact of the issue. A recent look found that the City of Santa Monica spends approximately $60 per Santa Monica resident on direct services and housing for homeless people.  This includes support for local outreach teams, case management, substance abuse treatment, employment services and housing resources but excludes other costs like first-responder and front-line City staff, as well as non-City funded programs and services. While economic conditions may effect fundraising, local nonprofit organizations have historically used City funding to leverage other dollars. In 2005, for every $1 of City investment in homeless programs, local agencies raised $12.63 from various sources.