By Sienna Bevan
In Santa Monica, homelessness is no longer just a problem, but a city-declared local emergency. While Santa Monica witnessed a 6% decrease in homelessness over the past year (according to LAHSA’s annual count), there was a dramatic 15% increase from 2022 to 2023. Moreover, California accounts for 28% of the nation’s unhoused population, which is nearly a 40% increase from five years ago. On July 25, however, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing state officials to remove homeless encampments, meaning accessible resources are essential now more than ever. Throughout L.A.’s Westside, there are multiple agencies and organizations working on a local level to address this crisis. The Santa Monica Daily Press is taking a closer look at the services the city of Santa Monica provides, providing profiles and resources to help bring awareness to community members. This week's coverage is on Robert Jones—take a look at SMDP’s website for more coverages.
When Robert Jones, a 60-year-old man, came across a People Concern outreach team, he had been living in his van since 2021. Now, he credits the People Concern for changing his life.
Jones left his house in 2021 for his own safety—he says his family was very dysfunctional—but had gone in and out of homelessness since he was a teenager. For multiple years living on the street Jones struggled with his mental health, physical health, and financially; many days were a battle until he came across the People Concern.
“That was my day of hopelessness because I was in a dark place, like… ‘when are things going to turn around for me?’ And then I engaged with [the team],” Jones said. “I was depressed, had anxiety, wasn’t working, not getting showers and stuff. I give a lot of credit to that team out there. If I hadn’t engaged with them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
For a person experiencing homelessness, it can be extremely difficult to find and access resources, which is why the People Concern outreach teams travel throughout Los Angeles County, providing people with services and connecting them to other resources. Outreach, a sector of the People Concern, is the first point of contact for most permanent supportive housing residents. They partner with the Venice Family Clinic, not only through outreach, but also at their Access Center, a drop-in center in Santa Monica. Jones gave the team his information, who then passed it on to someone else who offered him resources.
After finding resources, it may be just as hard to then get the help one needs. Jones says he could have stayed in the People Concern’s interim housing, but chose to stay in his van instead. Like many, with or without a home, he had a difficult time with adjustment; he was accustomed to the lifestyle he was living. However, Jones remained in contact with the People Concern, touching base often, and eventually found out when a unit opened up.
Jones now lives at the Iris, one of the People Concern’s supportive permanent housing sites. It was developed a couple of years ago in partnership with Affirmed Housing, an affordable housing developer. 34 of the 61 units are designated as permanent supportive housing for those transitioning out of homelessness, with the other 27 units being used as affordable housing for low-income families.
“It's a blessing living here as opposed to living out there in the van—parking here and there and trying to get a good night's sleep was difficult because you have to be vigilant at the same time,” Jones said. “It's not safe.”
Jones described how lack of access to seemingly simply, but necessary, resources led to the deterioration of his health. One of the most difficult parts about living on the streets, aside from fear for his safety, was access to restroom facilities. Many places require a purchase in order to use their restroom, but Jones needed to spend his money sparingly. On cold, rainy nights he managed to shower at the beach, however, the public restrooms at the beach are closed overnight. Additionally, he wasn’t able to eat healthy food without access to a kitchen.
Now living in his own apartment at the Iris, Jones is able to get a good night's sleep, take hot showers, and prepare his own food among other things. He not only has a place to call home, but a strong support system made up by the community members and case-workers at the Iris.
The People Concern’s on-site case management services act as a bridge between property management and other services, in order to help people transition into housing and then keep them housed. Jones says his case manager, Kamala Woods, helped expedite the process of getting housed. Woods is in the building with Jones to help him navigate whatever he needs, and just get to know him on a personal level. He says it’s a blessing having her there—sometimes, he’ll just go down to bug her, he jokes.
“Having the opportunity to live in housing now, I can do things to better myself,” Jones said. “Everything is rolling now as a result of being housed by the People Concern. It’s awesome, a new lease on life.”
Jones is currently attending summer school at SMC, studying classical music to brush up on his singing. He says he now gets to be, not only a father, but a grandfather. His family didn’t talk to him when he was living in his van, describing the experience as shameful for both his family and himself. He’s also currently working on getting his class B driver's license in order to become a Big Blue Bus driver. When asked if he was interested in becoming a bus driver, Jones responded that he isn’t just interested, he is going to do it. For him, it’s not so much about the money; his purpose is to be in service to people, as giving back is part of his nature.
“[The People Concern] has been a great help to me; this is a stepping stone. It's permanent housing, but do I want to stay here permanently? No,” Jones said. “I want to be able to sustain myself on my own, and move out of the way for the next person coming in.”
From lived experience, Jones knows the value of outreach from someone who is willing to, and more importantly, knows how to help. He goes out when he can to talk to people experiencing homelessness about the housing process. Previously, while living in his van trying to find resources, he says unhoused people would talk to each other, but everyone was lost.
While Robert says he thinks the homelessness crisis is slowly getting better due to organizations like the People Concern, he believes that there must be more being done to help the cause—more staff, more outreach teams, more resources and more organizations. Jones hopes for the lives of other unhoused people to be changed for the better, just like his was.
“The People Concern is my family now, because they give a damn,” Jones said while smiling at his Woods. “[...] I can't even put into words how grateful I am.”
