Sienna Bevan
Special to the Daily Press
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. SMDP Intern Sienna Bevan took a closer look at the services the city of Santa Monica provides, providing profiles and resources to help bring awareness to community members.
Whether aiding unhoused people by offering a hot meal, medical check-up, emergency shelter or even permanent housing, the People Concern is working to combat homelessness by meeting clients every step of the way.
The People Concern is one of LA’s largest social service agencies, providing housing and services to people experiencing homelessness, to survivors of domestic violence; it is also home to Santa Monica’s largest homeless shelter: SAMOSHEL. It formed in 2016 with the merger of Santa Monica’s Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC) and Lamp Community, based in downtown.
The People Concern has a 92% housing retention rate, meaning 92% of the people they house never experience homelessness again. The reason for this? John Maceri, the People Concern’s CEO attributes their high success rate to their wraparound retention services, a term for providing access to an array of related services (including primary care, mental health services, substance use services, domestic violence services, and general health and wellness).
"When people move into housing, it can be a pretty significant transition for them from life on the streets," Maceri said. "We’re making sure that they’re connected to whatever resources are available to them and that they know how to access those resources."
They operate across Los Angeles County, with several multidisciplinary street outreach teams, interim housing, permanent supportive housing, and wraparound services. Eventually placing clients in permanent housing, however, is the ultimate goal.
The People Concern has several permanent housing units scattered throughout Santa Monica. These units are a collaboration between the developer, who provides and manages the land and building, and the People Concern, who provides the supportive services.
Robert Jones had been living in his van since 2021 until recently, when he was placed in permanent housing by the People Concern. At the Iris, where he currently resides, he has his own apartment and constant support from on-site case managers.
"They have impacted my life tremendously," Jones said. "And they continue to because of the support that they give."
While the goal is ultimately to resolve a client’s homelessness, permanent housing is not always immediately available. The People Concern offers services to help people walk through the process of getting housed, depending on what they need or want.
Specific to Santa Monica is the Access Center (503 Olympic Blvd), a drop-in center operated by the People Concern that provides a variety of services—showers, washers, lockers, clothing, food, medical clinic (through the Venice Family clinic) and case-management services.
Right next to the Access Center is SAMOSHEL (SAnta MOnica SHELter), one of the interim housing sites and the largest homeless shelter in Santa Monica. The first major step for many coming out of homelessness is interim housing, which serves as temporary housing for people moving from the streets into permanent housing. They are 24-hour residential housing with a private sleeping area and storage space for each individual, providing food, on-site case management and other wraparound services. Their case management staff work to move clients into permanent housing, helping them to identify units, manage the application process and apply for vouchers for rental subsidies if necessary. The People Concern has two other interim housing sites: Cloverfield Services Center, on Cloverfield Blvd and Michigan, and Turning Point, on 16th and Broadway.
Applicable in both the People Concern’s interim and permanent housing is the Housing First model, meaning the first focus is housing, followed by the supportive services to keep people housed, explaining their high retention rates.
"The idea of Housing First is that you provide housing and then you wrap services around people. You don't just stick people in housing and expect them to thrive—especially when you're working with people who may have multiple barriers to housing," Maceri said. "Housing is the baseline; it is sort of the single most stabilizing factor in all of our lives."
Sojourn, which is the People Concern’s domestic violence program, is also based in Santa Monica. They provide crisis shelter and housing, as well as a 24- hour hotline and other support and legal services for families who have experienced/are experiencing domestic violence. Established in 1977 by former mayor Judy Abdo, among a few other Santa Monica residents, Sojourn is the second oldest domestic violence program in California. Tiernan Hebron, Sojourn’s Manager of Community Education and Outreach, discussed their approach to care—what they call the "empowerment model of care."
"Survivors of domestic violence are resilient, resourceful, empathetic, and capable—they do not need to be saved but supported, believed, and provided with a space to heal," Hebron said. "Sojourn's role is to empower survivors with the information and resources to make the best choices for themselves, their families, and their futures—free of violence, power, and control. We do not dictate what survivors should do or how to do it; instead, we provide the support they need to reclaim their autonomy and rebuild their lives."
According to a study done by the Blue Shield of California Foundation in 2013, 57% of all homeless women reported domestic violence to be the immediate cause of their homelessness.
"While factors such as inflation, lack of affordable housing, fewer job opportunities, and an inadequate social safety net contribute to homelessness, they also exacerbate the emotional strain within many American families, leading to abusive behavior as a misguided coping mechanism," Hebron said. "Addressing domestic violence is crucial in tackling homelessness, as it directly influences the stability and well-being of affected individuals and families"
The People Concern works with a large spectrum of clients; while some aren’t chronically homeless, the majority are currently unhoused and high acuity, meaning they have multiple barriers in the way of getting housing, whether that be health problems, addiction, and/or past violence trauma for example. Therefore impact is measured in a variety of ways.
"We're interested in how many people we’re able to move indoors, stably house and keep housed," said Maceri. "But for somebody who has been on the streets for 20 years, and hasn't been engaged in services, getting them to come in and see a doctor or take a shower, or agree to move indoors, that is impact as well."
Last year, they housed almost 1,700 people in permanent housing; but across all of their services, the number of people they served in 2023 reached 16,000.
"If we want to stem the tide of increased homelessness, we have to stop the inflow of people into homelessness," Maceri said. "So we have to keep moving people who are on the streets who are unhoused into housing, and people who are currently housed to help prevent them from losing their housing and falling into homelessness."
