OLYMPIC BLVD Officials with OPCC on Thursday unveiled a new, 8,100-square-foot homeless services facility where the city’s down and out can receive medical treatment, free food and clothing, and employment assistance.
The OPCC Annenberg Access Center, which will open its doors on Monday and serve roughly 250 to 300 people per day, is seen as the entry point for the homeless services system in Santa Monica.
There will be showers, restrooms, lockers, washers and dryers, mail and message services, bus tokens and case management services available, as well as money management classes and 12-step meetings for those struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, officials with OPCC said Thursday as they gave members of the media a tour of the facility, the second of two new facilities to be built within the last 10 months through the $19.5 million OPCC capital campaign “From Homelessness to Hope,” the other being the Cloverfield Services Center, which houses clients of OPCC’s Daybreak and Safe Haven programs.
The services offered at the Access Center, which was designed by Ralph Mechur Architects, are all designed to build trust with the people who are still living on the streets and to encourage them to seek housing and take the necessary steps to rebuild their lives, said John Maceri, OPCC’s executive director.
“This will be the beginning of a long and difficult journey,” Maceri said. “This will not just be a place where people will just drop in and hang out. It’s a point of connection… We use these services as a tool to engage people.”
“We have lots of people who are living at our beaches, parks and other public WITHOUT THEM, I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGED TO MAKE A CHANGE IN MY LIFE.” — Donna Mendez OPCC client
Funding for construction was provided by City Hall, with additional support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Private foundations also contributed, helping to purchase computers, medical supplies, desks, chairs and other equipment.
Julie Rusk, human services director for City Hall, said Santa Monica contributed roughly $6.5 million for construction. The center, which replaces the former Access Center located at the corner of 7th and Colorado Avenue, sits on city-owned property. OPCC will pay City Hall $5,600 a month in rent. The old center is being demolished to make way for the expansion of Big Blue Bus. spaces for a long time and we want to make every effort to help them,” said Rusk, who also pointed out that other communities need to do their fair share to address homelessness throughout the region.
While Los Angeles County contains the largest population of people living below the poverty line of any metropolitan area in the U.S., it is also one of the most expensive metropolitan areas in which to live. According to the 2005 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority census, 88,345 people in the county are homeless on any particular night.
Donna Mendez was one of them until she decided to get sober and access services at OPCC. Mendez said with the help of her case worker, she was able to access services, find affordable housing downtown and is now celebrating her second year living indoors. She recently reconnected with her family and has plans to see her son for the first time in over 20 years. Mendez said she first accessed services at OPCC when the organization ran its center out of a home on Hill Street.
“Without them, I would not have been encouraged to make a change in my life,” she said. “I’ve been sober for four years now and without the encouragement I received from OPCC, that wouldn’t have been possible. OPCC is a tremendous asset to the community.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 7, 2007. Read the original PDF.