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# Councilman Ken Genser: Park meal programs worsen homelessness problems
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/101204-story-20041012-11/
- Published: 2004-10-12T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:17:08.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless, Homelessness

*By CITY COUNCILMAN KEN GENSER*

Homelessness has many dimensions.

For homeless people who want to move off the street, Santa Monica has an excellent array of programs to help. People seeking help rarely cause problems for the larger community. I strongly support these programs that help hundreds of people move into permanent housing each year.

Some homeless people are mentally ill and cannot care for themselves. They often resist assistance. The state needs to fund mental treatment facilities, and possibly make it somewhat easier to provide treatment without an individual’s consent.

Although most homeless people are law-abiding, anti-social behavior in Santa Monica is becoming a more significant problem.

I believe the meal programs that occur in our parks exacerbate the problem of anti-social behavior. They are run by private groups, often from as far away as Whittier or Covina. Unfortunately, these programs are typically not linked to services to help people move off the streets. They send the message that homeless people simply need to come to Santa Monica to be taken care of, without any expectation of responsible behavior in return.

The city adopted an ordinance to prohibit meal programs in our parks. I supported this ordinance, but the federal courts overturned it. We must find a way to discourage free outdoor meals that are not linked to services.

We have many policies in place to prohibit offensive behavior. We must redouble our efforts to enforce them. If necessary, I would support reallocating additional police resources until we tackle the problem.

People must notify the police when they see criminal behavior occur. The police can’t be everywhere. If people don’t report specific instances when they happen, enforcement cannot take place.

We must make it absolutely clear that everyone in our city must conduct themselves appropriately in our civic spaces.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 12, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101204.pdf?ref=smdp.com)