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# City should build homes for the homeless
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/city-should-build-homes-for-the-homeless-editor/
- Published: 2005-04-12T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T06:35:44.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless

*By Penny Elsberry Santa Monica*

We have a beautiful community here, but many, in fact I will say most, don’t care to see our homeless sleeping, urinating, defecating, drinking, littering, loitering, panhandling and impeding pedestrians with shopping carts on the sidewalks, not to mention what happens at the bus stops and our public parks.

This isn’t even talking about the ones that work and sleep in their vehicles on side streets because they can’t find a place to rent or can’t afford it. Several of our working homeless have small children. This can’t be fulfilling for a parent or a healthy environment for anyone. Sure, they can clean up at the gym until it’s no longer cost effective. Or the restroom at a gas station or restaurant until they get caught and usually get run off by employees of such establishment.

And then there is our elderly. Just think about your elderly parent not having a place to sleep at night and having to move from shelter to shelter, not to mention they can’t stay during the day — they must leave at a specified time, then they can go to the day centers waiting to return to the shelter at a specified time. They want their dignity so they refuse to live with family members out of the area because of medical purposes, or this is where they want to live until they die.

Those that can afford it, store their sleeping bags, clothes, backpacks, toys, bikes, laundry, soap and other personal items at public storage facilities, going there in the morning to drop off the items they don’t need during the day only to return later to pick up their items they need for the night.

The rumor I have heard and not confirmed is that Fisher Lumber sold to a private party only to be sold again to the City of Santa Monica for a figure between $15 million to $24 million so that they may expand the park. Now I truly hope this is not true. I really hope that they purchased the property for no other reason than to help our homeless situation by building apartments for all homeless no matter what their income is.

By getting the homeless off the street and out of the parks, they have given the parks that we have already back to the families and other visitors to enjoy morning, afternoon and evenings without seeing people sleeping next to their shopping carts, the smell of urine, the garbage and broken alcohol bottles and other activities known but overlooked.

Believe me, I am not putting the misfortunes down nor am I against the down and out. I want to see this city step up to the plate and really do something about the situation. If the city really can afford to purchase land for more parks but no money to help where it is really needed then maybe Santa Monica isn’t such a a great community after all.

Fisher Lumber was a great part of Santa Monica, so keep it that way, homes for homeless and old parks made new again. What do you say Santa Monica? Save our existing parks and homeless?

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 12, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041205.pdf?ref=smdp.com)