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# Council to make $10K shelter deposit
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/council-to-make-10k-shelter-deposit/
- Published: 2005-03-21T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T06:20:01.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Government & Politics, Venice, #archive-import, Homeless, Homelessness

*Sobering center could ease strain on hospitals SOBERING THOUGHT, from page 1*

CITY HALL — The Santa Monica City Council will likely agree at its Tuesday meeting to put $10,000 towards a regional, urgent care sobering and psychiatric facility for the homeless.

A 10,000-square-foot building at 1000 Venice Blvd., across the street from the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, has been marked for a short-term drying out center where the homeless may receive psychiatric evaluations that lead to support and alternatives to their lifestyle.

Upon approval, the proposal would set in motion a goal in Santa Monica and other westside cities to encourage the homeless to get off the streets and into housing and employment programs, according to a city staff report.

“We can't end homelessness unless we have a common agenda and every government entity is helping,” said Councilman Richard Bloom. “This is an important step forward on the sobering center concept.”

Most councilmembers said they would be supporting the regional facility as a way to begin addressing westside homelessness.

Twenty-five percent of the homeless population seeking services in Santa Monica report themselves as having a substance abuse problem, while service providers say the rate of abusers is closer to 50 percent. Still, what appears to be driving approval of the facility is the absence of a “sobering center” in Santa Monica, where people can be taken by police and paramedics while they are still inebriated, according to the staff report.

Bloom said the idea of a sobering center surfaced locally about two years ago when a Santa Monica firefighter began researching how other communities respond when heavily impacted by homeless and other substance abusers.

“The sobering center, if successful, will help these homeless recover their lives and their dignity in treatment programs that are offered as alternatives to criminal penalties,” Bloom said.

Santa Monica will pay $10,000 to help cover a $20,000 down payment to begin leasing the building. Exodus Recovery, a non-profit medical provider, will be working on behalf of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to manage the lease.

Under the terms of the lease, monthly payments would begin in September, with the facility up and running as early as October, according to the report. The Department of Mental Health is working to secure funding through the Mental Health Services Act and Proposition 63 to provide operational support of the psychiatric urgent care facility.

It remained unclear, as of press time, what further financial commitment Santa Monica might make towards sustaining the facility and its operations, or what portion other westside cities would contribute.

Bloom said the sobering center may also offer an alternative to the emergency room, where intoxicated homeless people often end up. He said the cost for most homeless hospital stays are not recovered.

During the week of February 14 to 22, emergency room staff from Brotman Medical Center, Saint John’s Health Center, UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center and the Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital completed surveys regarding 100 individuals brought to their emergency rooms for the purpose of psychiatric evaluation or hospitalization.

Overall, 34 percent were homeless (80 percent at Santa Monica), 41 percent did not require inpatient psychiatric evaluation, and 34 percent would have been appropriate for a sobering center, according to the staff report.

Bloom said approval of the sobering center might also mean fire department resources would ultimately be re-deployed to meet other city needs, given fewer homeless service calls. The report said balancing homeless needs for space, food and sanitary facilities with the larger community needs to preserve public space for all to use and share has been a key policy and operational challenge for the city.

A citywide satisfaction survey conducted by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research in January said homelessness was the top issue for residents, with 39 percent of respondents identifying “too many homeless” as the most important problem facing Santa Monica.

Thirty-three percent said the city spends too little on services for the homeless, while 17 percent said the city spends too much.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 21, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032105.pdf?ref=smdp.com)