> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Homeless population shrinks - URL: https://www.smdp.com/homeless-population-shrinks/ - Published: 2007-10-15T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T03:27:04.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless, Homelessness *Count determines that fewer are calling streets their home* CITYWIDE The number of people living on Santa Monica’s streets fell by nearly a third over the past two years, much of which had to do with more accurate counts of the homeless population, an increase in shelter beds and City Hall’s focus on reaching those who have been living on the streets the longest. City officials said the results of the 2007 Greater Los Angeles Homeless count, which was released last week by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), show that efforts made to address homelessness in the community are working. “I think it provides an indication that we are going in the right direction and, frankly, that’s really good news and we’ve got to continue to build on it,” said Julie Rusk, the director of City Hall’s homeless effort. “I think what is difficult is the need for partners in other parts of the county to step up and do a better job. From just listening to other models being used around the country … it’s just clear that these other (places) are far ahead of where we need to be.” The federally-required, bi-annual count, which was conducted from Jan. 23 to 25, found that 1,506 homeless people on any given night were living on the streets, a 24 percent drop compared to 2005 when there was an estimated 1,991 homeless people in Santa Monica. This year’s count also found a 30 percent decrease in the number of people actually counted on the streets, from 949 in 2005 to 661. That is important, Rusk said, because volunteers this year physically counted more people in the city, relying on more accurate numbers than on estimates. The methodology was essentially the same as in 2005, except this year LAHSA focused more resources on so-called “hot spots,” and Santa Monica was one of them. In the end, 64 percent of the city’s census tracks were directly counted. In the county, only 41 percent of the census tracks were counted overall. Rusk said that a more accurate count doesn’t necessarily translate into numbers going down. In an area just east of downtown Los Angeles known as “Skid Row,” the number of homeless people living there increased from roughly 3,000 to 5,000\. “Other hot spots around the county did go up, while ours went down, and that’s part of why I feel some level of confidence in our strategy, which has been to focus on the chronically homeless and get those people off the streets,” Rusk said. In 2004, City Hall established the Chronic Homeless Program, which focuses an intense level of resources on those people who have been living on Santa Monica’s streets for at least two years or more, are the most visible in the community, have a high instance of contact with local police, para-medics and local hospital resources and are least successful in accessing services designed to assist their recovery. So far 144 people have been enrolled in the program, with 78 finding housing. Of those, 90 percent have a source of income. The average age is 55 years old and most have been homeless for an average of 18 years, Rusk said. The goal is to identify those who need help, get them stabilized with treatment programs and counseling, and then get them housing with case workers following up to make sure those in the program continue to stay on track. In addition to that program, City Hall in February established a Homeless Community Court, where those charged with quality of life crimes and other minor offenses are given choices like drug or alcohol treatment instead of jail time, which can be an ineffective deterrent because of prison overcrowding that forces most offenders to be released early. In the first six months of the court, Rusk said 18 of the 55 participants have received emergency or transitional housing, 16 enrolled in drug or alcohol treatment programs and four have are in mental health treatment. Of those, eight failed to appear or were discharged unsuccessfully from the project. Rusk said challenges to date have been the lack of rapid access to psychiatric services and a lack of available housing.r Another program that has had some success, Rusk said, is Project Homecoming, where homeless individuals are given a bus ticket home to their friends or family. In the first year of the program, 59 people have been relocated at an average cost of $145 per person. Most have been homeless less than two years, and most return to their families. While Santa Monica seems to be having success, it doesn’t feel like things are changing for many residents. Homelessness continues to be one of the top three concerns shared by residents like Kyle Martin, who encounters transients on his way to work every day in downtown. “It just doesn’t seem like there’s been a decrease,” Martin said. “I still see people sleeping in doorways or on benches and I still see panhandling at the (Third Street) Promenade. I think the numbers sound good and if they’re true, great, but I’m not going to give any pats on the back just yet.” In the county, there was a 17 percent decrease in the number of homeless people, dropping from 88,345 in 2005 to 73,702 in 2007\. Rebecca Isaacs, a Santa Monica resident and director of LAHSA, said that the decline in homelessness is not a reason to become complacent. “While the numbers remain lower, Los Angeles remains the “homeless capital” of the nation,” she said. “The situation is still extremely serious. Clearly, a great deal of work still needs to be done to reduce and end homelessness in our county.” Rusk and her staff will certainly be doing more work. They plan to dig deeper into the count to learn more about the characteristics of the homeless population in Santa Monica. “Clearly we have to do more to get other people engaged,” Rusk said. “The truth of the matter is, we don’t have enough room to house all of the people in our community.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 15, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101507.pdf?ref=smdp.com)