By BILL
THE NUMBER OF VAGRANTS AND transients on Santa Monica’s streets has increased almost threefold in the last decade to 2,800 nightly according to various city-funded studies. Despite spending tens of millions of dollars on services, nothing seemed to be working, until now.
There just may be light at the end of the tunnel. The Santa Monica Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program team tipped me off about West Coast Care. “These guys have a phenomenal success rate and are getting even the chronically homeless off the streets," HLP officer, Robert Martinez told me.
WCC is an independent outreach team with roots in San Francisco, whose different approach to homeless services has resulted in an awesome success rate. Ron Hooks, WCC’s Executive Director, invited me to join him and his partner, Ken Byrd, on their rounds last week.
They ride bicycles to cover a lot of ground and carry granola bars, candies and water to give out. Five days a week, starting early in the morning on Venice Beach, the duo work their way up the boardwalk to the Pier and back to Main Street. They go back to their truck, load up again and head to Third Street, Palisades Park, Reed Park and Wilshire Boulevard. “Monday," Hooks said, “we talked to 101 people."
They’ve been providing positive intervention by earning the trust and confidence of Santa Monica’s most visible transients. “We know everyone,” he says. And, he’s right. On a dreary Tuesday morning, south of the Pier, Hooks introduced me to Fat Man, Tarzan, Stanley and others. He asks in a soft Southern drawl, “How ya doin’? You OK? Need a gra-nola bar? Water? When are you going to take me up on my offer?” Or, "Remember what we talked about?” “Got my card?” He says good-bye and we move on.
According to Hooks, friendly daily reminders about choices and alternatives often speeds up the decision to change. Once a person decides to go forward, they need to be empowered with the proper resources to facilitate that change. Refreshingly, WCC is not about amassing a growing client base and providing ongoing services. They want the homeless to break the cycle and get the help they need where they have the best chance for a positive life outcome — by relocating to their own home town or with friends or family!
Noting that only one of their homeless “friends” is from Santa Monica, Hooks says people are far better off and more likely to break the cycle of homelessness or addiction when they’re in comfortable and familiar surroundings. "It’s almost impossible to start over, here,” he says noting that there’s little or no motivation to succeed because many have already fallen out of services, are constantly tempted by bad habits and experiencing a difficult living situation.
WCC works with about 200 people on a regular basis. They’ll also provide personal items,first aid,food,information and referrals to local service providers. Hooks’ says success is in nudging people. “You’ve got to keep on ‘em. Encourage them. They eventually take me up on my offer or they move on."
In 6-1/2 months, Hooks and Byrd have helped get 83 people off the streets and out of Santa Monica. Seventy-six people have received bus tickets back home to other parts of the country (including two to Mexico City) where they’re getting support. Fifty others have gone into local programs and a few have disappeared, left town or have been incarcerated. Hooks admits that the number of long term homeless has dropped, especially in Ocean Park and Reed and Palisades parks. “Even I can see there are not as many there as when we started," he relates.
Hooks has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and was executive director of Providence House, a drug and alcohol treatment center in San Francisco, before coming here. Hooks and Byrd are both ordained ministers although they don’t preach. WCC isn’t affiliated with any religious organization, although, “We’ll pray with someone if asked.”
Even more amazing is that West Coast Care doesn’t receive a dime from the City of Santa Monica.
Although they are applying for a city grant, all funding including transportation costs are presently coming from private donations and Northern California sources. “With city funding we could do a lot more,” he says.
From what I’ve seen and heard, supporting West Coast Care would be one of the smartest things the city could do to get transients off our streets and the help they need.
West Cost Care, a 501(c)(3) tax deductible nonprofit, has a website: www.westcoastcare.org for more information or to donate.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.