> ## 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. # In a New York homeless state of mind - URL: https://www.smdp.com/in-a-new-york-homeless-state-of-mind/ - Published: 2007-10-06T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T01:05:09.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Community, Downtown, #archive-import, Homeless *Out of state agency visits Santa Monica* A New York-based agency that has dramatically reduced the homeless population in midtown Manhattan visited Santa Monica on Friday to share their successful model for taking the most troubled clients off the streets and into permanent housing. Representatives from Common Ground were invited by the Bayside District Corp., which helps City Hall manage downtown and has been looking for ways to reduce the homeless population west of Lincoln Boulevard, where the majority of the city’s roughly 2,000-plus homeless people reside. Common Ground’s Becky Kanis said the key to success is focusing on those people who have been on the streets the longest and are fixtures, or “anchors,” in the community and who oftentimes attract others seeking advice or guidance on how to survive on the streets. By targeting that group of individuals, Common Grounds was able to reduce the number of chronically homeless people in a 20-block area of Manhattan from 55 people in February 2005 to just two people today, Kanis said. The key was building relationships with the homeless and then placing them in permanent housing first, giving them a safe place to live before they can address other issues such as mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction. Common Ground has a 93 percent housing retention rate, meaning when someone finds a home, they most likely remain there and don’t regress. “That blows away the myth that homeless people straight off the streets will not be able to maintain housing,” Kanis said, emphasizing the importance of having dedicated case workers who routinely check in on clients to make sure they are following through with treatment, counseling and job training, as well as paying their rent on time. City Hall is already doing something similar with its Chronic Homeless Program, which was established in July 2004 and focuses an intense level of resources on chronically homeless persons who have been on the streets for at least two years or more and are the most visible in the community, using a large amount of police, paramedic and local hospital resources. In that program, representatives from City Hall — including Human Services, Housing, Police and Fire departments — meet monthly with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and local non-profit homeless service providers to fine tune the program and monitor outcomes. Since its inception, 144 people have been enrolled in the program, with 78 (or 54 percent) being housed in permanent housing or temporary/transitional housing. The average age of those in the program is 55 years old, with the oldest being 89\. On average, individuals were homeless for 18 years. While the programs are somewhat similar in nature, Common Ground seems to have had more success, forcing Santa Monicans to ask why. City officials said people must look at the conditions in New York and compare them to Santa Monica. One that sticks out is the number of people targeted. When Common Ground started, there were less than 50 chronically homeless individuals in their target area. The city has nearly 150. In the city of New York, there are thousands more units available for the homeless, meaning they can be quickly moved into a home within a matter of weeks or months, whereas in Santa Monica, it can take years, said John Maceri, executive director of OPCC, which has been providing homeless services in Santa Monica since the early 1960s. “The one thing that is missing is that housing piece, which is a critical component,” Maceri said. “The (Chronic Homeless Program) has expanded, but housing hasn’t been able to keep pace. “That’s the really challenging part and is a source of a lot of frustration.” Another issue is the large number of service providers working independently of one another. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has more control over service providers’ funding and can, therefore, make more demands about what types of service should be offered and to whom. He also hired a point person to oversee all of the programs, making sure there was coordination. In Santa Monica, service providers run fairly independent of City Hall. The overwhelming majority of their funding comes from private sources, leaving city officials without much power to direct how that money is spent. That led some to question whether or not Santa Monica is trying to do too much and, therefore, is diluting its efforts. “It sounds like we have all the cogs, but not wheel,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside. “We’re here to see if we can focus our efforts and make an impact on one problem. I think the goal of this meeting is to bring various people together to see if connections can be made.” That includes residents, the business community, police and fire and City Hall, Rawson said. SMPD Capt. Mark Smiley said appointing one person to coordinate efforts seems to be a good idea, but there are many interests involved that can get in the way. “We have the cog, but there are so many spokes in the wheel,” he said. “We need to come to an agreement to work under one model.” Human Services Manager Julie Rusk said the continuum of care needs to be more focused and strategic, and possibly, not serve everyone who comes through the door, but only those who are most in need. That is difficult, she said, because no one wants to turn someone away who needs help. “It does get overwhelming,” Rusk said about the homeless issue. “We have to remain focused on what we do here and then continue to prod others in the region to do the same.” Mayor Richard Bloom said it is not a question of spending too much money or not, but rather, how does the community better focus its resources. Bloom said those discussion need to happen and will happen. It could mean that service providers would have to be more accountable when receiving city funds. “We do not issue blank checks,” Bloom said. “There is accountability, but these are independent non-profits who do have their own agendas. We all have common goals, but they also have goals of their own. “The question is: How can be we all be on the same page?” Maceri believes that the Chronic Homeless Program is working, but it has also grown so much that participants may have lost focus. The program has expanded beyond the resources available, mainly housing. “I don’t believe that there is an overlapping of services,” Maceri said. “There is a lot of back and forth going on between (service providers) and the city has taken a lead with the Chronic Homeless Program. I believe it’s just more about bringing more resources to the table. If we had more housing, we could definitely move people off the streets quicker and you would see a noticeable difference.” Bloom tried to bring everything into perspective, pointing out the differences between a city like New York and a smaller city, like Santa Monica, that must deal with more regional influences. “I’m Mayor Bloom, not Mayor Bloomberg,” he said. “It sounds like we have all the cogs, but not wheel.” Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 6, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100607.pdf?ref=smdp.com)