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# Let your fingers do the walking: New phone book for homeless
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/let-your-fingers-do-the-walking-new-phone-book-for-homeless/
- Published: 2003-04-01T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:58:39.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Community, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless

*By SLACKARIASON Daily Planet Slave*

Frustrated that they can’t locate thousands of residents, city officials this week announced they plan to create a phone book for the homeless.

In one of its most progressive moves ever, the City Council has thrown $1 million to develop a directory for Santa Monica’s transients.

Officials have realized that Santa Monica’s homeless are becoming just as astute and well equipped as most professionals in town. Over the years, the trend for transients to stay in touch with the fast paced world has led to them to getting their own cell phones, lawyers, palm pilots and e-mail accounts.

“We wanted to do this not because we believe the homeless should have the same rights as us, but because we didn’t want to be out done,” said City Councilman Darei Sayitoutloud, just before getting a parking ticket. “We heard other cities were thinking about doing this and we wanted to make sure we were first because we have pride in knowing all cities in the country look to us to set the example.”

“Just because I sleep under a bridge doesn’t mean I can afford to not be in contact with the world,” said Iam Notlost. “And even though I might not want to be found, the city has a right to track me down. I need tabs put on me. It’s the American way.”

The phone book will list regular sleeping spots, party spots, voice mail centers and any personal information people want included.

The address listings will be a complicated system that officials will put together over the next few months. Although the plan is only in the initial stages of a 20-phase project, officials already have begun numbering park benches, doorways and sidewalk squares.

Transients will be able to select a location as their permanent residence. If they move as vacanices become available, they will simply fill out a change of address form in the handy “Helpful Hints to Moving” guide from the U.S. Postal Service, which will be incorporated into the local system.

“The tape lady and the bird man just up and leave and I can never find them,” said Wanda Around. “I spend my whole day walking up and down the streets of Santa Monica looking for them. Now, I won’t have to.”

The phone book, which could include the entire western region of L.A. one day, will also have a reverse directory in the event people can’t be tracked by their name. Since many transients use several aliases, they can be matched up with their address using the reverse directory.

Critics of the plan say the book is really only an attempt to keep transients stationary.

“They are going against the natural elements of the universe,” said expert transient professor Joe Mama, just before getting a parking ticket. “Transients are transient for a reason. Assigning them a spot like a street performer is not only unoriginal, it’s outraegous. ”

Whorizon, the phone book manufacturer, is happy that it landed the million dollar contract with the city.

“Our company’s mission is to keep our customers in touch with the ones they love,” said Ashley Flak, Whorizon’s PR puppet. “This is totally in line with serving our customers to the best of our limited abilities.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 1, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/040103.pdf?ref=smdp.com)