FOR MONTHS, I’VE HEARD RUMORS OF a major expansion in homeless services centering on the new access/drop-in center the city is erecting on Olympic Boulevard for OPCC (formerly the Ocean Park Community Center).
I’d been told by reliable sources that the new 10,000-square-foot building at 503 Olympic Blvd. would triple the size of the old OPCC access center at Seventh Street and Colorado Avenue, and act as a portal for services for the entire Westside. Transients would be bussed here to enroll in services and return from whence they came or stay to utilize local services, according to these sources.
Last week, I e-mailed City Human Services Manager Julie Rusk to ask her what was going on.
“I do not know of any OPCC expansion plans nor a ‘homeless services portal’ planned for Santa Monica,” Rusk responded. “Nor would we support any new regional efforts which rely on Santa Monica programs as an intake/entry point or new programs outside of Santa Monica which rely on services and residential beds within the City of Santa Monica.”
Still, the rumors seemed to gain validation when I received an invitation to the Sept. 6 dedication of OPCC’s new Annenberg Access Center. The invite says: “This building is the primary entry point into the homeless services system on the Westside.” Maybe Rusk hadn’t seen OPCC’s invite.
Approval of a record $3.2 million in this year’s homeless budget and recently created programs such as the Chronic Homeless Project, Serial Inebriate Outreach Program, Downtown Outreach Team, Serial Inebriate Housing Program and the Homeless Court are testament to a growing roster of services catering to transients. A “portal” would open the door for funding even more services from a plethora of nonprofits.
Rusk wrote, “Providing assistance (treatment and housing) to those people who have been on the streets of Santa Monica for many years and stopping the inflow of homeless people to Santa Monica is our key focus."
Nearly two years ago, former L.A. County Supervisor Ed Edelman went on the city payroll as a “Homeless Czar” to get other communities to “share our burden.” We were promised he’d work to help neighboring communities set up their own services. With this promise largely unrealized, services are expanding here instead of being initiated there. The medical and mental health suite in OPCC’s Annenberg Access Center is just one more magnet to attract and keep ’em here.
I was surprised to read “stopping the inflow of homeless people to Santa Monica” is a key focus of the city’s efforts — especially since I’ve seen no evidence of this. On the contrary, more programs attract more clients. Build it and they’ll come. I see absolutely no desire to “stop construction.”
Rusk’s key focus of “helping people who’ve been on Santa Monica streets for many years” is only half the story. While the city asserts “long term Santa Monica homeless” have priority in obtaining housing, the truth is that anyone coming here (from everywhere in the world) gets handouts. It’s why we see the same poor souls on our street corners, year after year.
Between their new Cloverfield facility, subsidized to the tune of $7.4 million, and their Annenberg Access Center, representing another city gift of $3.3 million, OPCC — a city contractor — is the prime beneficiary and keystone of Santa Monica’s homeless services effort.
For years, OPCC has been the subject of much criticism. The most conspicuous complaint is of dirt, filth, encampments and squats on sidewalks and streets outside OPCC’s current access center at Seventh Street and Colorado Avenue. Obviously, the nonprofit takes no responsibility for the area around its drop-in center. On the other hand, the public rights of way around St. Joseph’s and other service providers are kept squeaky clean, devoid of encampments and trash.
The Santa Monica Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team routinely enforces the law at OPCC’s Seventh and Colorado facility and offers outreach and social service referrals. Because of numerous public complaints, a separate, highly conspicuous, uniformed detail is periodically deployed to deal with drug dealing, aggressive behavior, public intoxication and other illegal activity conducted there. Despite these complaints, the cozy relationship between the city and OPCC continues.
Despite all Santa Monica has done and the tens of millions of dollars spent, our homeless population has tripled since 1999, according to city research. Santa Monica and it’s exploding homeless services industry are obsessed with reaching as many people as they can — after all, high numbers mean more and bigger donations and grants. The city’s claim that they’re ”stopping the inflow” is little more than wishful thinking because more transients (potential clients) are coming our way.
With the contradictions, the city slips deeper into the abyss, the homeless service industry grows along with their revenues, and residents are forced to deal with more crap, crime, dirt and nastiness.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 27, 2007. Read the original PDF.