OPCC homeless shelter remains near capacity
A local investment company gave up their traditional Christmas party once again this year in the name of philanthropy.
Employees of CBIC Oppenheimer spent Friday serving hot food to about 700 homeless people in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. They also gave away presents the homeless can use — backpacks with basic necessities like toothpaste and rain ponchos.
It was the Ocean Park Community Center’s annual holiday party and Oppenheimer spent between $5,000 and $10,000 putting it on.
Oppenheimer’s Christmas parties of the past were like those at many corporations — they were limited to only employees and thousands of dollars were spent on drinks and food that lasted for a couple of hours.
But this year, the company’s money went much further.
“It’s better this way, the funds go to something better,” said Nicolette Fahey, the wife of David Fahey, a sales manager at Oppenheimer. Fahey spent Friday dishing up turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy to hundreds of grateful people while a jazz band played in the background.
“It’s better this way, the funds go to something better.” — — NICOLETTE FAHEY David Fahey’s wife
This year’s party was nearly double what it was from last year, which was held in the parking lot of OPCC on the corner of Seventh Street and Colorado Avenue in dowtown Santa Monica.
5D8,OPCC, one the largest and oldest homeless shelters in Santa Monica, is almost at capacity, handling up to 300 people a day who come for a daily meal, groceries, clothes or a place to sleep. Santa Monica is not alone in experiencing an influx of homeless — communities across the country are finding their homeless populations increase.
OPCC’s Access Center provides emergency services, outreach programs and case management for low-income and homeless youth, adults and families in West Los Angeles.
OPCC, formerly the Ocean Park Community Center, is a network of shelters and services for low-income and homeless youth, adults and families, battered women and their children, and homeless, mentally-ill women. This year marks the 40th anniversary of OPCC.
OPCC was founded in 1963 and started as a grassroots, volunteer organization to provide assistance to the growing number of homeless and working poor congregating in the Ocean Park neighborhood. OPCC is funded partially by the city, state and federal governments, as well as by individual donations.
In the past four decades, OPCC has grown from a small program at the Church at Ocean Park on Hill Street with a few volunteers to a network of shelters and services that serve more than 12,000 people annually throughout Los Angeles County. Its budget is $5 million annually and has more than 100 staff personnel for all of its services. The access center employs about 15 full-time workers.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 20, 2003. Read the original PDF.