Residents protest new project
SUNSET PARK — Say Chin So stood in the front yard of her Pearl Street home on Wednesday and waved to a handful of students. She said it is “scary” to think of those with schizophrenia or other disorders living right next door, so close to a path frequented by students of John Adams Middle School.
“We don’t know what will happen if someone forgets to take their medicine,” So said.“There are no guarantees.”
Representatives with mental health provider Step Up on Second are looking to set the record straight tonight regarding a plan to house young men and women with mental disorders in a triplex near the middle school.
A number of residents are up in arms about the plan,concerned for the safety of students at the school. Many also fear the project will affect their quality of life, altering the look and feel of their residential neighborhood.
Tod Lipka, the chief executive director of Step Up, said tonight’s town hall meeting will give residents a chance to talk with mental health experts and ask questions about the project in an effort to ease fears and dispel myths about mental illness.
“Our mission as an organization is to increase the public understanding about mental illness,” Lipka said. “So whether the project is successful or not, I’m hoping we’ll be able to help advance the issue of mental illness and address the stigma attached to it.”
The meeting among residents, city officials and Step Up begins at 7 p.m. at Grant Elementary School, 2368 Pearl St.
The plan in question includes the purchase of a triplex at 1826 Pearl St., where the nonprofit hopes to place at least eight men and women,ages 18 to 26,who have recently experienced their first episodes of mental illness.
Step Up is currently in the middle of a 120-day escrow and has applied for a $456,000 loan from City Hall to help finance the transitional housing project.
Jim Kemper, a senior administrative analyst with the housing and redevelopment division at City Hall, said Step Up entered into escrow Aug. 1 and applied for the loan shortly thereafter.
City officials denied an initial request for $1.7 million, Lipka said, prompting Step Up to re-apply for a lower amount.
“The city doesn’t have a funding policy that fits transitional housing. It’s really based on permanent housing,” Lipka said. “Our initial request exceeded existing policy, so we made the decision to re-apply, which is a significantly smaller amount but fits in with the policy guidelines.”
Lipka said Step Up is currently seeking other funding sources to help with the purchase, which, if all goes well, will be approved sometime in January or February of 2007.
In e-mails and letters to the City Council, residents living adjacent to the property as well as those living nearby, said they were supportive of Step Up’s efforts to help those suffering from mental illness; however, they feel the triplex is not the right place for a transitional living facility.
Residents said the project would displace several tenants who currently live at the location, create a safety risk for students and residents if the occupants failed to stay on their medication, and add to the list of other affordable housing projects and social service providers located in the area.
“We don’t have a problem with Step Up, but we do have a problem with having an affordable housing development for 18-to 26-year-olds... even if they didn’t have mental illness,” said Jeff Bender, who lives across the street and a few doors down from the triplex. “We’ve already got projects like this in our backyard. We are already supporting their efforts. If we add another, how are we going to keep the character of our neighborhood, which is a family-oriented neighborhood?”
Bender doesn’t believe the town hall will be any different than a meeting hosted by Friends of Sunset Park on Sept. 7, in which he felt residents were portrayed as insensitive and ignorant.
“I think it will be just more of the same,” said Bender, who has a degree in psychology. “I don’t think we stand a chance.”
According to Lipka, the participants would be screened thoroughly, with staff living on the premises to provide 24-hour coverage. Each tenant would also be assigned a case worker to monitor their progress.
Lipka said the transitional living program would offer a structured living environment that would last for two years. Over that time period, those in the program would be taught the skills they need to better manage their lives.
Participants wouldn’t simply be “hanging out” all day, Lipka said.
“We have a strong track record of serving this community for over 22 years,” Lipka said. “We have never had an incident... and we will be presenting papers about various research that will pretty much demonstrate that individuals with mental illness who are getting help have no greater incidences of violence than you or I.”
At the triplex, resident Jennifer Cohen, a student at SMC, said she didn’t know much about the project. She and her husband are hoping some decision is made soon so that they can prepare to move if necessary.
“We haven’t really been kept in the loop,” Cohen said. “There have been a lot of rumors, so I don’t really know what to say about it. Our lease ends soon so I think we are planning to move anyway. We’d just like to know more information.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 12, 2006. Read the original PDF.