> ## 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. # Parents to Step Up: Step off - URL: https://www.smdp.com/parents-to-step-up-step-off/ - Published: 2007-10-18T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T01:09:24.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Education, Mid-City, #archive-import, Homeless *Residents wary of Daniel’s Village* MID-CITY For the second time in a year, a plan to house young people suffering from the early stages of mental illness is generating plenty of opposition from neighbors and parents whose children attend school in the vicinity of the proposed project. The concerns expressed by those opposed to Step Up on Second’s proposal, known as Daniel’s Village, have to deal not only with the safety of children at McKinley Elementary School — located roughly two blocks away — but also with the lack of notification from City Hall, which is contributing more than $2 million toward the project. Many are outraged that city officials would grant mental health provider Step Up the money without first notifying residents and the school’s principal about such a project. They believe that City Hall is forcing them to accept the affordable housing project without having given them an opportunity to speak their minds. Those in support of Step Up believe that the project, which would replace the Village Motel, located at 2624 Santa Monica Boulevard, will be good for the neighborhood and serve a group of people in dire need of assistance. At the heart of the matter is a policy adopted by the City Council that gives staff the power to administratively approve eligible affordable housing projects of 50 units or less that are located in areas not zoned for single-family residential. The policy encourages the construction of affordable housing, making it easier for developers to go through the process, saving them time and money. The council based its decision on input from the community advocating for more affordable housing. Daniel’s Village would consist of eight units and be located in the C4 zone, or Highway Commercial District. Those opposed believe Daniel’s Village is more than just an affordable housing project since it will exclusively house those suffering from mental illness, and therefore, more notice should have been given. Tod Lipka, the executive director of Step Up, said Daniel’s Village will provide supportive services for its residents and have a qualified staff person living on site to help the clients learn the skills they need to live independently. There will also be a case manager to work with each resident to make sure they are staying on track. Lipka said many of the residents will be receiving additional services at another location, Daniel’s Place, and will be attending school or working. “These are people who are very connected to their families and very committed to treatment,” Lipka said. “These are young people who are at a formative stage in their lives. On top of having an illness, they face significant challenges that come with living independently. We want to teach them the life skills they need and provide them with the treatment they need to get their lives back on track, and providing that housing component is crucial to that.” STEPPING AWAY Sunset Park residents rallied against the same project when Step Up proposed buying a home near John Adams Middle School. That led the city manager to deny Step Up a $450,000 loan, forcing the Santa Monica-based agency to abandon the plan in November 2006. At the time, residents felt locating the transitional housing program in a residential area near a school was inappropriate and strongly voiced their opposition to City Hall. Step Up tried to work with the community, hosting or attending at least two town hall forums to discuss the project, but when it was clear support for the project wasn’t there, Step Up put it on hold. Some feel the same community outreach should have been afforded McKinley Elementary parents with Daniel’s Village. “Speaking as someone whose politics is left of middle, it’s one thing to do the humanitarian right thing regarding the homeless, alcoholics, addicts and mentally ill on the street, but to turn Santa Monica into a haven, or Mecca, for all of the above downturns our quality of life and puts our kids at risk,” said Martin Miller, a resident whose 9-year-old daughter attends McKinley.“As you know, south Santa Monica — below Wilshire Boulevard — is where the city aggregates all of its social services. “I doubt we’ll ever see a place called The Montana Avenue Community Mental Center.” The concern about youngsters going to school so close to an affordable housing project with those suffering from mental illness is paramount, but those opposed are also upset about the lack of notification. Most who contacted the Daily Press said they were not aware of the Step Up project until they read about it in this newspaper, a contingent that included McKinley Principal Irene Gonzalez. “As of right now, we are not taking a position on the issue,” Gonzalez said. The school district is planing to meet with Lipka to learn more about the project. Andy Agle, who is in charge of Housing and Economic Development for City Hall, said under the City Council approved guidelines for projects of this nature,City Hall is not required to notify the public.That responsibility falls on the organization receiving funds. However, an information item was posted online on Oct. 2 and the project was discussed briefly at a meeting of the Housing Commission in September. Additionally, city staff intends to provide an informational presentation on the project to the Social Services Commission and the Disabilities Commission. Agle said the $2 million that City Hall is planning to loan Step Up is contingent on the mental health provider raising more than $400,000 for renovations of the motel and for operation expenses. Lipka said much of that money has already been raised and Step Up plans to raise another $600,000 for the project from private donors. “The council has adopted guidelines and those guidelines govern that investment into affordable housing,” Agle said. “The public is notified about the proposed project by sending the council an information item and secondly, through the requirement that the project proponent let the public know about this proposal.” Step Up began circulating a letter to residents last week and announced Daniel’s Village during its Art Heals event in September. Step Up also circulated a press release to the media shortly after that event. City Hall informed Step Up that it would fund the project in late August. Lipka said notification could not have been sent out any earlier because the project was still in its infancy and there was no guarantee that the purchase of the motel would go through. The purchase was still in escrow as of Wednesday, he said. There was also a concern about backlash from the public, Lipka admitted. When Step up tried to purchase the home near JAMS last year, Lipka said the family that owned it was harassed. He did not want to expose the owner of the motel to that. “It’s still early in the process,” Lipka said. We don’t even know if the deal is going to go through, so we wanted to wait until we were confident this will go through. There is always going to be a balancing act here. We are thinking about how best we can serve our participants and our program while informing the public, educating the public and sometimes those aren’t always working in alignment with each other. “We are not trying to do this under the radar,” Lipka added. “This project will be addressing important needs in our community. The fact of the matter is, if you hinge these projects on getting the permission of the people in the neighboring area, you would never get any of these off the ground.” EYES WIDE OPEN Step Up’s Lipka said there are plenty of misconceptions about mental illness which have led people to believe that mentally ill people are more violent than others. That is not the case, he said. Trying to get people to understand this is what makes providing services to the mentally ill challenging, which is why Lipka is offering people every opportunity to contact him to learn more about mental illness. He encourages residents to call him directly at (310) 394-6889 or Community meetings will be planned, allowing residents to learn more and voice their opinions on the project, he said. As for building Daniel’s Village in another part of town, say north of Montana, Lipka said that would be nearly impossible given zoning restrictions and the price of real estate in that area, as well as others in Santa Monica. The Village Motel site is located on a commercial corridor near many businesses, including a bar and a 24-hour pharmacy. Not everyone is opposed to Daniel’s Village. Laila Taslimi, a teacher at McKinley and a financial supporter of Step Up, said she sees the proposed redevelopment of the motel as a “positive change,” and does not believe school safety will be compromised. “What I am concerned about here is how we could say ‘not in my neighborhood’ to a non-profit organization that has a proven track record of serving the underserved in Santa Monica,” Taslimi said. “If not here, where? This is not a liquor store or cigarette billboard we’re trying to keep out of our children’s sight. These are young people who will be receiving needed care, people who could be from our very own schools and our very own families. “Why hide from children’s eyes that there is work to be done in caring for others?” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 18, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101807.pdf?ref=smdp.com)