By Richard Hilton Member, Santa Monica Disabilities Commission Executive Director, West Los Angeles Council for the Disabled
Proposition 63 victory — mental health expansion — is good news for the city of Santa Monica. Ballot returns indicate 53 percent support stateside. In Santa Monica, city funding levels for social service programs are not guaranteed. Prop. 63 provides a steady source of state funding. The Disabilities Commission and the City Council went on record by supporting the initiative.
Mental illness is the nation’s most prevalent disability. In Santa Monica, 53 percent of disabled youth ages 5 to 15 on the 2000 census reported having a mental disorder. At OPCC’s Daybreak Shelter for women who are homeless and mentally ill, there was a 21 percent increase in clients seen from the previous year. As a social service provider, I agree that the food giveaways for the homeless should be tied to the use of shelter beds or shelter services.
Santa Monica residents will benefit immeasurably, especially in the successive years, by the funding provided by Prop. 63. Santa Monicans, the mentally disabled and the agencies which serve this community, should be and are very grateful of the ballot outcome.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 11, 2004. Read the original PDF.