By Julie Rusk Human services manager City of Santa Monica
There was a misperception in Kenneth McCrae’s letter (SMDP, Sept. 15, page 4) about the City of Santa Monica opting out of the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority’s (LAHSA) regional year-round shelter pilot program. In fact, Santa Monica has been working actively with LAHSA’s executive director, Mitchell Netburn, to extend the regional year-round shelter program to include the westside. The addition of more year-round county-funded shelter beds in our region is critical to better address homelessness — and to match the Santa Monica’s year-round efforts to get homeless people housed and permanently off the streets.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 18, 2003. Read the original PDF.