> ## 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. # Searching for comfort - URL: https://www.smdp.com/searching-for-comfort/ - Published: 2008-01-05T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T17:51:37.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: local, Downtown, #archive-import, Homeless *Rough weather forces homeless population to scramble* DOWNTOWN Seated near an alley on Santa Monica Boulevard with a tattered black suit case at his feet, Ronald D. looked up at the gray sky and shook his head in despair. “It’s definitely going to rain soon, and rain hard,” said Ronald, a former construction worker who injured his back four years ago and has since lived on the streets of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles.“It’s going to be a long night.” With significant rainfall expected this weekend, many of Santa Monica’s homeless population are forced to scramble to find shelter, but the reality is many will end up spending nights on the move or huddled underneath awnings and in parking structures to stay dry and avoid getting sick. “There’s just not that many places you can go,” said Ronald, who did not want to give his last name. “A lot of the shelters are full and if you don’t get assistance \[such as social security\] then you can’t afford a hotel, so you’re left walking the streets.” To protect the less fortunate from the elements the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a joint powers authority established in 1993 by the county and the city of Los Angeles to provide homeless services, uses armories in Westwood and Culver City to provide roughly 300 beds during cold weather. That helps, but with nearly 2,000 homeless in Santa Monica and Venice alone, there is not enough room to accommodate everyone. “We definitely see an increase in people when it rains or starts to get cold,” said David Martel, a unit manger for LAHSA “It’s first come first serve. We try to help everyone and find beds \[in one of the 15 cold weather shelters around the county\], but the reality is, we just don’t have enough beds for everyone we want to serve.” The cold weather shelter program begins in December and runs through March. Those looking for a dry place to rest their heads line up at the OPCC Access Center on Fifth Street and take a bus to the armories, Martel said. Santa Monica no longer provides beds for those who are not already enrolled in the Chronic Homeless Program, which targets those who have been on the streets the longest, said Julie Rusk, human services director for City Hall. Instead of making beds available to everyone, City Hall has set aside spaces for those who are serious about turning their lives around. “We just can’t continue to serve anyone who comes into the community,” Rusk said. “You can’t just come in and get a bed and then leave the next morning. We encourage people to use the cold weather shelters and we try our best to reconnect people with their families because that is the best way for them to get the help they need.” Zach Evans is one of those new arrivals who has been unable to access a bed in Santa Monica. On Friday he was sitting in a parking structure at Santa Monica Place with a wool blanket and some plastic bags containing toiletries and clean clothes. Drops of rain were falling, forcing him to find cover in the structure. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do this weekend,” said the 21-year-old from Bakersfield who has a history of mental illness.“I have some money that I could use to get a hotel room, but then I wouldn’t have anything to eat with. I think I’m going to just see if I can find a place around downtown where I can go and lay low.” Many businesses in downtown have posted signs in their windows warning people to not sit or sleep in their doorways after hours, a violation of the municipal code. Some homeless will sneak into apartment complex carports to find refuge or camp out in the old industrial area of the city that is relatively abandoned at night. Those caught can be cited by the police. In many cases, officers use the cold or wet weather as an opportunity to make contact with the homeless and help them access services, said SMDP Officer Jacob Holloway with the Homeless Liaison Program, which works closely with various social service agencies in an effort to place homeless individuals in short-term shelter and long-term housing. “When it’s sunny and warm, people tend not to access services, but when we have weather like this, you definitely see an increase, which allows us to make contact with these individuals and offer them assistance,” said Holloway, who has found homeless people sleeping under freeway overpasses and in carports to get out of the rain. “The important thing is that we have our arms open and want to help,” Holloway said. As the rain started to fall Friday afternoon, Ronald picked up what little belongings he had and began walking toward the mall, where he planned to hang out in the food court until he figured out his next move. “I know of a place where I can go,” Ronald said. “But I don’t want to say where it is or other people will go there and then it will be too crowded. Hopefully the rain won’t be too bad.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 5, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/010508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)