City services noted by other homeless groups
CITY HALL — Officials here are crossing their fingers that the federal government will give them $1 million so they can get chronically homeless people off the streets of Santa Monica.
The City Council last week approved a staff recommendation for City Hall to apply for a $1 million grant from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development that would be used to provide 30 homeless Santa Monicans who suffer from alcoholism with a permanent place to live.
If Santa Monica is successful in obtaining the grant, individuals who have been homeless for at least a year and have not participated in any other housing program would qualify for a voucher to pay for an apartment.
The HUD grant would provide the city $1 million over two years to contact homeless individuals on the streets and enroll them in the pilot program.
Brian Sullivan, a spokesperson with HUD, said the program will likely be evaluated in coming years for effectiveness. He said the program comes as a response from recent research indicating that of the 150,000 homeless individuals living in the United States at any given time, 15,000 to 30,000 of them are considered to be chronically homeless, many of whom suffer from drug and alcohol addiction.
Sullivan said that although research indicates those individuals make up a smaller percentage of the homeless population, they use a majority of the services available. As a result, other segments of the homeless population — such as women who have suffered from domestic violence, or people recently out of work — might not be able to take full advantage of the services, Sullivan said. By trying to address the chronic homeless issue, Sullivan said more services may be freed up for other homeless individuals.
Sullivan said HUD is part of a 20-agency group called the Interagency on Homelessness — federal entities coordi-nating homeless efforts nationwide — that seeks to end chronic homelessness.
“It’s a lofty goal,” Sullivan said. “Some say it’s not realistic, but we’ll never get there if we don’t say we’re going to get there.”
“It’s a lofty goal. Some say it’s not realistic, but we’ll never get there if we don’t say we’re going to get there.” — BRIAN SULLIVAN HUD spokesperson
Sullivan declined to comment on the type of cities HUD will be looking to award the grant, or when the recipients will be announced. He did say, however, that sites that prove they have a strong track record of addressing chronic homelessness will be considered.
Julie Rusk, City Hall’s human services manager who helps oversee citywide homeless projects, said Santa Monica is applying for the grant because the city has much of the programming to make the grant successful.
“I believe we are well suited for the grant because of the services we already have in place for the homeless,” Rusk said. “But what we need is the housing.”
Santa Monica applies annually for about $380,000 in assistance from HUD through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a local government entity that works within the county to address homelessness, city staff said. Also, City Hall applies for millions of dollars through HUD for housing money not directly related to homelessness.
City Councilman Richard Bloom said Santa Monica would make an excellent recipient for the grant.
“We have been piloting programs that reach out to the chronically homeless,” Bloom said. “I think our own staff has been surprised how successful it has been.”
Bloom said the city’s successes in addressing homelessness has caught the eye of Bring LA Home — a countywide program involving more than 80 municipalities intended to address chronic homelessness in the region and end homelessness in LA within 10 years. Bloom said the group might soon announce plans to help 5,000 homeless individuals get off the street within 18 months.
“It would be an extraordinary opportunity if successful and a first major change we’ve seen in the homeless population in a long time,” Bloom said.
Councilman Bobby Shriver — who recently won the approval of his colleagues for City Hall to hire a regional liaison to tackle the homeless issue in Santa Monica and surrounding communities — said he is glad city staff is applying for the HUD grant.
“I hope we get the grant, but I continue to think a regional leader is needed to make a plan to get grants like this and other cities working together,” Shriver said. “The key is leadership, leadership, leadership. We need leadership that can be committed to tackling this issue.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 14, 2005. Read the original PDF.