For over a year, a pair of buildings with breathtaking ocean views that used to house seniors have sat vacant in Santa Monica next to multimillion dollar townhomes and condominiums.
But in the last several months, neighbors have noticed workers moving on and off the respective properties in the 400 and 800 blocks of Ocean Avenue.
They painted the buildings, installed security cameras and a PRIVATE PROPERTY sign to deter trespassers.
Then, late on a Tuesday night earlier this month, the county of Los Angeles informed the city of Santa Monica new tenants would be moving in soon and who they were: 49 patients with behavioral health issues enrolled in the county’s transitional housing program.
The backlash came fast, including from the mayor.
“I live next to 3 within walking distance — we never got a heads up or a community meeting either,” Santa Monica Mayor Lara Negrete wrote on Facebook. “The system is not working fairly and informing people and it’s above our heads often coming from state and county — yet we have to manage the chaos.”
Now, the project is on hold as the county plans to host a town hall and offer public tours of the facilities.
“We want to ensure that everyone is heard, properly informed, and has multiple opportunities to provide feedback and help shape how the project is implemented,” the Department of Mental Health said in a statement.
That’s how the process should have rolled out in the first place, according to locals like Negrete.
“What happened here revealed some real gaps in how the law divides responsibilities between the state, county and city when it comes to not only funding mental health facilities, but just the notification and community engagement,” Negrete told The Times. “I think everybody deserves to know what is happening in their community and to be able to voice their concern, and shouldn’t be chastised or villainized for having a response or a fear.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said in a statement on Oct. 14 she is “disappointed by the lack of proper communication with Santa Monica residents” and said there “has been inexcusably little engagement around this proposal.”
L.A. County operates the largest county-run mental health department in the country with a budget of nearly $3 billion. Last year, L.A. was one of 10 counties to receive nearly $133 million to rapidly house homeless people and those experiencing mental illness.
That funding includes the Ocean Avenue bridge housing.
According to the county, the facilities will be a managed by the Venice-based nonprofit St. Joseph Center and operated by the Department of Mental Health through the State Behavioral Health Bridge Housing fund. The nonprofit did not respond to requests for comment.
The end goal for residents admitted into the facilities will be to transition them into secure housing while providing mental health treatment and other resources. Santa Monica residents receiving priority placement. Residents will be vetted by the county and have to follow a curfew and other rules. Staffing will include mental health clinicians, licensed vocational nurses and substance use counselors, among other medical professionals. St. Joseph Center will provide 24/7 security and manage the area outside the facility, according to the county.
It’s unclear if the county weighed how the site would impact tourism, calls for police and other emergency services, which all link back to the city. Negrete thinks the state and county should assess the data on what can be done to open state-funded hospitals for people who need mental health services.
“We need to ask ourselves, like, how does this impact the entire neighborhood?” Negrete said.
Last month, the city of Santa Monica declared a state of fiscal distress due to a decline in tourism revenue that has not rebounded since the pandemic and paid out more than $229 million in legal settlements relating to sexual-abuse claims made against a former police dispatcher. The city recently permitted outdoor drinking at the Third Street Promenade to try and boost business.
On a recent sunny morning, Alex Ardeshir passed by one of the vacant buildings with his dogs after the county announced the project was put on pause. He doesn’t think the facilities will fit in with the neighborhood, but agrees there needs to be more care for people living on the streets.
“It’s a noble cause, but this is a residential area that attracts tourists,” he said. “You’re going to have a clash of people who are not from the area seeing this facility and wondering if this represents the city. Tourism would take a hit. I’d like to think I’m a compassionate person, but the county has not thought this through.”
Michelle Lee lives near one of the proposed facilities and said there was zero outreach from the county or St. Joseph Center. She wants to see more opportunities for people to get help and thinks the bridge housing model is an important tool.
“We all need to do our part in helping the homeless,” Lee said. “It’s such a complicated issue. I don’t have a problem with the bridge housing based on what little information I’ve received. But this was all mishandled. We had to play a guessing game about all of this and still nothing.”
Bradley Adams sometimes sleeps on the beach in Santa Monica. He heard about the bridge housing but didn’t know it was going to be on Ocean Avenue.
“If it’s empty and there’s money then someone should get to sleep there,” he said. “There are so many who need the help.”
According to county data taken on a single night in February, 202 people were staying in temporary shelters and 475 were living on the streets, with an additional 135 people living in a vehicle, tent or makeshift shelter in Santa Monica.
Though the Ocean Avenue facility openings are paused for now, they are meant to address the needs of Santa Monica residents, who have asked for more beds and resources to address the growing homeless crisis, including helping people with acute mental health needs, according to Horvath’s office.
“It’s not our project,” Negrete said. “Yet, somehow we’re left holding the bag when neighbors or constituents or stakeholders are upset about a project.”
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