Do services attract homeless people to Santa Monica?
Some people may come to Santa Monica because this is the place where the services they need are available. They can find safe shelter and connect to a case manager in order to begin the process of transitioning to self-sufficiency. In all likelihood, though, these arent the people you continue to see on the streets or in the parks year after year. If people are coming for case management, they are working within our continuum in order to move off the streets. Homeless people choose to come to Santa Monica for the same reasons people from all over the world come here: Santa Monica is a relatively safe community with beautiful open spaces and year-round access to the ocean; the City is small and easy to navigate; the climate allows for outdoor living. But some of Santa Monicas most desirable characteristics may enable people to remain on the streets: the local parks offer places for people to congregate and space for food distribution; a large tourist population means that panhandlers ha
