Addressing Homelessness: Why are we building supportive housing in Santa Monica?
December 17, 2024 8:23 AM
by Heather Averick
This is part three in our series about Permanent Supportive Housing, or PSH, and how it helps people who have experienced homelessness gain housing stability. Check out part one and part two.
This blog post will explore how PSH, which is affordable housing combined with onsite services for residents, is an essential tool in Santa Monica’s work on Addressing Homelessness, and how it benefits the entire community.
Is PSH new to Santa Monica?
The city of Santa Monica has long recognized the importance of PSH and has invested in it since 1994. There are currently 181 city-funded PSH apartments throughout the city.
Most recently, developer EAH Housing opened The Laurel on Michigan Avenue, with funding from the city, which provides housing and services to 57 individuals who were either previously unhoused in our city, or at risk of losing their housing in our city.
Why PSH?
As we discussed in the first blog post, PSH has positive effects on housing stability, employment and mental and physical health for its residents.
Supportive housing has been proven to benefit the entire community by improving the safety and cleanliness of neighborhoods and adding new or revitalized buildings which are well-constructed and well-maintained.
PSH is cost effective. Supportive housing saves nearly the same amount of money in public resources - homeless shelters, hospitals, emergency rooms, prisons, etc. - as it costs to build and operate.
Individuals in PSH apartments get on-site services and supports which enable some individuals to move on to other types of affordable housing or to move out with a Section 8 voucher, once they no longer need the on-site services and support offered in supportive housing. In this way, "permanent” supportive housing is a misnomer. Residents can remain in PSH if they need the services long-term, but many move on to other types of long-term housing, such as general affordable housing.
How is supportive housing different than affordable housing?
Affordable housing supports households that primarily face economic barriers to stable housing; these families cannot afford market-rate rents in our city on their income alone.
PSH is affordable housing plus on-site wrap around services and support, including case management. It is for individuals who are low income but are also homeless or have a history of housing instability. The services are tailored to helping individuals gain housing stability and meet their goals – whether that means gaining employment, maintaining existing employment or applying for benefits.
Both components of PSH – the services and the housing – are vital for this more vulnerable population. Life skills classes, such as managing a budget, or preparing a healthy meal, and employment services, such as resume writing and computer skills classes, can be the key to helping someone who has experienced housing instability to stay housed and develop the tools to rebuild their lives.
Is PSH right for Santa Monica?
In recent months, we have witnessed previously unhoused Santa Monicans move into The Laurel and thrive.
One is Manuel*, a 47-year-old individual who The People Concern, also known as TPC, has been working with since last year. Manuel was one of the first people to participate in L.A. County Homeless Initiative's Pathway Home operation in Santa Monica in February.
After living in the beach and downtown area for many years, Manuel was able to stabilize at Pathway Home for five months. From there he moved into The Laurel when it opened in August, where he has on-site supportive services that will continue to strengthen his path to housing stability.
Another is Bobby*. In August, Santa Monica Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program, or HLP, officers were patrolling the Lincoln Boulevard and Pico Boulevard area and providing resources to several individuals when they were approached by someone they did not recognize at first. It took them a minute to recognize Bobby, who came up to them and thanked them for not giving up on him. Bobby is now happily housed at The Laurel and is four months sober. The officers said that Bobby’s appearance was a complete turnaround from when they used to make contact with him on the street.
Then there is Chris Felts, a disabled senior who lived unhoused in Santa Monica for about 12 years before taking part in the Pathway Home program and moving inside. He had been trying for years to get into housing and never lost faith that one day he would get back on his feet. He worked with his caseworker at TPC consistently for more than a year until he was able to get into the Pathway Home program and await the opening of The Laurel, where he now lives happily and comfortably.
The future of PSH in Santa Monica
Per Santa Monica’s approved 2021-2029 Housing Element, the city plans to build 1,880 affordable housing apartments on city-owned sites in the coming years. Of these apartments, a portion are designated for supportive housing.
The city-owned sites are: 1318 4th St., three parking lots on Wilshire Boulevard, 4th/Arizona, Bergamot Arts Center and parking lots on Main Street.
Any new supportive housing built provides an opportunity for vulnerable individuals in our community to have a stable home where they can easily access case management and other supportive services that can help improve their lives, and benefit the community overall as we move our unhoused neighbors off the streets.
We will continue to share information as the other city-owned sites designated for affordable housing move forward.
*Names have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy.
Authored By
Heather Averick
Director of Housing and Human Services