City of Santa Monica Releases a Practical Toolkit About Homelessness
June 6, 2018 9:25 AM
by Constance Farrell
Included in the latest issue of Seascape is the City of Santa Monica’s recently released toolkit about homelessness for residents, businesses and workers in Santa Monica. This toolkit offers practical resources based on questions raised by the community. Addressing homelessness is one of the Santa Monica City Council’s top five strategic goals. Homelessness decreased 3% county-wide in 2018, impacting almost 53,195 individuals. In Santa Monica, more than 950 people are living without a home, which is 4% above the previous year.
Here's what's in the toolkit:
- Background on homelessness and its emergence as a regional crisis.
- Information on how to contact the experts, including trained staff who know what to do, and how to call for assistance in different circumstances.
- A recap of how the City, county and state partners are working on this issue.
- Tips on knowing what to say, how to make a difference and how to advocate for change.
- Ways to get involved, including a full list of service providers working in the area.
The City has already distributed 6,000 toolkits — and now 60,000 to every household through this special Seascape insert — and will continue to distribute them through the networks of local businesses, school districts, nonprofit partners and other community groups. A digital version of the toolkit (available in both English and Spanish) can be downloaded at weare.santamonica.gov. If you’d like additional printed copies, email the City at communications@smgov.net.
The toolkit is part of the We Are Santa Monica initiative with the goal of encouraging community members from all sectors to join the City in taking action to address challenges to make Santa Monica even stronger. You’ll soon see and learn more about We Are as well as important topics around kindergarten readiness and how we maintain an inclusive and diverse community. We hope you’ll be part of the effort. To stay informed, sign up for our email list at weare.santamonica.gov.
Authored By
Constance Farrell
Communications & Public Information Manager