SANTA MONICA—On Friday, June 12 it was reported that Santa Monica’s homeless population has diminished by 8% according to a census conducted by the City of Santa Monica on January 22 this year. Its success in reducing the homeless population is attributed to its ongoing funding and social assistance to the homeless.
The census data gathered showed that the number of homeless had dropped from 985 to 907 respectively from 2019 to 2020. About two thirds of the homeless population, 601 people were living on streets, tents or in vehicles. The rest, about one third of the population were living in shelters, hospitals or the prison.
In comparison, Los Angeles County had a 12% rise in its homeless population up to 66,433 people, and the city of Los Angeles also had a 14.2% increase in its homeless population up to 41,290 people. The Mayor of Santa Monica, Kevin McKeown explained that the success of Santa Monica in reducing its homeless population is because it successfully implemented a street-based outreach model as compared to other regions within the Los Angeles County. McKeown disclosed that Santa Monica has been rigorously following an eviction moratorium and continues funding the state and the federal government for housing assistance which aid the homeless in finding a place to stay rather than being forced to live off streets. In May, the City of Monica used more than $3.85 million for housing assistance to aid seniors cover costs for living in their rent-controlled apartments. The city also helped about 307 low-income tenants pay off their rents for three months as reported by surfsantamonica.com
