One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Santa Monica Launches Search for "Ten Most Vulnerable" Homeless People
Last month a program called Project 50aimed at identifying homeless individuals most in need of immediate housing was begun in Los Angeles, and a similar program kicked off today in the City of Santa Monica.
This morning teams began training for safety and census-taking skills, and are preparing to take to the streets early next week in the late night (or early morning) hours, tracking the areas where groups of homeless people congregate and sleep. Particular statistics and variables are being sought in order to determine which ten people need housing the most, including, per a press release, "length of homelessness and physical and mental health status" which is used to estimate the individual's likelihood of not surviving street living.
Once the "Top Ten" are located and housed, the teams and their organizations--who have been working under the banner of the Chronic Homeless Project (CHP) since 2004--will work with Santa Monica's Human Services Division to locate the next ten individuals who meet their criteria for housing.
A briefing on the findings of the survey process and the identification of the most vulnerable homeless people will be held on Thursday, January 31 at 3 p.m. at the Santa Monica Main Library Auditorium, which is located at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard in Santa Monica.
Photo of the coastline in Santa Monica by Mil8 via the LAist Featured Photo Pool on Flickr
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
