The City of Santa Monica announced a five percent decrease in homeless individuals on Monday night. The findings of the Citywide 2014 Homeless Count were released at the Social Services Commission meeting.
More than 250 community volunteers and City staff covered each street in Santa Monica on the night of Jan. 29, 2014 – a total of 226 linear miles – to tally homeless individuals they encountered as well cars, RVs, tents, and boxes in which someone appeared to be living.
Homeless individuals in shelters, jails, motels, and hospitals were simultaneously counted by staff at each facility in the City.
The point-in-time homeless count found 742 individuals, a decrease from 780 (5 percent) in 2013.
The street count was 346, a decrease from 380 (9 percent) in 2013.
Within the street count, individuals sleeping in vehicles/encampments numbered 57, a decrease from 64 (11 percent) in 2013.
Shelter and institution population is 396, down slightly from 400 in 2013.
No homeless families were identified on the streets, which is consistent with previous counts, and is a unique feature of the homeless population in Santa Monica.
The downtown area saw a very significant 40 percent decrease (from 141 in 2013 to 86 in 2014), in the area between Ocean Avenue, Lincoln Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Pico Boulevard, including all of Palisades Park and the Pier.
Homeless counts are mandated every two years by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for communities that receive federal homeless funds.
Santa Monica began conducting a Homeless Count on an annual basis in 2010 in order to more rapidly identify and respond to homeless population trends.
For more information on the City of Santa Monica’s Action Plan on Homelessness, visit
.
