Santa Monica Transitional Housing Projects Canceled

Community blowback scuttled a transitional housing effort slated for oceanfront property in Santa Monica.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes the seaside enclave, ordered the termination of two interim housing facilities planned for former senior living facilities on Ocean Avenue, the Santa Monica Daily Press reported.

The county previously opted to pause the projects before determining next steps. The reuse would have provided 49 units of supportive housing for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders who are enrolled in the County’s transitional housing program.

“When a project moves forward without community awareness, it erodes trust. In this case, that trust has been broken, and the community is right to be frustrated,” Horvath said. “The lack of transparency and coordination in this process is unacceptable.”

The housing was a few weeks away from opening and would’ve been operated by the Venice-based nonprofit St. Joseph Center, with funding from the county through the state’s Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Program. All residents would have been from Los Angeles’ Westside, with at least 15 beds set aside for Santa Monica residents.

Horvath directed the Department of Mental Health to work in tandem with St. Joseph Center and the City of Santa Monica to find alternative sites that would meet the community’s needs.

She also took it a step further, directing the county to “unify all homelessness and behavioral health housing programs under one coordinated department to ensure clear leadership, consistent communication and accountability” in addressing homelessness.

Local residents blasted the decision after what they viewed as insufficient community outreach.

Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete joined that chorus, saying “everybody deserves to know what is happening in their community and to be able to voice their concern, and shouldn’t be chastised or villainized for having a response or a fear.”

Negrete was pleased with Horvath’s decision to force the development to relocate. “We should all be working together to build a framework for compassion and care that recognizes the financial and personal constraints facing cities across the state, and Santa Monica remains committed to these programs and the well-being of our community,” Negrete said.

Prolific Los Angeles developer Leo Pustilnikov wasn’t the owner of the Ocean Avenue properties but did have the option to purchase the property and was a part of the deal to locate housing facilities there. The county will still work with Pustilnikov to identify alternative locations.

The replacement housing doesn’t have to be in the city limits of Santa Monica, but it must land in one of the Westside communities of Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Culver City, Ladera, Malibu, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Palms, Playa del Rey, Santa Monica, Venice, West Los Angeles, Westchester or Westwood.

— Chris Malone Méndez