Homelessness & Recovery
Santa Monica spends significant public money on homelessness, and residents reasonably want to know what it buys. The people I've known who got out did it through a combination of housing, treatment, and someone who had been there holding them accountable. Any approach that skips one of those three legs tends to fall over.
Where I stand
Compassion and accountability are not opposites. I want funding tied to outcomes we can actually see — people housed, people in treatment, people who stay stable a year later — and I want the recovery community treated as a resource, not an afterthought. Recovery works when people who've lived it are part of the response.
What I'd focus on
- Outcome-based reporting for every homelessness contract the city funds
- Recovery-informed outreach that includes people with lived experience
- Faster connection between street contact and an actual treatment or shelter bed
- Clear standards for public spaces that apply consistently and humanely
// ideas
Related ideas and proposals
// resident input
Your take on Homelessness & Recovery
You live it day to day. Tell me what this issue looks like where you are — what's broken, what's working, and what you'd change.