Politics & Government
Count Reveals Slight Growth in Homeless Population
City releases results of this year's homeless count, which found 780 people living on the streets, in cars and in shelters.
Santa Monica's homeless population increased 1.4 percent from 2012 to 780, according to the Citywide 2013 Homeless Count announced Monday at the Social Service Commission meeting.
The count conducted Jan. 30 found the unsheltered street homeless population was 316, a 19.7 percent increase from the 264 in 2012; 57 people sleeping in cars, 9.6 percent more than the 52 in 2012; and 407 in shelters and institutions, a 10.2 percent decrease from the 453 in 2012.
The decrease in the number of people in shelters was largely due to the reduced reliance on Santa Monica motels as emergency housing, according to Natasha Guest, a senior administrative analyst with Santa Monica's Human Services Division.
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Santa Monica's homeless population was 999 in 2007, 915 in 2009, 742 in 2010, 740 in 2011 and 769 in 2012. The city implemented its Action Plan to Address Homelessness in 2008.
In coming months, the city will seek to identify and house the homeless individuals known to have been in Santa Monica the longest, while re-directing those new to the city back to resources in their hometowns, Guest said.
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