City Council takes ownership of local homelessness response system, approves build-out of new Housing Focused System of Care

August 4, 2026 12:29 PM

No longer content to rely primarily on LA County to manage homelessness response activities, City Council directs the creation of a city-run continuum to fund regional homeless shelter support, while building out localized housing facilities to support a Santa Monica focused population

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Aug. 4, 2026) - The Santa Monica City Council Tuesday approved the establishment of a Housing Focused System of Care, a locally controlled model that gives the City direct authority over homeless services from street outreach through permanent housing.

"Rather than relying on others to coordinate our homeless response activities, Santa Monica is choosing instead to build a system we control, so no one falls through the cracks between agencies," Mayor Caroline Torosis said. "This is what it looks like to take responsibility for both our neighbors and our neighborhoods at the same time."

The plan replaces the City's reliance on the county-run system with a new program built around four linked priorities, including 1) local prioritization to place people connected to Santa Monica into the proper type of housing facility; 2) robust on-site services; 3) City-directed security, and 4) good-neighbor agreements.

In establishing the Housing Focused System of Care, initial Council directed activities include:

• Stabilization housing the city controls. The City will bring the 34-room Palm Motel at 2020 14th Street under City management. Placements are limited to people who meet the City's Santa Monica Program Participant, or SMPP, criteria. The City defines that as someone who became homeless in Santa Monica, has been homeless in the city for three or more years, or is a frequent user of City services as verified by staff. Moving forward, at the Palms Motel and at any future site, City outreach teams will also ensure that SMPP individuals are matched to facilities that can properly support the persons recovery process.
• A placement option for every street encounter. The City will fund the activation of 35 currently unfunded beds at The Salvation Army's Bell Shelter, ensuring that City outreach teams and first responders always have a shelter referral option available for people who do not meet the SMPP definition, while also adding needed capacity for the regional system. In that manner, other jurisdictions that work with The Salvation Army will also have access to available beds funded by the City.
• Replacing congregate shelter with scattered site interim housing. Staff will identify other non-congregate sites in and around Santa Monica to replace the capacity of SaMoShel, the City's existing 60-bed congregate shelter, ensuring the City builds upon, not deceases, sheltering options.

"Throughout the whole system, every site will operate with clear outcome goals, on-site services and on-site security," said Aileen Reynolds, Director of Housing and Human Services. "This is about accountability, to the people we serve and the people we're trying to help."

The plan adoption follows 14 community meetings held between April and July 2026 and arrives days after the 2026 Point-in-Time Count found unsheltered homelessness in Santa Monica down 18.7 percent - even as homelessness rose 1.2 percent across Los Angeles County Continuum of Care - with Santa Monica's total count falling 11.6 percent to 718 people from 812 in 2025.

For more information, visit santamonica.gov/topic-explainers/housing-focused-system-of-care.

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