1685 Main Street, Room 209, Santa Monica, CA 90401 • (310) 458-8201 • [email protected] santamonica.gov • @cityofsantamonica • @santamonicacity September 3, 2024
The Honorable Lindsey P. Horvath
Chair
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W Temple Street, Room 821
Los Angeles, CA 90012
RE: Inclusion of behavioral health and crisis stabilization beds at the West LA Armory
Dear Chair Horvath,
On behalf of the City of Santa Monica, we respectfully urge Los Angeles County to reimagine services planned for the redevelopment of the West Los Angeles Armory (Armory) by expanding programming at the site to include substance use treatment and crisis stabilization beds. We are committed to partnering with the County on addressing the complex needs of our homeless populations and believe incorporating these essential services into the planned development at the Armory site is crucial for the City and our surrounding communities - not doing so would be a missed opportunity, especially considering the limited land available on the Westside to house these services.
The Department of Health Services (DHS) is currently leading the plan to develop a “Safe Landing Light” model site at the Armory. Typically, Safe Landing sites offer triage beds and 24/7 clinical services, including medical care, mental health care, and sobering/substance use disorder (SUD) services. The “light” model at the Armory will include interim beds, some medical rooms, and 24/7 triage beds, with The People Concern (TPC) as the on-site services provider.
Santa Monica strongly believes DHS is missing an opportunity for long-term savings and the ability to begin serving people sooner and more effectively by not including clinical behavioral health beds, specifically crisis stabilization and substance use treatment beds, at the Armory.
These services, co-located with the Safe Landing facility, will ensure that individuals can step down from higher levels of care and continue to receive the support they need. Given the limited land on the Westside and the Armory’s accessible location, this is a unique opportunity to enhance service provision in your district and in our region.
Safe Landing will be a welcomed addition yet there will still be significant gaps in behavioral health care. The Westside is in desperate need of sobering services, detox services, and residential treatment. In light of this, we respectfully request DHS site these services at the Armory. While some crisis stabilization and SUD services exist on the Westside, they are limited and often at capacity. They are also geographically distant and require transportation The Honorable Lindsey P. Horvath
September 3, 2024
1685 Main Street, Room 209, Santa Monica, CA 90401 • (310) 458-8201 • [email protected] santamonica.gov • @cityofsantamonica • @santamonicacity between sites, which creates an extra barrier and can lead to clients falling out of the system of care, particularly for people experiencing homelessness. Co-locating crisis and SUD with other planned services will help clients step down from higher levels of care and remain engaged in the system. Given that the Armory site is still in the planning phase, there is an opportunity to build more stories and accommodate these additional services.
We acknowledge that funding challenges have led to the scaling down of the originally planned services for the Armory. While funding has always been and will continue to be a challenge, it should not be a reason to limit access to essential services, especially at such a critical time when the region’s needs far exceed the availability of services. The City of Santa Monica is a member of the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG), and this regional group is committed to helping identify sources of funding to sustain these services. We cannot allow this opportunity to slip by because offering enhanced services at this site does not feel feasible at this moment.
We respectfully ask the County to continue exploring how to make the inclusion of behavioral health and crisis stabilization beds at the Armory a reality. This expansion will significantly benefit our communities and ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness receive the comprehensive care they need in one accessible location, creating better outcomes for the individuals served and the communities who are desperate to see things change.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
PHIL BROCK
Mayor
Cc: Members of the Santa Monica City Council
Amy Perkins, Senior Housing & Homelessness Deputy, Office of Sup. Lindsey Horvath Austin Cyr, Deputy Director of Community Affairs, Office of Sup. Lindsey Horvath Mike Aguilera-Gaudette, Legislative Affairs Deputy, Office of Sup. Lindsey Horvath