If you passed by the intersection of Main Street and Pico Boulevard this morning, you may have noticed some exciting activity taking place just outside the southwest corner of the shuttered Civic Auditorium.
Early this morning, a pair of mobile buildings were delivered to the parking lot. These trailers will soon house SaMo Bridge, a new city diversion program set to launch this month.
The SaMo Bridge program will join STEP Court and the Alternatives to Incarceration Pre-Filing Diversion Program as the latest tool to help the city intercept individuals experiencing homelessness or behavioral health issues before they enter the criminal justice system – and offer a different path.
The program is a key component of the city’s innovative strategy to address homelessness by focusing on sustainable solutions with lasting impacts.
When Santa Monica Police Department, or SMPD, personnel contact an individual who has committed a low-level crime – such as violating the city’s camping ordinance – they can now offer the person two choices: go to jail or go to the SaMo Bridge “respite hub.”
If the person chooses jail, they are usually either cited or booked and then released, with an obligation to appear in court in 30 days. But in the intervening month, they may pick up more offenses or have to wait to be connected with resources.
The idea is that the 24/7 respite hub is a more attractive option, with the goal of getting people off the street and connected to services. It also offers SMPD a new and much-needed resource to refer people to after hours.
At the respite hub, the individual can have a snack, take a shower and temporarily rest in a safe place. This environment makes it more likely the individual will be receptive to meeting with an onsite case manager to help find long-term solutions to the issues that brought them into contact with law enforcement.
Exodus Recovery Inc., the city’s nonprofit partner for existing diversion programs, will provide SaMo Bridge’s onsite, around-the-clock case management services.
Case managers will work with participants to create a 90-day care plan focused on housing and treatment. For participants who complete the 90-day plan, the City Attorney’s Office will not file the misdemeanor criminal case for which they were picked up, providing significant motivation to follow through with the program.
The SaMo Bridge respite hub will consist of two mobile trailers, one for Exodus staff and one for time-limited use by participants. The space has capacity to host three to four individuals at any given time.
Participation in the program is by SMPD referral only, and no loitering or walk-ups will be permitted outside the trailers. The site will have a 24/7 security guard, staffed by Exodus, with additional video monitoring by SMPD.
SaMo Bridge is a three-year pilot program fully funded by a grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections. While the concept of “respite hubs” is not new, this is the first program of its kind to serve Santa Monica, and joins a host of innovative, holistic strategies for addressing homelessness within the city.
On March 25, the Santa Monica City Council approved an interim zoning ordinance that allows for SaMo Bridge’s location next to the Civic Auditorium. If conversations about reactivating the Civic Auditorium proceed before the three-year pilot is up, the location of SaMo Bridge could change if needed.
Authored By
Jenna Grigsby-Taggart
Santa Monica Deputy City Attorney
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