INSIDE SCOOP
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HOMELESS CALL BUILDING HOME PAGE 3 REVISITING CITY’S PRIORITIES PAGE 4 DOWN THE DRAIN PAGE 9 Visit us online at smdp.com
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2007
Volume 6 Issue 286
Santa Monica Daily Press BEN DIGS NEW GIG SEE PAGE 15
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE FINGERS CROSSED ISSUE
Homeless population shrinks Count determines that fewer are calling streets their home BY KEVIN HERRERA I Daily Press Staff Writer CITYWIDE
The number of people living on Santa Monica’s streets fell by nearly a third over the past two years, much of which had to do with more accurate counts of the homeless population, an increase in shelter beds and City Hall’s focus on reaching those who have been living on the streets the longest. City officials said the results of the 2007 Greater Los Angeles Homeless count, which was released last week by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA),
show that efforts made to address homelessness in the community are working. “I think it provides an indication that we are going in the right direction and, frankly, that’s really good news and we’ve got to continue to build on it,” said Julie Rusk, the director of City Hall’s homeless effort. “I think what is difficult is the need for partners in other parts of the county to step up and do a better job. From just listening to other models being used around the country … it’s just clear that these other (places) are far ahead of where we need to be.” The federally-required, bi-annual count, which was conducted from Jan. 23 to 25, found that 1,506 homeless people on any given night were living on the streets, a 24 percent drop compared to 2005 when there was an estimated 1,991 homeless people in Santa Monica. This year’s count also found a 30 percent decrease in the number of people
actually counted on the streets, from 949 in 2005 to 661. That is important, Rusk said, because volunteers this year physically counted more people in the city, relying on more accurate numbers than on estimates. The methodology was essentially the same as in 2005, except this year LAHSA focused more resources on so-called “hot spots,” and Santa Monica was one of them. In the end, 64 percent of the city’s census tracks were directly counted. In the county, only 41 percent of the census tracks were counted overall. Rusk said that a more accurate count doesn’t necessarily translate into numbers going down. In an area just east of downtown Los Angeles known as “Skid Row,” the number of homeless people living there increased from roughly SEE COUNT PAGE 10
COMMUNITYPROFILES ROSE KAUFMAN
Informing the electorate League of Women Voters' Rose Kaufman receives honor for a lifetime of work BY MELODY HANATANI I Daily Press Staff Writer NORTH OF MONTANA Rose Kaufman filed into a room
TOUGH LUCK CONTINUES
Morgan Genser news@smdp.com A pair of defensive players from Bishop’s High School grab a hold of St. Monica’s (0-6) James Wright just before forcing him to the ground at Father Cahill Memorial Stadium in Westchester on Saturday. Bishop’s routed St. Monica 43-0.
where a Parent Teacher Association meeting was being held, the mother of three children was interested in learning more about the school district in which her children had just started attending. The 37-year-old Philadelphia native was shocked at the manner in which the meeting in Toledo, Ohio was being conducted — at the helm was a school principal, controlling the flow and pace of discussions, parents unable to get a word in edgewise. “I learned the principal had been at the school since the days before electricity,” Kaufman said last month. “She was a strong principal and probably very good at what she was doing, but nobody had a chance to make a suggestion.” Eager to learn more about school and local policies in her new city, Kaufman picked up the phone and signed up for the League of Women Voters in Toledo. That one call in 1951 spawned more than 56 dedicated years with the League of Women Voters. At 93 years old, Kaufman is still going strong with the non-partisan politSEE CP PAGE 10
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339
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