Backlash delays homeless housing proposal

For over a year, a pair of buildings with breathtaking ocean views that used to house seniors have sat vacant in Santa Monica next to multimillion-dollar town-homes and condominiums.

- NATHAN SOLIS

SANTA MONICA resident Britta Slinger, left, and a friend pass a former senior facility that has been proposed to house homeless people.

But in the last several months, neighbors have noticed workers moving on and off the respective properties in the 400 and 800 blocks of Ocean Avenue.

They painted the buildings, and installed security cameras and a PRIVATE PROPERTY sign to deter trespassers.

Then, late on a Tuesday night earlier this month, the county of Los Angeles informed the city of Santa Monica new tenants would be moving in soon and who they were: 49 patients with behavioral health issues enrolled in the county's transitional housing program.

The backlash came fast, including from the mayor.

"I live next to 3 within walking distance - we never got a heads up or a community meeting either," Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete wrote on Facebook. "The system is not working fairly and informing people and it's above our heads often coming from state and county yet we have to manage the chaos."

Now, the project is on hold as the county plans to host a town-hall meeting and offer public tours of the facilities.

"We want to ensure that everyone is heard, properly informed, and has multiple opportunities to provide feedback and help shape how the project is implemented," the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health said in a statement.

That's how the process should have rolled out in the first place, according to locals like Negrete.