Let Homeless Center Work

July 25, 2003

Dear Editor:

Please consider this an open letter to the citizens of Santa Monica:

Although I regrettably no longer work or live in Santa Monica, it wasn’t that long ago that I was Chamber President, long-time Chair of the chamber’s Homeless Task Force and very actively involved in both civic, non-profit and business affairs. But I still read The Lookout every day and it’s with a combination of sadness and irritation that I see the controversy over Ocean Park Community Center’s new location for the Access Center and Daybreak Shelter.

After ten years of conducting business in Santa Monica and, yes, seeing first hand the challenges of homelessness on the streets and in the parks, and being frustrated like many people, I believe absolutely that the solution lies with programs like OPCC’s. They DO work, they do! But you have to let them work. And you can start by supporting OPCC’s need for the Cloverfield/Michigan site. OPCC has an imperative job to do, and fights like these only distract them from their mission at hand.

Please, first count your own personal blessings and then let OPCC and those they assist count on your support. Homelessness in your city, in our cities, is NOT going away, and we are NOT going to find a solution by just saying no.

Sincerely,