By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

February 21 -- A controversial change of address for a longtime area homeless service center could be the first real test of good neighbor agreements, a key recommendation of Santa Monica's groundbreaking homeless report released last month.

For 25 years, the St. Joseph Center’s drop-in facility has been welcoming the homeless on Fourth Avenue and Rose Street in Venice, just south of Santa Monica 's seaside Ocean Park neighborhood.

By the end of the month, though, the Center will likely be moved into the site of the St. Joe Thrift Store on Lincoln Boulevard and Flower Street. While the center will relocate only several blocks east of its current home, the move is not without controversy.

At a public meeting in January, some neighbors and businesses who said they are fed up with crime in the area and in its back alleys protested the move, while others supported it.

St. Joseph Center Executive Director Rhonda Meister said she hears the residents concerns, but adds that the non-profit has no choice but to move after facing a building sale, tepid landlords and a red hot Westside commercial real-estate market.

"Basically, for years, residents have dealt with the issues of prostitution and drugs," she said. "I think when any facility that is going to serve the homeless in particular moves into an area there is concern.

"I am very respectful of those concerns," she said.

For the move to be successful, the chasm between St. Joe's needs and the concerns of nearby neighbors must be bridged with a pact known as a “good neighbor agreement” between representatives for neighbors, businesses and the service provider, Meister said.

"I think (good neighbor agreements) are incredibly important," said Meister, who said St. Joeseph's entered its first agreement by 1998. "I think you get to know each other's needs and challenges.

"If we are not meeting and talking, we probably aren't going to get anything solved," she said.

As tenant improvements to the new site take place, District 11 LA Council member Bill Rosendahl is preparing to lead a working group to enter into just such an agreement. The pact would address such issues as security, cleaning, street improvements and noise, although its exact format is still being decided.

"We will be meeting with the neighbors in good faith," said Meister.

The good neighbor agreement would be the first such pact entered into by a homeless non-profit that receives Santa Monica grants and services the city's homeless since a landmark homeless report was published in January.

The report by the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute encouraged such agreements as an important way of addressing community concerns.

The report, which evaluated Santa Monica's homeless service system and provided the most in-depth look yet at the city’s homeless population, pointed to an agreement in Ohio as a model.

Under the model, once parties agree to a series of goals, a number of commitments are made by both the non-profit and the group representing the neighbors.

"Both parties share a common desire to create a peaceful, safe and beautiful neighborhood, share open and honest communications, help each other address concerns and solve problems and offer public assistance for the benefit of the neighborhood," according to the Ohio agreement.

The agreement between the non-profit, The Commons at Grant, and a neighborhood advisory committee promised to upkeep property, provide safety assurances, regulate participants behavior, communicate with neighbors and work for any changes needed.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood Advisory committee promised to encourage community participation at The Commons, meet quarterly, serve as "vehicle of communication" and notify the non-profit of repeated issues or problems.

While there are no enforcement provisions in the model, there are places for multiple signatures from various organizations.

St. Joseph Center has already promised to provide better lighting, add police in the area, and improve the streetscape, efforts that are currently under way, Meister said. Other conditions will likely be worked out in the working group, consisting of nearly a dozen stakeholders, she added.

Other assurances include providing on-site security and ensuring that the number of homeless served at the location remains steady.

While the agreement being crafted by the Los Angeles working group will be voluntary, that doesn't stop St. Joseph 's from taking their commitment seriously, said Meister.

"I…would consider it binding," said Meister, who also noted that any zoning administrator rulings against the non-profit are viewed very seriously.

St. Joseph Center has been practicing "good neighbor" policies since 1989 without a formal written agreement by including working group suggestions in operational guidelines, Meister said.

Now she hopes property owners, business leaders, residents and police can come together to create a standard for other non-profits to live up to in future agreements.

"That kind of constellation makes a lot of sense," she said.