New Resources Address Local Businesses’ Questions About Homelessness

February 1, 2019 9:00 AM
by Allison Wilhite

Many of our local business owners want to help people experiencing homelessness, but don’t always know how. The City of Santa Monica is pleased to offer two new resources to our business community that answer frequently asked questions about addressing homelessness. These resources, a toolkit and informational poster, as well as a future video series for staff training, build on our practical toolkit about homelessness. All are designed to support the Santa Monica business community with practical steps for what to do when faced with the reality of homelessness in our city, including answering specific questions that local employers and employees often have. 

As a business owner, you may have a lot of questions. While you feel compassion for people experiencing homelessness, there may be times you must seek help or take action to address disruptive behavior. The new toolkit explains what to do, such as if an individual panhandles in front of your store, as well as provides important contacts. In addition to the toolkit, we created a poster for breakrooms to inform your whole staff on the dos and don’ts of responding to anti-social behavior.  

We would like to acknowledge and thank Downtown Santa Monica Inc., Santa Monica Travel and Tourism, and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce for their time and energy shared to inform these resources. The toolkit and poster, both in English and Spanish, are available for pick up at the information desk in the front lobby of City Hall. 

Authored By

Allison Wilhite
Administrative Intern