New Video Resources Encourage Community to Get Involved in Addressing Homelessness in Santa Monica

March 25, 2019 9:00 AM
by Brian Hardgrave

Homelessness is a regional and national issue that affects everyone in our community in some way.  Over the past year, the City of Santa Monica has listened to a broad range of community members--including residents, local businesses, property managers, charitable organizations, and people with lived homeless experience—to develop a set of training tools to more effectively engage people experiencing homelessness. With the support of a grant from the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative, the City created a training curriculum and a series of videos to encourage community members to get involved.   

 

The DEEPeR strategy provides a framework to empower community members to have safer, more effective interactions with people experiencing homelessness.  The DEEPeR Overview video introduces this strategy, which can be applied to any encounter with someone you do not know. Additional DEEPeR videos share specialized tips and strategies for particular stakeholder groups, including people who live, work, or manage property in Santa Monica.  These videos provide helpful tips on how to offer assistance, who and when to call in different situations, and how to get involved.   

Alongside the DEEPeR curriculum, companion videos highlight the work being done in our community in addressing homelessness and the impact of that work. The “A Day in the Life” video above shares the uplifting story of Kevin, who is thriving in housing after previously living on the streets of Santa Monica, and the video below part of the “Services in Sixty” series that spotlights community organizations working every day to make a difference.

These videos, just like the daily work, would not be possible without support and collaboration from partners across the community. We are in this together.

Click here to view the full library of DEEPeR and Services in Sixty videos. For more information about addressing homelessness, including ways to volunteer, donate and advocate, visit weare.santamonica.gov 

Authored By

Brian Hardgrave
Senior Administrative Analyst