By Jorge Casuso

April 4, 2025 -- Starting this month, homeless individuals who have committed low-level crimes in Santa Monica can choose between going to jail or entering the SaMo Bridge program.

The three-year $8 million program run out of two trailors on the Civic Audtorium lot offers a landing place -- or "respite hub" -- that can become a first step on a "different path" for homeless offenders, City officials said.

The hub, which will operate around the clock, offers participants meals, showers and a resting place for up to 72 hours, although most are expected to stay between 6 and 12 hours, officials said.

During their stay, those arrested for misdemeanors, which often include illegal camping or loitering in front of a business, are connected to services and transported to the service provider.

"If the person chooses jail, they are usually either cited or booked and then released, with an obligation to appear in court in 30 days," said Deputy City Attorney Jenna Grigsby-Taggart.

"But in the intervening month, they may pick up more offenses or have to wait to be connected with resources," Grigsby-Taggart wrote in a blog posted on the City's website.

The hub offers "a more attractive option, with the goal of getting people off the street" and offers the Police Department a resource they can "refer people to after hours."

To qualify for the program, an individual must have been arrested by Santa Monica Police and be "experiencing homelessness, substance abuse and/or mental health challenges," officials said.

Those who accept help must work with a case manager that helps them obtain everything from a driver's license and county benefits to mental health or drug treatment or temporary housing, officials said.

The case manager also works with them on a "personalized 90-day care coordination plan."

For participants who complete the plan, the City Attorney’s Office "will not file the misdemeanor criminal case for which they were picked up, providing significant motivation to follow through with the program," Grigsby-Taggart said.

"While the concept of 'respite hubs” is not new," she said, "this is the first program of its kind to serve Santa Monica."

The City has entered into a $5,599,582 contrat with Exodus Recovery, Inc. to operate the three-year program and a $650,000 contract with Willscot for the two mobile trailers.

The City will also pay $350,000 to Moss Adams to evaluate and audit the program and $225,000 to Elizabeth Anderson Consulting (EAC) for grant consulting services.

On March 25, the City Council approved an interim zoning ordinance that allows SaMo Bridge to be located next to the Civic Auditorium.

"If conversations about reactivating the Civic Auditorium proceed before the three-year pilot is up, the location of SaMo Bridge could change if needed," Grigsby-Taggart said.

The SaMo Bridge program is funded with a Prop 47 grant from the State.