October 14th, 2025

LOS ANGELES, CA – Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath announced today that, in response to concerns raised by constituents and feedback from her staff who attended the North of Montana Association meeting, the parties involved in two interim housing projects planned for Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica have mutually agreed to pause the project to allow for more robust community engagement. The State has also agreed to provide an extension on the Behavior Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program grant for the projects.

Supervisor Horvath shared today:

“I am completely disappointed by the lack of proper communication with Santa Monica residents about the proposed interim housing projects on Ocean Avenue. It is clear from the North of Montana Association meeting — and conversations since — that there has been inexcusably little engagement around this proposal. This is not how trust is built, nor how lasting solutions are created.

These projects arose from a housing developer reaching out to offer solutions for the challenges Santa Monica is facing. Unfortunately, the proposals moved forward without the transparent coordination and communication that a project of this scale demands.

The City of Santa Monica has been calling for more beds to address the crises we see playing out on our streets — and we agree. We must move urgently to house people with acute mental health needs, but not at the expense of transparency or community partnership.

Given the place the community is in, my office has worked with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and St. Joseph Center, and they have agreed to immediately pause the projects to allow for more community engagement.”

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