By Jorge Casuso

November 20, 2025 -- A City program that offers homeless individuals who commit minor crimes a chance to avoid jail is set to easily exceed its goal, according to the latest data released by the City.

A total of 270 people have been referred by police to the SaMo Bridge program since opening at a "respite hub" inside two trailers on the Civic Auditorium lot on May 12.

The respite hub, operated around the clock by the nonprofit Exodus Recovery, provides light snacks, a shower, clean clothing and a safe place to rest for up to 72 hours, City officials said.

The State-funded program aims to connect participants "directly into other services as their next step from SaMo Bridge, instead of heading back into Santa Monica’s public spaces," Deputy City Attorney Jenna Grigsby-Taggart wrote in a blog post Wednesday.

Of those referred in the first six months, 200 have engaged in the program's 90-day plan, on pace to far exceed the City's yearly goal of serving a total of 260 individuals, officials said.

The program connects participants to temporary housing; detox and substance use treatment; Project Homecoming, which reunites them with their families; mental health and medical services.

"Perhaps even more remarkable, these connections were made with an average participant stay at the respite hub of just under 20 hours," Grigsby-Taggart said.

"SaMo Bridge’s success demonstrates that offering alternatives to incarceration can be a powerful tool to motivate people to engage in services," she wrote.

The City is looking "to add service capacity" in the coming months as part of the Realignment Plan approved by the City Council last month, Grigsby-Taggart said ("Council Approves Ambitious Plan to Revitalize City," October 30, 2025).

She points to one participant, a homeless man who who "was about to turn 35" when he approached a Santa Monica police officer and told him "he didn’t want to go to jail again."

The man told the officer "that he needed help getting into an inpatient substance use treatment program" and was taken to to the respite hub "just a few blocks south of the city jail."

Since entering the program, the man is four months sober, holds several jobs including managing a sober living facility, and has reconnected with his four-year old daughter after a year apart.

“I would not have been able to do it on my own,” he said. “Just finally asking for help, knowing that you can do it, you know, changed my life."

The three-year SaMo Bridge program is a collaboration between the City Attorney’s Office, Police Department and Exodus and is funded by a nearly $8 million grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections.