Santa Monica reported Monday a drop of 18.9% since last year in the number of people living on the streets or in shelters or institutions within the city.
The 2010 homeless count, conducted Jan. 27, indicated that 742 people were homeless: 264 living on the streets, 423 in shelters or institutions and 55 in cars or encampments.
The city attributed the reduction to better coordination of social services, new housing subsidies and rental assistance programs, and innovations such as a homeless community court and "Project Homecoming," which aims to put homeless people in touch with relatives or friends who could care for them.
The ACLU of Southern California filed suit against Santa Monica in July, alleging that the city had made it a crime to be homeless. The complaint said police routinely prod chronically homeless people to move to Venice, Culver City or downtown Los Angeles’ skid row.
"Santa Monica is effectively running a deportation program for the homeless," Mark Rosenbaum, the organization’s legal director, said at the time.
— Martha Groves in Santa Monica