A homelessness nonprofit's ad became the first image on Santa Monica's new Third Street Promenade LED billboards. A council candidate's criticism of it went viral within hours.

Derrick Townsend, a 2026 Santa Monica City Council candidate, posted a nighttime photo of the billboard on Saturday, Aug. 29. The curved digital screen displayed an ad for The People Concern featuring two people in conversation and a claim that 92 percent of the people it houses never experience homelessness again.

The post drew tens of thousands of views, according to the Santa Monica Observer. Spencer Pratt, a reality television personality who has campaigned for Los Angeles mayor, amplified it, calling homelessness spending "ALL a scam" and accusing what he termed the "homeless industrial complex" of "money laundering." The story also spread on X, where one post calling The People Concern "the biggest scam homeless NGO in Santa Monica" was retweeted 109 times by Sunday, Aug. 30.

The People Concern is a Los Angeles County nonprofit formed in 2016 through the merger of the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC), founded in 1963, and LAMP Community. It operates access centers, including one in Santa Monica, and runs outreach teams across the region. The organization also serves as a program partner for the city's Renter Aid program.

Its fiscal year 2025 IRS filing shows $117.2 million in revenue, $124 million in assets and $110.9 million in expenses, according to InfluenceWatch. Government grants made up 85 percent of its revenue in fiscal year 2023. CEO John Maceri received $301,551 in total compensation. Medical Director Sara Choe Hyoun received $311,343.

The billboards themselves are new to the Promenade. The Santa Monica City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2839 on Jan. 13, establishing a Digital Display District along the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place. At the same meeting, the council approved four development agreements for screens at 395 Santa Monica Place, 1310 Third Street Promenade, 1202 Third Street Promenade and 301 Arizona Ave./1253 Third Street Promenade, according to council records. Councilmember Raskin recused from those votes due to a conflict of interest. The boards were authorized to generate revenue, display civic announcements and promote the city.

No response from The People Concern or Santa Monica city officials appeared in available public records as of publication. The billboard's claim could not be independently verified.

Santa Monica's local homeless count recorded an increase in 2024, even as the broader Los Angeles County count showed some declines. A separate proposal to place a 1,000-square-foot LED display on the historic Junipher Building at 1355 Third Street Promenade was still moving through the city's review process as of July 2026, according to the Westside Current.