Homelessness At "Crisis Point" In Orange County, Supes Say

On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a six month, $750,000 contract that will focus on solving homeless issues around the county, including the relocation of transients living along the Santa Ana river. County officials will hire one contractor who will distribute subcontracts to various groups that can provide necessary services for transients.

Since 2016, the homeless population has expanded along the Santa Ana riverbed, prompting hundreds of transients and observers to appeal to the board to tackle the problem.

Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who worked on the homeless pilot program on an ad-hoc committee with Do, said officials are in talks with leaders in Anaheim and Orange on ways to collaborate. Spitzer said those cities have access to funding for homeless services that can add to the county's program.

"We cannot allow the riverbed to become Orange County's skid row," Spitzer said.

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett proposed that the Orange County Healthcare Agency dip into a fund for housing for the mentally ill that could add $5 million to the efforts. County officials will work on the specifics and return to the board to iron out the details on that later. Meanwhile, the pilot program is considered by many to be a step in the right direction.

"Our pilot program that we are talking about today is another step toward a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in Orange County," Do said.

Do vowed that the plan would include "triage" services as well as "case management with wraparound services." Officials also hope to provide "workforce training" to transients and "last but not least, links to housing both transitional" and long-term, Do added.

The project, however, needs a "buy in" from other cities to find locations for shelters, Do said.

Any sort of shelter, whether short-term or long-term, "require permits, zoning, and such from cities and there is only so much land that the county has control over," Do said. "Any discussion has to include our partners in the cities and nonprofit organizations."

The county could face steep fines from the federal government if human refuse from the campgrounds along the riverbed flow into the ocean, Do said.

"The riverbed is not a safe place for human habitation," Do said. "We must identify locations where their basic needs can be met in a humane manner."

City News Service contributed to this report.

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