Homeless Being Dumped At Santa Ana Riverbed, Supervisor Do Says

ANAHEIM, CA — Have homeless advocates fueled the fire for the growing Anaheim Santa Ana riverbed debacle? With news traveling fast in the homeless community that Orange County is issuing 30-day motel and meal vouchers, many are arriving at the riverbed to get in line, according to chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Andrew Do.

Ranks of the homeless, who officials have pledged to help find housing as they are being moved from encampments along biking and hiking trails in the shadow of Angel Stadium, continue to arrive into the area, Do has said. He is not unsympathetic to their plight, only how they are being brought to that location, according to reports.

Do fled Vietnam as a child and was once himself a refugee. Empathizing with the transient population, Do has stated that he recently stayed overnight at the shelter in Santa Ana to observe the conditions, first hand.

"This is an issue near and dear to my heart in terms of trying to help people," Do said. "We have people trying to migrate into this area to take advantage of the offer of help and we actually have concrete incidents where some advocates are transporting people from other areas and are dumping them into the riverbed."

Do alleged that one homeless advocate brought two transients to the riverbed on Tuesday. Both were wheelchair-dependent and one "recently had a stroke," Do said. "And then the advocate gleefully looked at (county homeless czar) Susan Rice and said, 'What are you going to do now, Susan?"'

"What (homeless advocates have) done by bringing people with disabilities to the riverbed is not only make our lives difficult, but they put their clients at risk," Do said. "You don't drop people like that out in the hope they get services. To me, that's completely irresponsible."

Brooke Weitzman, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the riverbed lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Tuesday alone -- the first day of the move-out operation on the riverbed -- the county placed 180 transients in 132 motel rooms, Do said. One transient was taken to a shelter in Anaheim and six were taken to a shelter in Santa Ana, Do said.

Between Feb. 14 and Tuesday night, the county has found shelter for 431 transients, Do said. The original headcount from a recent survey in the riverbed was 623 transients, Do said.

County officials began moving the transients out of the riverbed Tuesday morning. It is not clear how long it will take to clear everyone out.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, who has presided over the litigation, is giving county staff, particularly the Healthcare Agency, more space to work through the remaining population, according to Do.

In some cases, transients have been offered shelter and refuse it and leave the riverbed, Do said.
"They turn and run off because they're there for a 30-day stay at a motel."

City News Service, with Ashley Ludwig, Patch Editor

Photo, courtesy Andrew Do