Homeless Encampment Fire Breaks Out, Point In Time Counts Delayed

MISSION VIEJO, CA — On the longest night of the year, a fire ignited at a homeless encampment in Aliso Viejo. Orange County Fire Authority firefighters responded to the small blaze, centered at Alicia Parkway and State Route 73.

"Crews were able to quickly get in and stop the forward progress," Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Than Nguyen says. There were no injuries and no structures were damaged during the blaze. Residents nearby were concerned about a fire beginning at a homeless encampment. As the nights grow colder, how Orange County's homeless are being counted and cared for remains a cause for concern for nearby neighbors like Jeff Young.

Young, who was walking his dog when the fire broke out originally believed the fire began with a car, he tells Patch. Learned it started as a result of the homeless encampment.

That section of Aliso Canyon is a known area where homeless congregate, according to Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Dennis Breckner.

Orange County Sheriff's Department continues to operate their Homeless Liason Officer Outreach program, where officers make contact with people experiencing homelessness and attempt to provide outreach, solutions, a job, or rehabilitation. Some of those in need take the offer of assistance, though most have no interest in receiving help, according to Breckner. A large part of helping the homeless in the county is understanding how many people are out there requiring assistance and services.

The biennial count of area homeless known as The Point in Time survey, required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will be delayed and changed a bit for 2021, Orange County CEO Frank Kim reported.

In 2019, the last Point in Time Count revealed 6,860 individuals were experiencing homelessness in Orange County. Of those, 2,899 were sheltered and 3,961 were unsheltered. At that time, 2,765 individuals in North Orange County were experiencing homelessness. Of those, 1,596 were unsheltered. In Central Orange County, 3,332 individuals were homeless, with 1,827 unsheltered. South Orange County had far fewer 763 individuals experiencing homelessness, and of those, 538 had nowhere to go.

Those figures helped the county supervisors learn how many emergency shelter beds were needed. From 2017 to 2019, there was an increase in 1,390 beds. Tagged "Everyone Counts," the Point in Time survey also helps disseminate those who need services into the county's System of Care: Behavioral Health, Healthcare, Housing, Community Corrections, and Public Social Services.

How much has changed from January 2019 to January 2021 is unclear amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bi-annually, the count—which is run by volunteers— helps each city understand the challenge of sheltering the unsheltered. Where those unsheltered people are, and what support cities need is an essential annual evaluation.

During the pandemic, HUD still requires CoCs to complete the Sheltered Count and Homeless Inventory Counts (HIC), an annual mandate that occurs concurrently with the biennial unsheltered count process.

The Sheltered Count and the HIC will be completed during the last week of January, working in collaboration with 2-1-1 Orange County.

The majority of Southern California COCs have made similar requests and been approved by HUD not to conduct their count of unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness.

For additional information about the Continuum of Care, visit
www.ochealthinfo.com