Homeless Crisis: Silverado School Remains In Question

The South County association of 11 mayors continues to problem solve for the homeless crisis, but there is still much work to be done. According to a recent letter to Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, they have identified an empty elementary school as a new site for a homeless shelter, further getting homeless off the streets of south Orange County. Read the full letter obtained by Patch below.

Now, Supervisors Todd Spitzer and Shawn Nelson are balking at the proposal to develop a homeless shelter on county owned land at the Silverado Elementary School.

This remote school, located in the South Orange County Service Planning Area, was purchased by the county in 2013. It is in unincorporated Orange County off of Silverado Canyon Road could sleep as many as 60 people, with room for more on the land surrounding the school.

The site, which includes a library and a preschool, was selected following a meeting of 12 south county mayors, according to Irvine Mayor Don Wagner in a recent Voice of OC report. Mayors from Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo and San Clemente have been working to come up with a reasonable response to the federal lawsuit, overseen by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter.

"The Mayors of South Orange County SPA are ready to take all steps necessary to move forward expediently with the site as an emergency homeless shelter," they wrote.

They also suggested that the County begin partnering with the California Conservation Corps to create jobs and transitional housing at the Los Pinos Forestry Camp.

According to Supervisor Shawn Nelson, "putting the homeless in a canyon so south county cities don't have to deal with the issue is not realistic."

Supervisor Todd Spitzer was concerned both with the young people who frequent the area, as well as the logistics of high fire danger in the area.

“Any place that has ‘Baby & Me Storytime’ should not be under consideration. In addition, the state has designated this area a ‘Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.’"

According to Wagner, the location was the main thing, but there was no precise number placed on the total number of beds needed to ensure homeless have somewhere to sleep.

"We heard 400 [from the county] when they wanted to put tents in Irvine, and 200, 250 as a possible number today. But not all that's emergency shelter," he told Voice of OC.

While Wagner was a proponent of the Silverado Elementary School location, Lake Forest mayor Jim Gardner was opposed, due to the preschool at the location, as well as the remote location of off Santiago Canyon Road.

“In my view, its a very poor site because it’s right across the street from a preschool,” Gardner said. “It’s in the middle of nowhere and it’s on a dangerously fast road that already has a history of accidents.”

If the site is used as a homeless shelter, transportation for homeless to services will need to be put into question.

According to Voice of OC's report, the Bridges at Kraemer Place shuttles homeless from the shelter, dropping off and picking up as needed. According to the mayors' letter, partnering with non-profits, or ride-sharing groups, could be the answer.

The Silverado School is one of two emergency sites south county mayors have identified for homeless encampments in south Orange County, according to the south county cities tasked with solving the homeless crisis.

South OC Mayors Letter Proposing Silverado Shelter by Ashley Ludwig on Scribd