SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) - Facing a federal judge’s deadline Wednesday to identify locations for three sites for emergency shelters for homeless residents, Orange County leaders unveiled five sites that collectively would provide at least 700 shelter beds.
U.S District Judge David Carter set the deadline as part of a mandate that county leaders approve sites for shelters in each of the county service areas – north, central and south - in order to immediately house homeless residents.
According to a count by county officials in Jan. 2017, there are currently more than 4,800 unsheltered individuals living in the area, though advocates say the number is likely much higher.
Carter has said repeatedly he believes the burden of designing and implementing a plan to provide comprehensive care and shelter for the homeless must be shared by all 34 cities in the county.
At a packed courtroom in Ronald Reagan Courthouse in Santa Ana, Carter said he doesn’t want unsheltered individuals “pushed from one region of the county to another.”
Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, who said his city has been “inundated” by challenges to house the homeless, proposed a site that would provide at least 200 shelter beds in the central region. The site would operate with the mission of transitioning individuals into permanent housing units tied to health services.
Pulido said he is in advanced talks with U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein about potential state funds that would match county funds that provide services specifically to individuals with severe mental illness.
Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem Jose Moreno proposed three smaller sites spread throughout the northern region that would provide at least 325 shelter beds. The sites would feature a mix of emergency intake operations, temporary housing and “bridges” to permanent housing units tied to health services.
One of the city’s proposed sites is sponsored by a collection of private sector business leaders in Anaheim.
Moreno said Anaheim is developing policies to prevent residents from becoming homeless in the future, such as expanding access to the current stock of federally subsidized public housing.
The current waiting list of residents seeking public housing vouchers is over 33,000, Moreno said.
Huntington Beach Mayor Mike Posey said his coastal city is a “magnet for homelessness.”
Posey proposed a site that would provide 75 shelter beds. He also mentioned a second site but did not submit it as an official proposal to Carter.
The exact addresses for each proposed shelter site were not revealed.
The court went into recess, allowing for city-by-city negotiations on support for the proposed sites. A final list of sites was not approved by Carter by press time.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a $930 million spending plan to construct at least 2,700 units of housing for the homeless. The units will come with health and social services attached to them.
Funding for the project will come from a mix of state funds, community development block grants, federal loans and housing development funds.
The state budget for next fiscal year includes $500 million in funding for cities to develop emergency housing and homeless prevention services such as rent support.
In order for the county to receive some of this funding, it must declare a homelessness crisis and demonstrate that it is coordinating with cities on a plan to provide a solution, according to a statement released by county officials Tuesday.