By Eric Heinz
SANTA ANA—At a hearing on Thursday, March 22 at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, Orange County Board of Supervisors Lisa Bartlett, Todd Spitzer and Shawn Nelson asked Federal Judge David O. Carter if they could amend their decisions related to placing homeless shelters or tent encampments in the cities of Laguna Niguel and Huntington Beach.
The area in Irvine that the County owns could be slated to house 400 people who are homeless, which is estimated to be the remaining number of people moved from the Santa Ana riverbed in February who still need additional services or housing but weren’t placed in the care of the County.
Carter said he would not compel the County to stick to a decision it rendered Monday, March 19 that designated certain areas of County land for homeless shelters in Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach and Irvine. All three cities vowed to take legal action should that occur.
Barlett said the location in Irvine could house as many as 400, and that the site has already undergone an environmental review process that included scoping uses that includes a homeless shelter.
Carter stated an invitation would be extended to all Orange County city mayors and city managers for a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. on April 3 at the Santa Ana federal courthouse to gather collective ideas moving forward. The hearing is not an order or subpoena, but an optional invitation.
Another issue that’s split between legal jurisdictions is the Santa Ana Civic Center, where scores of homeless people had set up tents in the last couple of years. Various people who are homeless still roam the center, as the shelter that was established at the location is at capacity.
The city of Santa Ana and the County of Orange have jurisdictional rights to the Civic Center, but it’s still a public space and therefore people can’t be forcibly removed unless they violate the city’s camping ordinance. The homeless population is slated to be removed as of April 2, but Carter said he would give the city and County more time to add that population to its homeless agenda.
Vouchers for homeless people who are living in motels and hotels are still extended while the County decides what to do. It’s likely the Board of Supervisors will amend its decision regarding the three cities’ homeless shelters at its meeting on Tuesday, March 27. That’s based on the testimony given at the March 22 hearing, where Supervisors were visibly concerned about the issues following a smattering of criticism at a City Council meeting in Laguna Niguel they attended on March 20.
San Clemente Times will provide more on this story later this week.
Original article published Thursday, March 22 at 5:02 a.m.
Following the decisions rendered by a federal judge during a seldom-seen Saturday, March 17 court hearing, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted on March 19 to expend $70.5 million in Mental Health Services Act funds for “permanent supportive and shelter options” for the homeless that were removed from the Santa Ana riverbed (SAR) in February.
Decisions related to a civil lawsuit between the County and Orange County Catholic Worker have been dictating the paths to housing and mental health services for the homeless population that was once living on the SAR since at least Feb. 14 when, as part of an agreement, the County would remove the people living on the riverbed into motels and hotels until the County could figure out what to do with them.
The lawsuit alleges Orange County has the funding and resources to provide assistance to its homeless population, but that officials are unwilling to take effective action on the matter.
That housing credits, or “vouchers,” expired on March 19 but not before the court on Saturday. The Saturday hearing was held at the Santa Ana Civic Center, as opposed to the Central District courthouse in Los Angeles, where federal Judge David O. Carter denied a motion to stop the evictions of the homeless people from their motels and hotels, but he met the plaintiffs half-way.
In an agreement, the County is to share information with plaintiffs’ attorneys about where individuals are now and what type of shelter they will be referred to. The plaintiff will have 48 hours to assess the appropriateness of referrals. No more than 100 people per day will be checked out of motels and connected to appropriate resources. According to the agreement, the County reserves the option to extend motel stays for select individuals who may need more time to have their cases examined.
Carter also gave the chance for people who did not qualify or need services to come before
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted on March 19 to instruct the Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) to do the following:
1. Return to the Board on April 17 with recommendations on how to allocate $70.5 million of MHSA Community Services and Support funding for permanent supportive and shelter options,
2. Direct staff to enter into contract with American Family Housing for a 12-unit unrestricted site that can accommodate couples,
3. Direct staff to develop the three sites for emergency shelters located in Irvine for up to 200 people, at least 100 people in Huntington Beach and 100 people in Laguna Niguel, and
4. Direct staff to return to the board with an operational plan for the three emergency sites.
People who were removed from the SAR will be placed into housing in cities in the order mentioned above, meaning it’s possible if Irvine is sufficient for the remaining population, Huntington Beach and Laguna Niguel may not receive any. However, that is unlikely, considering there were at least 700 people living in the riverbed, and the County is still shoring up numbers of people who need services.
Nentwig said HCA staff made 200 attempts at contacting homeless people, who were placed into motels, which were unsuccessful during a first round of calling; 46 calls were unsuccessful in the second round; and five attempts were unfruitful in the third round.
“The County is there when they reach the checkout date,” Nentwig said. “The County is still available to give them transportation to the (Santa Ana) courtyard and other centers that will be available for services.”
Nentwig said for people who did not qualify for services or did not need them, they will be placed in the overflow shelters located in the three cities. A timeline for these events has not yet been established as the board of supervisors needs to conduct the April 17 meeting.
The Board of Supervisors recently approved another $2 million for the County executive officer to increase capacity for various categories of beds. This gives the executive officer authority to expend the funds where needed without going back for board approval.
Nentwig said between Feb. 28-March 9, HCA outreach workers made 1,317 referrals for homeless people in the county to various agencies and social services, including CalOptima and OC Community Resources. During that same time period, the County’s outreach personnel completed 500 assessments for people from the SAR.
This decision to move the homeless and establish shelters throughout the county has already been met with opposition.
Laguna Niguel Mayor Pro Tem John Mark Jennings protested the County board’s actions while standing on County-owned land that is within his city’s boundaries. Jennings made the statement in a Facebook video posted March 20.
“Right behind me is Laguna Niguel City Hall and this is where they’re planning on putting the tent encampments, which is right next to the library where the children go to get their books and our families gather, right across from preschools, from elementary schools and from thousands of residents that live here in town,” Jennings said. “This is not the Laguna Niguel I want. Laguna Niguel people have been paying taxes to the county Board of Supervisors forever to take care of this problem, and they have been derelict in their duties. This is not our problem.”
Jennings made the comparison to the Santa Ana Civic Center, where many homeless people have received services and camped out for months, saying that moving the homeless people from one location to another would not help. He also called on the Laguna Niguel City Council to host a special meeting that took place on March 20.
Lawsuits to be filed against the county for the actions regarding the homeless population were approved by the City Councils of Laguna Niguel, Irvine and Huntington Beach at meetings on March 20.
Nentwig said the shelters would be expanded as needed and the County will explore its options as to where they’ll be placed and discuss their findings at the April 17 meeting.
“People checked into the motel rooms for the 30-day point for each person, and during those 30 days the County has been conducting clinical assessments by the Orange County Healthcare Agency to identify resources for each individual,” Nentwig said. “Moving forward, the County will assist everyone in motels to connect them to resources including outreach workers and resources.”
Where the homeless will be moved to in the three cities will depend on what land the County already owns enclaved within the three cities.
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