Fullerton : Temporary Homes for the Poor on the Horizon

Homeless families in north Orange County soon may be able to apply for a temporary home in Fullerton.

The Fullerton Interfaith Emergency Services recently got word that the federal government approved its request for a grant. With $140,415 from the government and donations from volunteers, the group plans to buy a site near downtown and open the shelter by June, said Gayle Schoepf, an associate pastor with the First Christian Church of Fullerton.

Families which show “potential to getting back into the mainstream” will be allowed to stay in the homes for up to eight weeks, Schoepf said. During that time, they will work with an on-site manager, counselors, develop work skills and learn budgeting. Because their rent and food will be provided, they will be required to set aside a high percentage of their salaries if they are working.

“This gives them a chance to put aside that darn first and last month for rent,” Schoepf said, pointing that there are many people living in motels or in streets and parks because they cannot save enough for rental deposits.

Although the shelter will be in Fullerton, it will serve families throughout north county and will be patterned after the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter in Costa Mesa, Schoepf said.

New Vista, as the project is called, is the result of a yearlong study by a task force, which set out to review the needs of the homeless, apply for grants and find a site for a shelter. The group now awaits word on escrow closure on the property and the outcome of a request to the City of Fullerton for $16,410 from its federal community block grant money. Meanwhile, the group is seeking additional donations as well as volunteers to help with hauling furniture and other tasks.