Family of Four First to Receive Shelter in San Clemente Facility
A family of four, homeless until this week, moved into a three-bedroom apartment in San Clemente late Friday afternoon. They’ll stay there rent-free at least until they are able to save enough money for the first and last rental payments on their own place.
They were the first to take up temporary lodging at Anchor House, a two-unit apartment in a quiet San Clemente neighborhood not far from the beach. Anchor House, which will be dedicated formally Oct. 5, is operated by the Capistrano Bay Area Task Force for the Homeless under the direction of the Episcopal Service Alliance.
Rosemary Sanz, program manager for the facility, said that the new tenants--mother, father, 8-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy--had been living in one-night shelters while the father sought employment.
Four More Applicants
Bob Morris, alliance president, said there are four more applicants and another family will be approved soon for the building’s second unit.
“There may be as many as 600 homeless families in the San Clemente area,” he said. “By homeless, we don’t mean transients but people who have some income but just not quite enough to save up the payments for their own places. They’re the people you find living in motels or in state parks.”
In addition to providing shelter, the alliance offers counseling and assistance in finding jobs.
Morris said he expects the average family to stay in Anchor House about two months, meaning that the shelter, with its two units, could take care of at least 12 families a year. He said the number might be increased if small, one-parent families could share units.
Funding for the program includes state and federal grants, so far totaling more than $140,000, and donations from individuals, churches and businesses, Morris said.
The Episcopal Service Alliance was started in 1978 at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana and now has offices in Anaheim and San Clemente. In addition to the new Anchor House, it operates Martha House for homeless women in Anaheim and a thrift shop called The Rose in San Clemente.
Applicants at Anchor House must be homeless and living in such places as motels, automobiles or parks. They are screened carefully on matters including moral attitudes and the ability to maintain an income.
Dennis White, executive director of the alliance, said, “The goal is to give these people the time and space to get started on their own lives.”
