Shelter for the Homeless Comes Up Far Short of the Demand in County

No one knows exactly how many homeless people spend time in Orange County. What is known is that there aren’t enough beds for all of them.

A survey done in May, 1985, by the Coalition for the Homeless, found about 3,000 people who were using shelters or cheap motels. Another 2,000 were believed to be sleeping in the streets.

The coalition, a loosely knit group funded mainly by the League of Women Voters, did its survey with help from several UC Irvine professors and later disbanded. In recent months an Orange County Homeless Task Force has formed. The group, headed by Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach), includes directors of social service agencies and other people interested in helping the homeless. Its objective is to develop a five-year plan to help the homeless in Orange County.

Coordinate Referrals

Jeanie Arnold, an aide to Bergeson, says a primary goal of the group is to coordinate referrals for the homeless.

“We got a lot of calls for referrals, but there has been a lack of coordination. We want to use this as a vehicle to better allocate resources and funds for the homeless,” Arnold said.

At present, only about 500 temporary beds are available to the homeless in the county. Half of those beds are available for women and children or homeless families.

One major facility for the homeless, the Salvation Army’s temporary shelter at 818 E. 3rd St. in Santa Ana, allows women and children, but its clientele is mostly male.

For Men Only

The Orange County Rescue Mission at 1901 W. Walnut St., Santa Ana, serves lunch to women and children but does not allow them to sleep there. A spokesman says the mission’s founders patterned the facility after the YMCA and decided to make it solely a “men’s rescue mission.”

Most of the single, homeless men in the county stay in and around Santa Ana simply because they are assured a bed at least eight nights every month.

At the Salvation Army shelter, a homeless person is allowed three nights every 30 days.

For example, a person with a bed there can return for two additional nights. But once the three nights are used, the visitor may not return for at least 30 days. Women and children are allowed, but they also can stay only three nights.

Those who have stayed at the facility the previous night are automatically allowed back in if their three days are not up. The remaining beds at the 30-bed shelter are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

However, if a person finds regular employment, he or she can stay at the Salvation Army until the first paycheck is collected.

Similarly, at the Orange County Rescue Mission, people can stay for five nights every 30 days. Men who find employment are allowed to extend their stay until they can afford their own accommodations.

The mission has 30 beds that are assigned daily at 5 p.m. If more than 30 men show up, names are put into a basket for a raffle.

Those who don’t get beds can wait until 9 p.m., when the lobby floor is opened so people can sleep there.

Among the shelters in Orange County that provide temporary housing to homeless women and children and families are:

- Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter, 1963 Wallace St., Costa Mesa. The facility can accommodate 12 families, who are allowed up to 60 days of housing. It also has an additional 20 beds that families can use on an emergency basis for up to three nights.

- La Habra Community Shelter, 1500 W. Central Ave., Brea, which allows single people and families and can accommodate a maximum of 80. Those using this facility are allowed an unlimited stay.

- New Vistas, 514 W. Amerige St., Fullerton, was recently opened. It has 20 beds and accommodates people for 60 days.

- Christian Temporary Housing, 704 N. Glassell St., Orange, has 45 beds and a 60-day time limit. It will soon expand to include 40 additional beds.

- Martha House, operated by the Episcopal Service Alliance, 28892 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, offers homeless women 60 days of housing, but it has only six beds.