COSTA MESA : Interfaith Shelter Renovation Begins

Bulldozers rumbled at the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter on Tuesday as work began on a $360,000 renovation that will add much-needed living quarters for homeless families.

The shelter, which provides temporary housing mostly for families, originally consisted of eight one-bedroom apartment units. Four of those units will be torn down to make room for a 6,000-square-foot, two-story complex.

The new building will contain private rooms for 18 families, each with its own entrance. The families will share four kitchens, four living rooms, nine bathrooms and two children’s play areas.

The new housing is designed to give families a way of getting off the streets and back on their feet, said Cindy Ochs, director of the center. The center also provides counseling and child care in an effort to help families again become self-sufficient, she added.

The renovation is being funded by $250,000 raised by an Irvine developer and $110,000 from the state-funded Emergency Shelter Program.

Sam Lindsay, president of the Samis Co., founded the Orange County Foundation for the Homeless more than a year ago because he felt that the business community was not doing enough to help the homeless. The 14-member group has organized fund-raising dinners to support the Interfaith project, and is scouting for other shelters to refurbish.

Other business groups, such as the Building Industry Assn. of Orange County, have also funded projects to provide housing for the homeless. As many as half of Orange County’s estimated 10,000 homeless are children, said Susan Oakson, coordinator for the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force. There are only about 450 permanent shelter beds to accommodate the county’s homeless families, she said.

The Interfaith project is expected to be completed in six months.