O.C. Shelters May Survive Budget Ax, Supervisors Say

Homeless advocates who had feared the health consequences of closing the county’s two publicly funded winter homeless shelters said Friday there is now hope that the program will be spared the budget ax.

Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said he is “almost certain” that an agreement will be reached to restore funds to the popular program, operated out of National Guard armories in Santa Ana and Fullerton.

Riley was unsure where the money would come from. But newly appointed county homeless coordinator Maria Mendoza said the Social Services Agency--which oversees the shelter program--may scrape together the money by not filling some vacant staff positions.

“There has been unanimous support from the board during staff updating and I believe the money has been found so that it will be kept,” Riley said.

The 4-year-old armory program, which costs the county about $130,000 a year, is one of a number of government operations that has been slated for elimination or reduction under a plan to close a $67.7-million budget deficit.

However, advocates of the homeless said the move could prove disastrous.

“There have been cases of people dying from hypothermia in Orange County and it is our belief that the shelter program has kept people from getting sicker and kept people from dying,” said Susan Oakson, a shelter coordinator with the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force.

Dr. Robert Berger, the medical consultant for Social Services agreed:

“I think if it were cut out there would be an uproar,” said Berger, who has provided voluntary medical services at the armories. “For the most part these are people who have not had proper medical care and are more susceptible to illness. There is no question that (eliminating the shelters) would have health consequences.”

For homeless advocates, the proposal to close the armory program could not have come at a worse time. According to all estimates, the county’s homeless population continues to grow, noted county homeless coordinator Mendoza.

And as the county’s social seams are stretched by high housing costs and a straining economy, private shelters are at full capacity and are turning some homeless away. The cold winter months only exacerbate the problems, agree providers.

The proposed cut also comes at a time when many other counties around the state have expanded their armory programs--some now operate year-round. The Orange County program begins on Dec. 1 and runs through March.

California’s National Guard armories, including those in Santa Ana and Fullerton, were made available to the homeless during winter months under a 1987 decree by then-Gov. George Deukmejian, with operation of the facilities to be assumed by the counties.

Under the emergency guidelines, the armories open when temperatures are forecast to fall below 40 degrees or below 50 degrees with a 50% chance of rain.

Last year the Orange County program was in operation for 43 nights and served more than 5,600 people. When the armories are occupied by the military, several Orange County churches open their doors to the homeless and the county picks up the tab.

But the program is not state-mandated and the Board of Supervisors last month had tentatively approved a measure to eliminate the shelters.

Now, however, the board appears to be shifting in favor of keeping the shelter program.

Orange County was one of the first to embrace the use of armories to house the homeless, note supporters, and Riley, for one, says he would hate to see that involvement end.

“I think sometimes the homeless as a general concern don’t really turn people on, but when people are unable to seek shelter in bad weather that touches everyone’s hearts,” he said.

Supervisor Roger R. Stanton said he also believes that the shelter program is necessary, but both he and Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez said they would like to see the financial burden assumed by private groups.

“I had a recent meeting with a food service group and mentioned that as we face tough economic times they might be interested in funding food service for the (shelter) program,” said Vasquez. “I think there is the potential for a public-private partnership to exist.”

But Vasquez said he too is concerned with the health implications of closing the shelter this winter. “Therein lies a great reason to give this some reconsideration,” he added.

Supporters contend that there simply are too few shelter beds to accommodate the county’s homeless population, which estimates place at more than 10,000 over the course of a year.

There are about 700 permanent beds available in the county but many are reserved for families or single women with children. Accommodations for single men and couples are especially tight, and in winter all shelters typically are forced to turn hundreds of people away.

The Santa Ana and Fullerton armories add about 250 extra beds--not a lot, say homeless advocates, but an essential addition.

“What we tend to get in the winter program are people who are completely unsheltered and living on the streets,” said Oakson, of the Homeless Issues Task Force.

Berger said that exposure to the elements could be especially dangerous for the homeless because many have drug and alcohol problems that effect their vulnerability. For example, people who are drunk lose heat more rapidly and are more susceptible to hypothermia. The condition can result in death.

Oakson said that the shelter program has garnered particular support from the religious community and the public at large, and she is hoping that sentiment can be relayed to the board.

“It’s truly an emergency program,” she said. “Imagine if you’ve ever been caught in the rain and gotten wet and not having some place to get dry. These people would have nowhere else to go.”

Sheltering O.C.’s Homeless

Use of the armories is dependent on weather conditions. But overall demand for the armories as shelters, and costs to run the operations, have increased.

Nights People Operating Sites Open Served Costs 1987/1988 Santa Ana 18 2,109 $15,620 Churches operational--none -- -- --

1988/89 Santa Ana/Fullerton 28 5,984 $65,000 Churches operational--7 na 1,165 na

1989/1990 Santa Ana/Fullerton 14 2,156 $62,000 Churches operational--11 na 1,260 na

1990/1991 Santa Ana/Fullerton 33 5,626 $92,000 Churches operational--10 na 1,138 na

na: Not available

Source: Orange County Social Services Agency