Not-in-My-Back-Yard Wars Common in Orange County

Social workers note that Orange County has a reputation for NIMBYism toward social welfare programs.

A state report released earlier this year found that the county and local cities did not use $52.4 million earmarked for housing programs for low-income residents, despite estimates that 300,000 residents are in dire need of affordable housing. A state official said the money went unused because local cities are unwilling to welcome low-income residents.

Similarly, a plan to build a La Habra facility, Mary’s Home for Transitional Families, has been stymied by mounting opposition from residents.

Three years ago, Cypress-based Straight Talk Inc. quietly established a drug recovery home for 12 HIV patients in a nondescript Santa Ana neighborhood. To avoid the need for a conditional use permit--and the anticipated public outcry--directors of the county-funded program partitioned a house into two, six-bed facilities.

“Most people would scream bloody murder if they knew these people were living next door,” said Len Liberio, director of the county’s drug abuse programs.

During the past decade, residents of several Orange County cities have opposed similar social welfare programs in their neighborhoods.

Tim Shaw, program director for the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force, a coalition of 130 local groups, said last week that “it’s very difficult to construct and run programs for homeless people in this county.”

“We are breaking down the barriers of racial issues, but we see a growing class prejudice,” Shaw said. “Some people have major opposition to low-income housing projects in their neighborhood. Can you imagine the trouble they will have with the mentally ill?”