Countywide : Planning Begins for Armory Shelters

With an eye to the skies, county officials and charity groups have begun preparations to open National Guard armories next month in Santa Ana and Fullerton to shelter the homeless during the approaching rainy, cold weather.

They are collecting donations of clothing, blankets and food and are seeking volunteers.

Although the rains that pelted Orange County early Thursday marked the arrival of the wet season, the state law that makes the armories available for the homeless sets Dec. 1 as the first day the shelters can be used.

“I wish we could have those beds year-round, but they certainly help when they do come open,” said Tim Shaw, executive director of the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force. Shaw said that as the area’s homeless population has swelled to include families and individuals set adrift by the economy, the armories have become “a huge benefit.”

The two facilities have opened to Orange County’s homeless population during bad-weather months since 1987. More than 20,700 visitors were lodged during 98 nights last season, and Maria Mendoza, the county homeless-issues coordinator, said greater attendance is expected this year.

County officials plan to meet with clergy and activists today in Westminster to lay out plans for using the armories and identifying alternative sites during nights when the National Guard needs to use the facilities.

The armories are opened for three-night stints when temperatures drop to 40 degrees, or to 50 degrees when rain is forecast. The two sites add about 250 beds to the county’s year-round total of 1,000 shelter beds, Shaw said.

Those who visit the shelters find more than a roof and a dry, warm cot, officials said. A countywide clothing drive is underway to collect new and used garments, which are handed out to lodgers so they don’t have to return to wet or soiled clothes after showering.

Orange County Fire Department stations in 48 locations are serving as collection sites for the clothing campaign. For information about drop-off sites, call (714) 834-3028.

Donations of food, coffee and blankets are also welcome. Also needed are sweaters, shirts, socks, gloves and other warm clothes as well as volunteers.

About 400 volunteers at the armories last year helped gather clothes, serve meals and visit with people in need.

The use of armories to temporarily house the homeless in California began six years ago when then-Gov. George Deukmejian initiated the Emergency Shelter Program, with Orange County as one of the pilot counties.

The county will spend up to $100,000 this year in support of the program, but most of that money will be recovered through federal grants. Private donations and federal money channeled through charity organizations account for the shelter program’s remaining budget. Total operating expenses last year were $248,900, county records show.

County officials estimate there are 10,000 to 12,000 homeless people in Orange County, and that half of those are children. A study issued last month by the Homeless Issues Task Force showed that the area’s homeless are from virtually every city in the county. In that survey, 27% of the respondents said they had spent the previous night on the street or in a parked vehicle.

The National Guard Armory in Santa Ana is at 612 E. Warner Ave. The Fullerton facility is at 400 S. Brookhurst St.

For information about volunteering, call Shelters for the Homeless at (714) 897-3221.