LAGUNA BEACH : Agency for Homeless Seeking New Office

Leaders of a center for homeless people that was forced to close last month say they are searching for a new office. They hope to reopen within six months.

Marsha Bode, former director of the Episcopal Service Alliance branch on Coast Highway, said the program is missed by the homeless.

“What ESA was for them was their home more than anything else,” said Bode, who now distributes sack lunches in a park to those who had received hot lunches at the agency. “They miss the showers a lot.”

The agency, which served about 600 people each month, was the only place in south Orange County with showers for the homeless, Bode said. It did not provide overnight shelter.

After operating here for six years, the office closed in December because the property owner had another use for the building, said Episcopal Service Alliance’s executive director Dennis White. The organization is headquartered in San Clemente.

“We would like to have another center open in Laguna in six months,” he said. “There’s certainly a need in that area. That’s been proven just by the number of people we’ve assisted over the years we were there.”

The Laguna Beach facility on Coast Highway was one of five Episcopal Service Alliance centers in Orange County. It offered laundry facilities, food, clothing, an employment program and transportation and referrals to other county services.

“In Laguna, you just don’t see people carry big sacks of belongings because they had everything they needed at ESA,” Bode said.

Since the center’s closure, workers have been scrambling to meet many of the needs of the homeless. In addition to the park lunch program, workers sometimes distribute supplies--such as blankets, jackets and toiletries--on the beach, she said.

In addition, Bode said, the Neighborhood Congregational Church is providing space so she can continue a separate program that helps needy families pay their utility bills. The group is also continuing to distribute food weekly from the Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach.

Bode said Monday the group has targeted potential sites for a new office.

“We’re working on a couple places,” she said. “We would like to be closer to downtown. That would be our first choice, but it’s hard to say anything definite at this time.”

Considering the financial and other hurdles the center overcame to stay open as long as it did, White said it is frustrating to start again from scratch. However, he is optimistic the organization will eventually find another niche in the city.

“We feel we probably can find someplace where we can be part of the community of Laguna Beach,” he said.