WESTMINSTER : Homeless Advocate Honored by Leaders

Jim Miller, executive director of the Shelter for the Homeless, was honored by an organization of civic and academic leaders for his work with homeless people.

The Orange County American Society for Public Administration recognized Miller last week for his successful partnership with the Westminster Redevelopment Agency in providing programs that benefit homeless people.

The award is presented each year by the group, which includes members from federal, state and local governments, as well as from universities, to people who have done outstanding work in public administration, said Robert Huntley, Westminster’s acting city manager.

The Westminster-based Shelter for the Homeless provided temporary shelter to more than 3,700 people in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties last year. The group also helps homeless people get food, find jobs and receive medical care.

Since 1986, the Westminster Redevelopment Agency has spent more than $1 million for Shelter of the Homeless programs. In 1993, the agency bought four buildings that Miller’s group is now converting to a homeless shelter.

Last month, the agency spent more than $10,000 to house a group of homeless people evicted from their encampment near the San Diego Freeway. Shelter for the Homeless is operating the house where the people are now staying and is helping them find jobs.

Miller started his work with the homeless 10 years ago, distributing blankets and food to homeless people he found sleeping in local parks.

He founded the nonprofit Shelter for the Homeless in 1984 and quit his job as an accountant. Two years later, he received a $14,000 grant from the Westminster Redevelopment Agency, and his group began turning leased houses into temporary homeless shelters.

“If it weren’t for the city of Westminster, we wouldn’t exist,” Miller said.