COSTA MESA : Mayor Will Seek Regional Approach to Homelessness

Mayor Joe Erickson said Monday that he plans to ask other cities to help Costa Mesa deal with homeless people by setting up shelters and offering social services in their own cities.

“But not many cities are eager to offer a site or an idea because it’s a tough problem,” Erickson said. “The cities aren’t anxious to have more shelters or social providers in their boundaries. But my feeling is that the homeless should be equally distributed.”

Right now, Costa Mesa is trying to cope with several hundred homeless people, a situation that has concerned some residents.

Erickson said he has already pitched the idea of lending a helping hand to the mayors of Irvine, Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Tustin, but that he plans to be more persistent at this month’s meeting of mayors.

“We need to make a more regional approach,” Erickson said. “They say that Costa Mesa is the city with the heart, but we need help.”

Last week, 700 tried to offer solutions at a community forum. One suggestion was to make sure shelters in Costa Mesa do not help homeless people who are breaking the law and causing problems, Erickson said.

Another suggestion was to come up with a program whereby the homeless who receive food and shelter could help the community in return by doing some work. Making sure that the mentally ill continue to receive shelter and are not released on the streets was also listed as a priority.