Help, Yes, but Compassion Too

In many instances in Orange County, people just ignore homeless men and women, be they wrapped in a blanket on the pavement or pushing a shopping cart along the street. But sometimes the reaction is hostile, with those passing by taking time to shout imprecations at those down on their luck.

Workers of one group that helps the homeless, the Orange County Rescue Mission, said they have received reports that even young children have taunted those without shelter and have sometimes thrown things at them.

When Rescue Mission staffers visited a Santa Ana elementary school last month, they asked the students to be more tolerant of the homeless. That’s a good lesson, and not just for the children.

The Rescue Mission runs two shelters for the homeless in Orange County, one for men and the other for women and children. The shelters offer counseling, education, medical care, job training and guidance programs.

Shelter for the homeless is one of the larger unmet needs in Orange County. The estimated number of homeless is nearly 16,000; the number of shelter beds is about 800.

In September, agencies serving the homeless in Orange County received a $7.2-million federal grant. That will allow officials to double shelter capacity. It should also provide funds for other types of assistance, including job training.

The homeless in Orange County include drug addicts and the mentally ill. But they also include some who recently lost jobs, and women so abused by their husbands or boyfriends that they fled their homes. Services for battered women and children have been a priority for a number of groups assisting the homeless in recent years, but too often it has taken a long time to raise funds, find sites and obtain permits to provide shelter for the abused.

The Orange County Rescue Mission’s school visit emphasized that education and staying off drugs will help keep people off the streets. That kind of message from people outside an academic setting can help reinforce the lessons imparted by teachers inside the classroom and by parents at home. Helping people before they become homeless is best. But providing shelter for those who fall through the safety net is also necessary.