Help for the Homeless

For all the outside perceptions of Orange County as a place of sun-dappled beaches and stunning affluence, there is the reality that alongside the beauty and wealth exists the problem of homelessness.

Fortunately, the federal government is aware of that problem.

Last month, Washington granted $6.8 million to homeless programs in the county for this year. That was a bit more than last year’s Housing and Urban Development grants, a reflection that on any given night, there are still thousands of men, women and children living in automobiles, transitional living centers or low-cost motels.

The grant came not long after the county executive’s office issued the most detailed enumeration yet of the county’s homeless.

By taking head counts at all local shelters and some of the motels where families live for months at a time, becoming the “motel homeless,” the county concluded there are 14,086 homeless people.

That figure is not far from the estimate of the nonprofit groups in the county that have struggled for years to provide assistance for those needing shelter. A coalition of groups aiding the homeless used to do their own counts periodically, concluding in their most recent estimate that the number was between 12,000 and 15,000.

By contrast, the number of shelter beds is about 3,500 in winter, when state armories are open.

The Housing and Urban Development department approved nearly all the applications submitted from Orange County.

One will let two county agencies help pay for housing for 69 people who are homeless and mentally ill or substance abusers or suffering from HIV and AIDS. Several others will give assistance to families that are victims of domestic violence.

The county estimates that about 40% of the homeless are substance abusers or have mental health problems. But more than half simply do not have the money to rent an apartment.

Homeless shelters provide graphic examples of people who fell off the economic ladder within weeks of losing jobs. The federal grants and assistance from Orange County groups can help those people get back on track.