By O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do
On Monday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors directed staff to use $70.5 million of Mental Health Services Act funds for supportive housing and shelter for our homeless.
The Board also directed staff to enter into contract with American Family Housing for a 12-unit unrestricted site that can accommodate homeless couples.
In transitioning the Santa Ana Riverbed residents from motels to services, the Board approved three sites for emergency shelters. If the County exhausts all beds they currently have available, they will relocate these homeless individuals to these shelters.
The potential emergency shelter options include the “100-acre parcel” in Irvine, which is an approximately 108-acre complex adjacent to the Great Park, the site of the closed landfill previously located on Gothard Street in Huntington Beach, and the site of the old South County Courthouse in Laguna Niguel.
“Orange County is committed to moving forward in our efforts to address homelessness in a humane and fair way,” said Supervisor Andrew Do, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “We have been moving forward without a single court order. This is us doing the right thing.”
