Orange County is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country that does not have a year-round homeless shelter. Yesterday, with a unanimous vote, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of a site in Santa Ana’s industrial area that will eventually become a 200 bed year-round homeless shelter.
The choice of Santa Ana comes partly as a result of the commitment and political willingness of the Santa Ana City Council and City Manager to take comprehensive steps to address the reality of hundreds of homeless individuals living in Santa Ana. Last year the Santa Ana City Council approved the zoning of areas of the city as appropriate for the development of a year-round homeless shelter. The 23,000-square-foot warehouse, located at 1217 E. Normandy Place in Santa Ana near the corner of Grand and McFadden avenues is positioned near other community agencies serving the homeless in the county.
The Board of Supervisors and the City of Santa Ana should be commended for their commitment to moving forward in addressing the needs of Orange County’s homeless population. It will still take a while for the site to be completed, but eventually there will be a permanent shelter that can begin to address the needs of the homeless in central Orange County.
Voice of OC has a more detailed report on yesterday’s meeting and discussion on the shelter issue here.
I know the businesses on that street – many of those businesses will not be able to operate with the homeless shelter in that location.