Another 47 people died “without fixed abode” in Orange County in January, their names are:
Paul KERR who died on January 1st in Santa Ana
Mark FAVA who died on January 2nd in Huntington Beach
Kevin PARKER who died on January 3rd in Fountain Valley
Tyler PRINZEN who died on January 6th in Westminster
Yahir BELLO who died on January 6th in Fountain Valley
Nicholas LA ROSA who died on January 6th in Mission Viejo
Brandon COOK who died on January 7th in Orange
Daniel VALENCIA who died on January 9th in Anaheim
Jeffrey OTOO who died on January 10th in Santa Ana
Josie ZUAZO who died on January 12th in Fullerton
Roy STJULIAN who died on January 12th in Stanton
Isaiah MILLER who died on January 13th in Costa Mesa
Silviano VAZQUEZ RODRIGUEZ who died on January 13th in Mission Viejo
Steven HAGER who died on January 14th in Garden Grove
Jose AVELARDE who died on January 15th in Westminster
David GULMATICO who died on January 16th in Buena Park
Melina SIERRA MARTINEZ who died on January 17th in Santa Ana
Christopher ZIMMERMAN who died on January 17th in Santa Ana
Laif OLSON who died on January 18th in Cypress
Darab NABILY who died on January 18th in Garden Grove
Bryan SURLES who died on January 18th in Anaheim
Ron SIMPSON who died on January 19th in Anaheim
Cory FLANNERY who died on January 20th in Stanton
Antonin GUZMAN who died on January 20th in Anaheim
Nhan VO who died on January 20th in Anaheim
Jacob FOASBERG who died on January 20th in Anaheim
Paul CERMINARA who died on January 20th in Anaheim
Ronald COBO who died on January 20th in Fountain Valley
Francisco CARDENAS RAYO who died on January 21st in Garden Grove
Richard LONGACRE II who died on January 21st in Corona del Mar
Viridiana MORALES who died on January 22nd in Garden Grove
Javier GARCIA MANZANARE who died on January 22nd in Garden Grove
Kevin GAY who died on January 23rd in Westminster
Lance KERWIN who died on January 24th in San Clemente
Jorge PALOMINO who died on January 24th in Fullerton
Stefan RIEDEL who died on January 25th in Garden Grove
Thomas OGLESBY who died on January 25th in Stanton
Tommy RODRIGUEZ who died on January 25th in Anaheim
Hoa NGUYEN who died on January 25th in Garden Grove
Dao DAO who died on January 26th in Garden Grove
Hae KHANG who died on January 27th in Santa Ana
Dante CIOLFI who died on January 27th in Huntington Beach
Jonathan ICE who died on January 27th in Westminster
Suzanne APPLEQUIST who died on January 27th in Anaheim
Xueyuan ZHANG who died on January 28th in Laguna Beach
Larry BRYANT who died on January 28th in Orange
Elnaz NIAVARANI who died on January 31st in Buena Park
Additionally two other people died “without fixed abode” in OC in December 2022 whose names only were added in January. Their names are:
Gilbert MATTHEWS who died on December 15th in Fountain Valley
Carl VACA who died on December 22nd in Santa Ana
The number of deaths appears to be the “new normal” for Orange County. With the addition of the two people who died in December appearing in this month’s list, the number of people who died in December 2022 was also 47. Last January, the number of people who died “without fixed abode” in OC was 46.
To give a comparison, in January 2020, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who died “without fixed abode in 23, and in January 2019, the death total was 14.
So the death rate in OC among those “without fixed abode” has doubled to tripled since 2019.
In the last several weeks, the County has reopened “Cold Weather Shelters” which were functioning, pre-2020 … though they were truly a mixed bag.
Back in their day, these shelters kicked their people out into the elements between 6:30 AM – 7:00 AM, yes during the coldest part of the day (and for a month between mid-December and mid-January still into darkness) when generally speaking most businesses were still closed, for hours, but before most other OC residents were awake or otherwise out on the streets to begin their days … So this parade of shame and misery could be kept from the eyes of the populace.
Still, the shelters were something.
Yet even if these shelters did give people sleeping on the streets at least one more option to consider, statistically they made a marginal difference. The death rate among those “without fixed abode” in OC across the whole year, not just in the winter months, also increased by about two and a half fold from 209 in 2019 to 490 in 2022.
A commission to be headed by OC Sheriff Barnes was announced at the beginning of 2022 to study why the death rate has more than doubled in OC among the homeless in recent years. As yet, no results of that commission, if it ever was empaneled or ever met, has been made public.
Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM, Pastor St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Fullerton.
Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.
Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org.