Another 31 people died without fixed abode in Orange County in December 2025. Their names are:
Jarod ENTWISTLE who died on December 2nd in Anaheim
Truong NGUYEN who died on December 2nd in Orange
Hugo GARCIA who died on December 5th in Garden Grove
Wade HARPER who died on December 5th in Huntington Beach
Terry BECK who died on December 7th in Anaheim
Victor RODRIGUEZ who died on December 10th in Anaheim
Tilden BERGER who died on December 11th in San Juan Capistrano
Angel SANCHEZ who died on December 11th in Anaheim
Eric BRUNS who died on December 12th in Tustin
Andrew WELLS who died on December 12th in Anaheim
Michael MAUER who died on December 12th in Rancho Santa Margarita
Steven HOFMEISTER who died on December 13th in Fullerton
Linda BANKER who died on December 15th in Laguna Beach
Karina PONCE who died on December 16th in Anaheim
Angel OJEDA-GOMEZ who died on December 19th in Santa Ana
Steve ADAMS who died on December 19th in Newport Beach
John TRACEY who died on December 22nd in Fullerton
Michael DELUNA who died on December 23rd in Westminster
David NELSON who died on December 23rd in Fountain Valley
Rene ORTEGA who died on December 24th in Anaheim
Bernadette DIAZ who died on December 27th in Santa Ana
Mark LACROIX who died on December 27th in Costa Mesa
Carol LARA MARTINEZ who died on December 28th in Orange
Rebecca SWORDS who died on December 28th in Anaheim
Robert BAGWELL who died on December 28th in Orange
Patrick DONOLDSON who died on December 29th in Fullerton
Roberto JACOME who died on December 29th in Santa Ana
Felipe LEON SIERRA who died on December 29th in Fountain Valley
Elton HARRELL II who died on December 29th in Santa Ana
Guy BORGES who died on December 30th in Orange
Samuel GRECO who died on December 31st in Garden Grove
In total, 324 people died without fixed abode in OC in 2025. This is the lowest number since 2020, when 337 had died. At its peak, the death toll was 495 in 2022 and 500 in 2023. The death toll has thankfully dropped.
We will begin to understand why the death rate among those without abode has been decreasing in recent years, with the release of the OC Sheriff’s annual report on the matter (for 2024, when the homeless death rate first began to decrease) sometime in the coming months.
However, with the expected cut of $33 million in HUD money that OC used to receive to provide subsidized housing for people, generally seniors or people suffering from disabilities who had previously been homeless, the fear is that many or most of these people will return to the state of homelessness.
So the challenges are great, but solutions are not impossible. A reconfiguration of priorities on the State or County levels could keep these vulnerable seniors and people suffering from disabilities with roofs over their heads.
Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM, Pastor St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church, Fullerton.
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