As encampments balloon during the pandemic, homeless people and advocates say they’re being left in limbo as the county looks at ending its Project Toolbelt assistance program that helps people find – and pay for – shelter and housing.
Tag: Brooke Weitzman
Posted inCountywide
Top OC Prosecutor Calls for Treatment Instead of Jail for Drug Use and Mental Illness
Todd Spitzer’s call for an overhaul is generating a welcome response from advocates, though they say it needs to be backed up with actual action – which they say there’s no signs of yet.
Posted inCountywide
Over 400 Homeless People Infected and One Dead from Coronavirus Outbreaks Across 17 Shelters in Orange County
The ongoing outbreaks are prompting calls from activists for the county to reinstate a program that sheltered at-risk homeless seniors in motels, now that federal officials are agreeing to cover 100 percent of the costs.
Posted inSanta Ana
Orange County Moves its Largest Homeless Shelter Starting Around the New Year
A new, larger county shelter in Santa Ana to replace the current open-air bus terminal shelter in the city’s Civic Center.
Posted inCountywide, Housing & Homelessness, Laguna Beach, Santa Ana, Top Stories
Homeless Shelter Commitments Expand to Three New Cities
Santa Ana, Laguna Beach, and Bellflower agreed to provide specific amounts of shelter for homeless people and to not enforce anti-camping laws against them unless they’re refusing available beds that are appropriate for their disabilities.
Posted inAliso Viejo, Countywide, Dana Point, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Irvine, Safety, Security & Justice, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Top Stories
South County Homeless Lawsuit is Almost Completely Dismissed
Judge Percy Anderson removed four of the five cities being sued in the closely-watched case, and rejected the existing legal arguments against the fifth. He left open the possibility of the case being re-filed as a series of separate lawsuits against cities.
Posted inAliso Viejo, Dana Point, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Top Stories
Homeless Settlement Limits South County Anti-Camping Enforcement
“This is a game-changer,” Judge David O. Carter told the courtroom Tuesday before signing off on the settlement, which the court can enforce for the next three years.
Posted inAliso Viejo, Countywide, Dana Point, Housing & Homelessness, Irvine, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Top Stories
Judge Declines Emergency Block of San Clemente’s Anti-Camping Law
It was U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson’s first ruling in a closely-watched civil rights lawsuit against south OC cities.
Posted inCountywide, Government, Housing & Homelessness, Safety, Security & Justice, Top Stories
Judge Carter Removed From South OC Homelessness Case
South county cities are entitled to litigate before a judge “whose impartiality neither the parties nor the public have a reasonable basis to question,” the ruling states.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, San Clemente
San Clemente to Move its Homeless Population to a City Lot
San Clemente is moving its homeless population to a city-owned lot Friday, but homeless rights attorney Carol Sobel warns the move is unconstitutional.
