Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/frank-kim/)
South Orange County also is set to be brought into the federal case, as the judge expressed frustration at the lack of a south county shelter site.
A federal appeals court this week supports what U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has been warning county and city leaders about for six months: If they don’t offer a realistic option for homeless people to stay overnight, police can’t enforce anti-camping ordinances. On Friday, Carter is bringing OC civic leaders back to court to gauge progress.
The judge, David O. Carter, pointed to Santa Ana and Anaheim residents and businesses who, he said, are grappling with hundreds of homeless people who formerly lived at the Santa Ana riverbed but now are in their cities due to a shelter shortage.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in state grants could become available next year, and some community leaders want to compete for it to help build 2,700 homes for homeless people.
“This county has been in a crisis situation from the time the court got this case. This county’s structure has been deplete, and I think only recently has there been a concerted and good faith effort to catch up with decades of neglect,” said federal Judge David O. Carter at a court conference Friday morning.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved up to $2 million to use toward additional shelter beds, as part of a plan to move hundreds of Santa Ana Riverbed homeless people from motels to other types of shelter.
Orange County supervisors appear to have at least $230 million in unspent money they can use, in collaboration with other officials and community groups, to help address homelessness, a Voice of OC examination of county government finances has found.
The Legal Aid Society of Orange County has filed a federal lawsuit against the County of Orange on behalf of seven homeless individuals with disabilities, who lawyers say have not been able to access the county’s housing and case management programs because of their disabilities.
Council members have not provided examples of alleged misspending, and county officials say they’re open to working with city officials on any concerns they may have.
The proposed center – next to a freeway, office buildings, and the Santa Ana River – is seen by advocates and officials as a major step toward addressing a severe shortage of mental health services.