Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/susan-price/)
Lloyd Pendleton’s speech to local officials, business leaders and advocates came as Orange County grapples with a growing homeless population and a severe shortage of shelter and affordable housing.
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 now-removed plan had emphasized expanding the affordable housing supply for homeless people as a “top priority.” The supervisors also consolidated their power over the commission, removing all current members and changing the selection rules so supervisors now will pick all of the commissioners who have voting power.
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.
There’s been a 54-percent increase in homeless people living on the streets in the past four years, according to data released last week from the county’s Point in Time count.
More than 15,000 people are homeless in Orange County at some point during the year, according to the latest available figures.
While many challenges remain, 2016 will go down as a year in which Orange County officials finally began to address one of the county’s most shameful realities — its ever-increasing homeless population.
The Midnight Mission, which runs the county’s new homeless shelter, prides itself on hiring formerly homeless people. But a few altercations have raised questions about employees’ lack of licensing for security work and their criminal histories.
The new shelter in downtown Santa Ana, known as the Courtyard, has helped provide a safe place for hundreds of homeless people to sleep at night. But problems have come along with the progress.
The good feelings Igmar Rodas had for the Courtyard Transitional Shelter in downtown Santa Ana when it opened in October have given way to disappointment after run-ins with the center’s staff.