Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/susan-price/)
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.
Retired labor leader Nick Berardino reflects on the effort to establish the county’s first veterans’ museum. County homeless czar Susan Price charts out a strategy for combating homelessness. County supervisors get called out for politicking with public resources.
Orange County supervisors heard Tuesday from their new homeless czar, who noted both progress and gaps in the county’s effort to alleviate chronic homelessness. While showing an interest in improving services, supervisors would not make funding commitments.
County officials were upbeat at a public forum Saturday morning, painting the picture of an energized and proactive government eager to tackle the increasingly dire straits of the county’s homeless population.
Questions mount as more staffers working for county Supervisor Todd Spitzer abruptly exit. Meanwhile, county officials remain mum on developing real housing options for people living on the streets.