2018-063 - Shelter Crisis Related to Homelessness in the City of Santa Ana

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Civic Center Plaza of the Flags, offering services to 234 individuals, of which 135 declined services. P. In April 2018, the City, in collaboration with the County and other cities, submitted a letter to Governor Jerry Brown and the California National Guard to extend the Cold Weather Armory for an additional three months due to the overwhelming unsheltered homeless population. Q. In May 2018, the City Public Works Agency staff and QOLT partook in a two- day intensive cleanup effort of the Santiago Creek, removing 14 truckloads of debris, 50 hypodermic needles, and encountering 20 homeless individuals. R. In June 2018, the City submitted a letter to the California Department of Public Health strongly opposing the approval of the Orange County Mobile Needle Exchange to operate in Santa Ana due to the public health risk caused by lack of appropriate monitoring of discarding needles, and provided over 100 pages of narrative and pictures of uncapped dirty needles found near schools, libraries, businesses and residential areas compiled from 2017 to present. S. In July 2018, the Fullerton and Santa Ana Cold Weather Armories closed, creating greater impact of unsheltered homeless individuals in the City of Santa Ana. T. The County of Orange lacks sufficient emergency shelter facilities to provide safe shelter to the homeless unsheltered population. U. The County of Orange has the largest low barrier homeless shelter in the City of Santa Ana called "the Courtyard." The County also has the largest multiservice center for the homeless and mentally ill in the City of Santa Ana, called "MHA." The County also has the only Crisis Stabilization unit, a facility to evaluate 72 -hour psychiatric holds, in the City of Santa Ana. V. Homeless encampments are prevalent throughout the City, exposing individuals experiencing homelessness to hazardous elements, including severe weather, traffic, crime, communicable diseases, lack of sanitation, injury, risk of death and other conditions that are detrimental to health and safety. W. The impact of homeless individuals lodging in public parks, railroads, parking lots, sidewalks, near schools, businesses, churches, senior centers, and libraries, has an adverse effect on the City and its resources, including the use and enjoyment of these public spaces by the public at -large. X. Such overnight lodging in residential zones also has an adverse effect on the health and safety of the residents in the City's communities, including the Delhi Center, Floral Park, and Santiago neighborhoods, among several others. Resolution No. 2018-063 Page 3 of 5