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III. Strategy to Assist the Homeless The City of Santa Aha has taken an active role in dealing with the issue of the homeless in Orange County. In addition to funding a portion of the construction cost for a homeless women's shelter, City administration has been an active participant in a regional homeless task force established by the County for the purpose of coordinating homeless service programs on a county wide basis. Santa Aha will continue to work with this task force and as~sist in the development of a regional approach to homeless issues. Since many homeless service providers maintain a county wide referral network, coordination of efforts can be maximized through the efforts of the task force. At the local level, the City will continue to assist local homeless service providers as funds per, it. In the past, financial assistance for the rehabilitation of temporary housing facilities for the homeless has been provided by the City to private nonprofit organizations. This assistance also included technical assistance with state and federal grant applications. The City anticipates that these efforts will continue, and if possible facilitate additional development (either through acquisition or rehabilitation) of emergency shelter facilities. The 9opulation targeted for this assistance should cover all segments of the homeless population, with special attention to the elderly, families with children, veterans, and the mentally ill. In addition to shelters, supportive services should also be made available in order to move homeless individuals back into the mainstream of society. These services should include (but are by no means limited to) job screening and development, and health maintenance and counseling. True self sufficiency by the homeless will not be achieved without the development of these skills. All of these efforts are currently being provided by local nonprofit service providers. New program monies, which may result from the McKinney Act, will be used by the City to augment the service level currently being provided and to enhance the level of service to the homeless community. Single room occupancy units can also play a key role in providing affordable housing to homeless individuals attempting to overcome their homelessness. Increased availability of SRO units can also help ~revent homelessness by providing those persons close to becoming homeless with an affordable housing option. Providing quality SRO units is therefore a viable component to an overall strategy aimed at assisting the homeless in Santa Aha. -4-