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Item # 14
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
November 1, 2022
TOPIC: Cold Weather Shelter Resolution
AGENDA TITLE:
Resolution Urging the County of Orange to Operate a Cold Weather Shelter Outside of
Santa Ana for a Future Countywide Approach and Encouraging South Orange County
Cities to More Equitably Participate in Efforts to Combat the Homelessness Crisis
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Adopt a resolution urging the County of Orange to operate a cold weather shelter outside
of Santa Ana for a future countywide approach and encouraging South Orange County
cities to more equitably participate in efforts to combat the homelessness crisis.
DISCUSSION
At the October 18, 2022 meeting, Councilmember Penaloza added the following
councilmember requested item: Discuss and Consider Directing the City Manager to
Direct Staff to Bring Back a Resolution Opposing the County of Orange from Operating
any Cold Weather Shelter within Santa Ana City Limits and Encouraging the County to
Rotate the Annual Cold Weather Shelter throughout Different Cities within the Different
Service Planning Areas (SPAs). Staff received direction from the majority of the City
Council to proceed with preparing the attached resolution for City Council consideration
(Exhibit 1).
Resolution
The resolution declares that the City Council encourages the County of Orange to operate
a cold weather shelter at locations in the County outside of Santa Ana for a true
countywide approach, as repeatedly advocated by the City. Furthermore, the resolution
declares that the City Council encourages South Orange County cities in particular to
contribute their equitable share to combat the regional homelessness crisis by providing
shelter and care to individuals experiencing homelessness.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
There is no environmental impact associated with this action.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action.
Cold Weather Shelter Resolution
November 1, 2022
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EXHIBIT(S)
1. Resolution
Submitted By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager
Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager
Resolution 2022-XXX
Page 1 of 3
RESOLUTION 2022-XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA URGING THE COUNTY OF ORANGE TO
OPERATE A COLD WEATHER SHELTER OUTSIDE OF
SANTA ANA FOR A TRUE COUNTY-WIDE APPROACH
AND ENCOURAGING SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY CITIES
TO MORE EQUITABLY PARTICIPATE IN EFFORTS TO
COMBAT THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS
WHEREAS, Homelessness in Orange County continues to be of great concern to
residents across Orange County; and
WHEREAS the City of Santa Ana continues its robust response to the
homelessness crisis, contributing far more than its equitable share and more than any
other city in Orange County to combat the crisis by providing shelter and care to
individuals experiencing homelessness; and
WHEREAS, for example, the City of Santa Ana operates a 200-bed homeless
shelter at 1815 East Carnegie Avenue, a location within the City of Santa Ana that serves
the needs of men, women, and families experiencing homelessness. Sixty-four of the 200
shelter beds at this homeless shelter are vacant. Furthermore, with construction, this
shelter can expand to 300 beds; and
WHEREAS additionally, the City of Santa Ana regularly collaborates with the
County of Orange to increase the supply of affordable housing and permanent supportive
housing as evidenced by the development and construction of several permanent
supportive housing projects jointly funded by the City of Santa Ana and the County or
Orange, including WISEPlace, Crossroads at Washington, FX Residences, Westview
House, Legacy Square, North Harbor Village, Heroes Landing, Santa Ana Arts Collective,
and Depot at Santiago; and
WHEREAS, moreover, the City of Santa Ana deploys cross-departmental and
cross-jurisdictional homeless response teams to provide services to individuals
experiencing homelessness in Santa Ana. This includes the Santa Ana Multi-Disciplinary
Response Team that dispatches outreach workers, case managers, substance abuse
professionals, mental health clinicians, nurse practitioners, and plain-clothes, private
safety officers for non-emergency homeless-related issues; and
WHEREAS furthermore, the County of Orange operates 425 shelter beds at its
Yale Navigation Center, located in the City of Santa Ana. Of these, the City of Santa Ana
has access to 125 beds; and
WHEREAS, as required by Senate Bill 2 (“SB 2”), there is abundant property in
South Orange County for shelter purposes. A review of the SB 2 zones identified in some
of the larger South Orange County cities such as Irvine, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel,
Lake Forest, and San Clemente, reveals a multitude of potential sites for shelter; and
Resolution 2022-XXX
Page 2 of 3
WHEREAS, on or about October 11, 2022, and despite the availability of potential
shelter sites outside of Santa Ana, the County of Orange informed the United States
District Court, Central District of California (“Court”), that the County of Orange intended
to open an emergency cold weather shelter at a facility operated by The Salvation Army
at 818 East Third Street in Santa Ana ; and
WHEREAS, on October 14, 2022, the Court conducted a status conference
regarding the County of Orange’s intention to open the cold weather shelter. Based on
the available shelter bed capacity in Santa Ana, as cited by Santa Ana at the hearing, the
Court declined the County’s request to open the emergency cold weather shelter in Santa
Ana; and
WHEREAS, on October 21, 2022, the Court held further proceedings to discuss
the County’s intent to operate the cold weather shelter in Santa Ana, determined that an
emergency exists that justifies the activation of the Santa Ana Armory as a cold weather
shelter in Santa Ana, and ordered that the Armory be activated for operation by the
County; and
WHEREAS, as cited in the Orange County Grand Jury report entitled How is
Orange County Addressing Homelessness?, there are no low-threshold emergency
shelters in South Orange County. Considering this, individuals in South Orange County
cities who are experiencing homelessness will need to travel great distances to seek
shelter at the cold weather shelter in Santa Ana; and
WHEREAS, as noted by the Court at the October 21 hearing, the need for, and
ability to place, a cold weather shelter is undeniable in South Orange County but also that
there needs to be an equitable, county-wide approach to these types of shelters, whereby
one of each might be established in each of the County’s three Service Planning Areas;
and
WHEREAS, Santa Ana has always encouraged this approach and insisted upon
the same at the October 21 hearing, where it also again demonstrated that the greatest
need for a cold weather shelter in the Central SPA was not in Santa Ana but rather in
locations outside of the City; and
WHEREAS, despite Santa Ana’s advocacy, the Court ordered the activation of the
Santa Ana Armory to be used as a cold weather shelter from December 1, 2022 to March
31, 2023, a site for which the County currently has no operator; and
WHEREAS, going forward, a better and more organized plan is imperative for the
operation of cold weather shelters whereby one is sited outside of the City of Santa Ana,
which has always hosted more shelter beds than any other city and regularly has enough
bed capacity to service individuals experiencing homelessness within its City limits, and
moreover the impacts of a cold weather shelter on the City cannot be mitigated.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa
Ana as follows:
Resolution 2022-XXX
Page 3 of 3
Section 1.The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby encourages the
County of Orange to operate a cold weather shelter at locations in the County outside of
Santa Ana for a true County-wide approach, as repeatedly advocated by the City.
Section 2.The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby encourages South
Orange County cities in particular to contribute their equitable share to combat the
regional homelessness crisis by providing shelter and care to individuals experiencing
homelessness.
Section 3.This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by
the City Council, and the Clerk of the Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting
this Resolution
ADOPTED this ____ day of November, 2022.
___________________________
Vicente Sarmiento
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney
By: ________________________
AYES: Councilmembers
NOES: Councilmembers
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers
NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers
CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the attached Resolution No. 2022-
___ to be the original Resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana
on _____________, 2022.
Resolution 2022-XXX
Page 4 of 3
Date: ___________________ ____________________________
Clerk of the Council
City of Santa Ana