Orange County plans to open a temporary homeless shelter in a former Santa Ana bus terminal within 30 days in an effort to address mounting pressure to reduce a large homeless encampment that has engulfed nearby government offices, causing health and safety problems.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to convert the terminal and directed County CEO Frank Kim to meet with Santa Ana City Manager David Cavazos to find a suitable Santa Ana location for a permanent homeless shelter within 45 days or so.
The action came just hours before the Santa Ana City Council approved a resolution declaring “a public health and safety homeless crisis.”
The resolution endorses the county bus station plan and directs Cavazos to work with the county on a shared budget to address health and safety through measures like improving lighting in the Civic Center and increasing the number of security guards. These measures are estimated to cost $1.3 million.
Santa Ana’s resolution calls for a summit on homelessness with the county and the 33 other cities in the county and for other cities to adopt a similar resolution encouraging the county to act to address homelessness.
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