LAGUNA BEACH : Friendship Shelter Project Celebrated

Mark Harris stood at the top of the new staircase of a shelter here Wednesday and described how both he and his former home have changed.

When he first moved off the streets and into Friendship Shelter three years ago, “it was livable and much better than the bushes where I was, but it was uncomfortable,” Harris said.

Since then, both Harris and Friendship Shelter have undergone a startling transformation. Harris, 37, has evolved from “a junkie on the streets in Santa Ana” to one of the shelter’s “success stories,” he said.

On Wednesday, he joined about 50 volunteers, former clients and representatives of the construction and business communities to celebrate the shelter’s renovation, started last fall by the Building Industry Assn.’s HomeAid program and concluded this week.

As a result of the refurbishment, the shelter can now house five more clients than the previous maximum of 20. Since last fall, workers have added balconies, hallways and a new kitchen, rebuilt a stairway, repaired five bathrooms, carpeted floors, painted walls and hung window shades.

“They’ve made the building a lot more livable,” said Harris, who made the dean’s list when he returned to school to earn a counseling certificate and who now lives in San Clemente with his new wife.

“I want to come back,” he added, laughing. “But I have to be a good example.”

The renovation of Friendship Shelter is the latest in a string of similar projects spearheaded by HomeAid Orange County, which was launched by the Building Industry Assn. two years ago. To help the “transitionally homeless,” HomeAid relies on the skills and financial contributions of BIA members, said spokeswoman Kelly Ward.

Projects completed the first year included shelters in Garden Grove, Orange, Fullerton and San Clemente, and a home for abused women in Midway City. Projects under way include shelters in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana and Los Alamitos, Ward said.

Friendship Shelter provides interim housing, self-help programs, counseling and a variety of other services for adult men and women. The shelter, once an apartment building, is on Coast Highway just south of Cress Street.

On Wednesday, former clients marveled at the changes brought about by the $150,000 project. Dayl Griffin, who moved into Friendship Shelter three years ago, stopped in to join the celebration. Griffin said he once wondered if the shelter would last, considering its former condition and the number of people it housed.

“Now it’s up to snuff,” said Griffin, who now lives in Orange and is attending night school in hopes of becoming a graphic designer. “They can really get going and help a lot of people.”