Social service agencies gather in Costa Mesa

Elise Gee

COSTA MESA -- A collaborative of the county’s social services agencies,

which has been bogged down by efforts to secure federal grant money,

wants instead to focus on meeting the needs of the homeless and

disadvantaged here.

More than 100 social service providers met Wednesday in Costa Mesa to

discuss the collaborative, known as the Continuum of Care, and where it

should be heading.

The group in the past has worked to secure federal Department of Housing

and Urban Development grants for local agencies. But those grants don’t

address some of the issues important to Orange County agencies, such as

emergency shelters and homeless prevention, providers said.

The shift in direction is essential, said Sheri Barrios, executive

director of the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter in Costa Mesa.

“What happened last year is we ended up defining our priorities according

to what [the federal housing department] said were their priorities,”

Barrios said.

For many in attendance Wednesday, it was a chance to welcome the county’s

new homeless coordinator, Karen Roper.

Roper’s position was created in December by county supervisors after they

decided there needed to be more attention given to preventive programs

and the cycle of homelessness, said Mike Ruane, assistant county

executive officer.

It was a position long advocated by the Partnership for Responsible

Public Policy, Barrios said.

George Neureuther, general manager and longtime board member of the

Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, said a coordinated effort in the county is

something that has been missing for a long time.

“If someone came into the kitchen off the street and said ‘I need a place

to stay tonight,’ there really wouldn’t be anywhere I can send them,”

Neureuther said.

Many places require appointments and there isn’t a central location

someone could call to find available beds in the county. Orange Coast

Interfaith Shelter is one of just two emergency shelters in the county

that provide about 100 beds for families.

Barrios said she turns people away every day.

The federal housing department doesn’t provide grants for emergency

housing, so it’s an issue that has been ignored when it comes to the

collaborative. Politically, it’s also an unpopular idea, Barrios said.

Aside from emergency housing, Barrios said she hopes the collaborative’s

shift in focus will meet the special needs of homeless and low-income

county residents.

“The cost of housing in Orange County is so high, it’s unrealistic to say

you can take low-income people and homeless people and move them into

permanent housing,” Barrios said. “You need to bridge the gap. You can

move someone into permanent housing but if they don’t have the skill

level or educational level to maintain it, they’re not going to make it.”