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OC supervisors adopt a winter hotel voucher program for unhoused families
An encampment located in Santa Ana, in front of Orange County's courthouse.
(
Kirk Siegler
/
NPR
)
Orange County supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to give hotel room vouchers to unhoused families to use on the colder winter nights ahead.
The program comes as Orange County is revamping how it shelters the unhoused during winter.
"We feel really optimistic about this pilot program," Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said before the board voted unanimously in favor of his plan.
He also noted that while many still struggle with housing insecurity in Orange County, the program is an "opportunity for kids to be safe during extreme weather conditions."
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An unidentified body was recovered from the bed of the Santa Ana River just before noon on Jan. 1, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
Late last year, Orange County officials said they will no longer open additional winter shelter spaces for the unhoused community and instead rely on existing beds. The move is part of a transition from a singular countywide shelter system to a more flexible city-based approach.
The voucher program approved Tuesday will cover applicants in Sarmiento's district, which encompasses Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, and Tustin.
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The voucher program will use $200,000 from the second district’s discretionary funds to operate out of school districts, which will be tasked with identifying families experiencing homelessness.
During particularly bad winter weather, Families Forward, a local nonprofit, will reach out to those families and place them in rooms close to the schools their children attend. Food will also be provided.
How to watchdog local government
Do you care about issues such as housing and transportation? One of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention.
Your city council, board of supervisors, school board and more all hold public meetings that anybody can attend. These are times you can talk to your elected officials directly and hear about the policies they’re voting on that affect your community.
- Read tips on how to get involved.
- You can check out the O.C. Board of Supervisors full calendar here. The next scheduled board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 28th.
- Learn how to submit a public comment to the O.C. Board of Supervisors.
LAist's Yusra Farzan contributed to this report.
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