With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Orange County Will Give Out Millions To Fight Homelessness Before It Happens
House keys sitting on an eviction notice received in the mail.
(
tap10/Getty Images
/
iStockphoto
)
Orange County has approved a pilot program that sets aside $3 million to help residents at risk of eviction, which the county estimates will help around 200 households from becoming unhoused.
OC Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento will fund about half of the pilot using discretionary funds available for his district. He told LAist that he anticipates many of the pilot participants will live in his district, including the city of Santa Ana, and portions of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange, and Tustin, even as the program will be available countywide.
Sarmiento cited a UC San Francisco study that showed that many unhoused people believed they would have avoided homelessness if they'd had financial help during the eviction process.
"We think if we can kind of bridge that delta, we can keep people housed at a much lower cost than having to try to house them once they're on the street," he said.
Sponsored message
As to identifying program participants, Sarmiento said that the county is already aware of vulnerable households through eviction court. "I don't think identifying 200 households will be too difficult, just because we know there are thousands of people that are struggling," he said.
The county will determine whether to make the program permanent after the yearlong pilot. The county also plans to partner with researchers to determine if the program has successfully prevented homelessness.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
