Many cities throughout the county, and even the state, are looking to Costa Mesa for advice on how to address the root causes of homelessness while enforcing their anti-camping ordinances.. The creation of Costa Mesas shelter is a result of a lawsuit filed against the County of Orange, and the cities of Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa in 2018 over the removal of homeless people from the Santa Ana riverbed. It was the humane and right thing to do, and the result has been a significant improvement to our community and neighborhoods.. Join ourFacebook discussion. Irvine, CA - 92614 . Non Profit Organization that provides housing assistance, 17982 Sky Park Circle Help them battle hunger and [], Stanbridge College REACH Beyond the Classroom invites you to volunteer to help the homeless on January 25th in Costa Mesa. The 72-bed homeless shelter will see its first clients in early April. Brackens Kitchen is the current operator of the commercial kitchen at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter preparing and serving meals to shelter residents at the shelter. In this issue of Lighthouse Views, you'll see how you gave a young man the chance thrive, learn about a 2,000 mile journey to find a place to call home, and be inspired by the story of a young woman who has gone from Lighthouse care to being a member of the board. People have been used to walking in and out of here for years, so we do expect that theres going to be a learning curve and we expect that to be a couple of weeks, Martin said. According to the Orange County Nutrition and Food Insecurity Profile of the California Food Policy Advocates, 33.7% of low-income households experience hunger at least once a day. Amid all the commotion, a few of the shelters first clients relaxed in the multipurpose room. As we move into the autumn and winter months, more and more shelters become over-crowded and many homeless people and families are left out in the cold without food or protection from the [] Costa Mesa has to zone for 11,760 new homes of which over 4,700 have to be very low income to low income homes. Martin said that model likely will take time to get used to. Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene at 1885 Anaheim Ave. in Costa Mesa is the site of a planned temporary 50-bed homeless shelter that local officials hope to open in April. Besides government and policy, she's interested in animals both wild and domestic, people who try to make the world better, and how things work. Faith E. Pinho is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. Get connected to the services you need when you need them, Be the somebody. Stephens added an inclusionary housing ordinance could help and said its expected to be on a city council agenda in the fall. The two-week long drive helped provide people who are homeless or living in temporary housing like motels and shelters with durable protection for their belongings in the cold and rainy months. Leased space in the church building includes offices for staff from the city and Mercy House Living Centers the Santa Ana-based nonprofit retained to run the shelter as well as a multipurpose room where clients will be able to congregate, eat, read and meet with service providers. Luke Money is a Metro reporter covering breaking news at the Los Angeles Times. Cities across Orange County created more shelter space following the lawsuit. Its reservation-based, with no walk-ups allowed, and Mercy House is responsible for shuttling clients to and from the facility. A client sits in the multipurpose room at Costa Mesas homeless shelter at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene at 1885 Anaheim Ave. in the citys Westside. The assessment determined that there were at least 120 people sleeping on the streets of Costa Mesa during any given evening. Leaders from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach the cities that built the shelter said as much during a ribbon cutting and early preview tour on Tuesday, March 23. The reason we were able to move forward so efficiently is because we had the political will, with the full council working together, Mayor Katrina Foley said Thursday. A permanent homeless shelter will be constructed in Costa Mesa following years of legal bouts and advocates pushing for more viable options for shelters and greater rights for homeless people in Orange County. View Full Listing Details Serving People In Need, Inc. Costa Mesa 151 Kalmus Drive, H-2 Costa Mesa, CA - 92626 (714) 751-1101 Non Profit Organization that provides housing assistance Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Just under $40 million sought for Newport Coast home with expansive views, Daily Pilot e-newspaper: Saturday, March 4, 2023, County renews grant pursuing sentence reductions in some homicide cases over protest from district attorney, Man accepts plea deal for DUI in Huntington Beach that killed friend, sentenced to 4 years, City Council preview: Laguna Beach to consider deal with Be Well OC for mental health services, OCC program helps students learn the lost art of job seeking, Daily Pilot e-newspaper: Friday, March 3, 2023, Orange Countys COVID-19 metrics remain flat; 177 hospitalized as of Wednesday, Laguna Beach reports $17-million budget surplus in update. The shelters name is not designated on the outside, just the street-facing address 3175 B painted in the same bluish grey trim that tops the one-story, white washed building. Join ourFacebook discussion. The facility also includes bike racks and accommodations for pets. The frustration started after the state tasked the Southern California Association of Governments made up of city council members across the region to come up with zoning for 1.3 million homes across six counties, including more than 180,000 in Orange County by October 2029. Message usvia ourwebsite or staff page. The report said many have been meeting more frequently. The plan now is for the Lighthouse shelter to operate for roughly a year before moving to a longer-term location somewhere else in the city. Others also contributed, including the Costa Mesa IKEA store, which designed and furnished the interior, and sent in volunteer employees to assemble the furniture. Listing Location: 3.36 miles from Costa Mesa WEBSITE DESIGN BY Granicus - Connecting People and Government. That step is what I cant wait to get to work on, said Foley, referring to her start as a county supervisor after she is sworn in on Friday. That gave Costa Mesa a target of 62 beds 12 of which are provided through a partnership with College Hospital, a local acute-care facility, and designated for people suffering a mental health crisis. She called the shelter perhaps the most rewarding project shes worked on. Team members from Mercy House Living Centers the nonprofit operator of Costa Mesas homeless shelter meet Wednesday. According to the County of Orange, an individual earning minimum wage has to work 124 hours a week just to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Orange County. The shelter will be able to accommodate 70 beds when it opens, according to city staff. As part of an agreement to settle the suit, Costa Mesa committed to providing enough beds to serve 60% of the 103 unsheltered homeless people counted in the city during a 2017 countywide homeless census. Keep up the compassion in 2014 and join [], Stanbridge College REACH Beyond the Classroom invites you to volunteer to help the homeless on Saturday, October 26th in Costa Mesa. Its certainly something to consider, Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens said in a phone interview Thursday. The Lighthouse Church "bridge shelter," as city leaders call it,. Bracken's Kitchen is a nonprofit organization based in Orange County dedicated to rescuing, re-purposing, and restoring both food and lives through a community feeding program, food rescue, and culinary training. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Brooke Weitzman representing a nonprofit group called Orange County Catholic Worker and seven homeless individuals who alleged the city of Costa Mesa and the other defendants have taken actions to force homeless people into the riverbed. The facility opened in April. The new shelter is the result of a partnership between the two neighboring cities. The March 2019 settlement prohibits the cities from enforcing anti-camping and loitering laws if there isnt an appropriate bed available for the homeless individual, Weitzman told the Voice of OC through a text message. The goal had been to have a shelter of our own but the problem is we needed a little prodding to actually get it done although over the years there were several proposals.. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece. Listing Location: 2.85 miles from Costa Mesa (714) 751-1101 2607 Willo Lane Weitzman and shelter operators like Larry Haynes, CEO of Mercy House, say that such facilities are only a temporary fix intended to transition people off the streets and into housing. Earlier this year, the City Council took a courageous step to create a bridge shelter. Theresa Walker has been a staff writer at the Orange County Register since 1992. Other funding includes a $300,000 contribution from Hoag Hospital and a $2.5 million homelessness grant awarded by the county. Thats how many clients were already checked into the new 50-bed shelter when it officially opened Friday, April 5, on the grounds of Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene, city officials said. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. And that's not all. Homeless people, she said, will be helped by the shelter and city residents will be helped by being able to regain the use of public spaces, such as parks. Listing Location: 3.35 miles from Costa Mesa SHELTER KITCHEN OPERATOR Bracken's Kitchen is a nonprofit organization based in Orange County dedicated to rescuing, re-purposing, and restoring both food and lives through a community feeding program, food rescue, and culinary training. Members of the public said the goal to house the citys homeless population is great but the location for the shelter is wrong with other sites better suited. Mercy House is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the facility including the provision of services related to locating, securing and maintaining permanent housing; identifying and mitigating barriers to housing and employment; referrals to third-party services and resources; providing extracurricular activities and modes of entertainment for shelter guests; overseeing security in and around the facility; as well as facilitating the transportation of guests to and from the shelter. From Martins perspective, perhaps the most rewarding part of the effort has been seeing city staff from across departments come together to accomplish something so ambitious. Literally theres been 20 to 30 city staff here for 16 hours a day to make this happen, he said during a tour of the shelter with the Daily Pilot on Wednesday. The creation of the shelter is a result of a lawsuit filed against the County of Orange, and the cities of Anaheim, Orange, and Costa Mesa in 2018 over the removal of homeless people from the Santa Ana riverbed. All donations will go to the Lighthouse Ministries Homeless Shelter. 949-646-2271 Meanwhile, city officials all over the county have been pushing back on state mandated housing goals. The Lighthouse Church bridge shelter, as city leaders call it, provides an interim space for homeless people while the city works to establish a permanent shelter at 3175 Airway Ave. Mercy House will operate the long-term shelter, which is expected to open by mid-2020. 151 Kalmus Drive, H-2 The system starts with outreach on the streets to get people into the shelters, where operators can help them get into a home. Stanbridge College REACH is looking for compassionate volunteers to help provide the homeless of Orange County with change that they could really use. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG). The changes are aimed at ensuring that the city's anti-camping laws are not only enforceable in the long term, but work in conjunction with the temporary 50-bed homeless shelter scheduled to . Since 2019, Costa Mesa temporarily used the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene to provide beds until their permanent shelter opened earlier this year. 4000 Westerly Pl Ste 135 Message usvia ourwebsite or staff page. Its been a tremendous, tremendous, tremendous undertaking, said Parks and Community Services Director Justin Martin, who has been leading the shelter effort. They included framed photos of sights and scenes in Costa Mesa. About Voice of OC: Mission | Editorial Policies| Contact Us | Funding| Privacy Policy. The name isnt all that fancy anyway Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter. The facility officially opens Friday. Bunk beds sit in a modular trailer at Costa Mesas new homeless shelter at 1885 Anaheim Ave. in the citys Westside. Helping young people & families heal and reach their full potential since 1969. Rehab and detox for women. The 50-bed shelter at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene is expected to operate for about a year and then be replaced by a permanent facility U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, center,. The light is always on, and the door is always open at Lighthouse Youth & Family Services. You can make a difference in a childs life, Specialized services help deter youth from repeating risky behaviors, Services aimed at helping young adults create a plan for self-sufficiency, A first-of-its-kind program in Ohio for young people with complex needs, Expert and compassionate care so children, youth and families can heal, grow and thrive, Program focused on teen pregnancy prevention and preparation for adult responsibilities, Safe and welcoming places where teens heal through nurturing, accountability, and guidance, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) youth are dramatically over-represented in the homeless youth population, Care and support for youth and their families through prevention, crisis intervention and long-term service. Lighthouse Views: Summer 2022. Contact him @helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece. The temporary shelter will continue to operate until the permanent shelter is opened. Assistant Manager Muriel Ullman with Fresh Beginnings, cleans the kitchen at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter, during a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Costa Mesa, CA. Federal District Court Judge David Carter directed Costa Mesa to provide 62 shelter beds, 60 percent of the citys 2017 homeless count. Can we do something like this?. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with alternating Fridays closed. Costa Mesa, CA - 92627 Haynes said all of the 50 beds are filled nearly every night. Some 600 volunteers have signed up to help, she said. Those who havent taken steps to provide emergency shelter could be barred from enforcing rules against camping in public. While some look to the County to chime in, its commission to end homelessness has cancelled seven of their last 12 meetings, including one this week. (949)263-8676 Volunteers making a difference each year. Her crew had outfitted the place with some homey touches potted flowers on dining hall tables; designs on the walls; sheets, comforters and carefully folded towel sets on the dorm beds (four to each semi-private pod). Weitzman added the programs shes seen so far in the county still involve police and still has a ways to go. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG), Towels and toiletries lie on a bed at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter during a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Costa Mesa, CA. Costa Mesa officials have said opening the shelter also will enable the city to resume enforcing local anti-camping laws. With all these people packed in small spaces, is this going to become another COVID hot zone? Then, acknowledging that the Costa Mesa council has declared April as Lets Be Kind month, she gifted coffee mugs emblazoned with the words Cultivate Kindness to the officials in attendance. The proof is that we dont have a lot of affordable housing and certainly permanent supportive housing in our city so we have a long way to go, he said. Since it opened at the beginning of April, the shelter located for now at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene at 1885 Anaheim Ave. has provided nearly 1,500 different services, according to the city report. However, the idea of using social workers to respond to homeless and mental health calls has not been formally discussed by Costa Mesa council members. He earned his bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Arizona. Send us asecure tip. Types of Shelters and Services we provide. Nelson, a Lighthouse Church pastor and an aide with the city, was presented with an apron that read: Dressed to Grill.. But, Harrison said, the journey led to an absolutely breathtaking space created inside an outwardly nondescript building. In recent years, homeless people have been able to walk into Lighthouse for a meal or to access other resources, such as the inclement-weather shelter and check-in center that operated there. As the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter nears six months of operation, its unique model has successfully transitioned 18 clients from homelessness into permanent housing. Some noted the difficulty of building the project. Developing such a facility in a time frame more typical of a kitchen remodel than a significant government project took around-the-clock work from every corner of City Hall. Newport Beach, CA - 92660 The creation of the shelter is a result of a lawsuit filed against the County of Orange, and the cities of Anaheim, Orange, and Costa Mesa in 2018, over the removal of homeless people from the Santa Ana riverbed. Those arriving at the shelter will be provided storage for their belongings, assigned a bed, given fresh clothes and the chance to take a shower. Weitzman said the question now is what cities will do to address affordable housing needs and reduce the amount of people becoming homeless. Costa Mesa City Council unanimously approved a $2 million a year contract with Mercy House Living Centers to operate their new homeless shelter for a three-year term starting next month. Guided Assistance to Permanent Placement housing program. Contact him @helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam. The lowest point in my time on the council has been over this issue.. To prepare the property to serve as a shelter, the city installed additional fencing, lighting and cameras. The 2015 holiday season was a busy time at Stanbridge College! Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). Two signs expressing people's opinion of the county's eviction of the Santa Ana Riverbed homeless camp shown here on Feb. 1, 2018. A client sits in the multipurpose room at Costa Mesas new homeless shelter at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene on Wednesday, when some of the first clients arrived. Our services include residential programs, feeding and sheltering the homeless, and outreach centers within our thrift stores to assist low-income and at-risk . The shelter will be built at a city owned industrial warehouse located at 3175 Airway Ave., near John Wayne Airport. For more information, please call (714) 836-7188. Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option, Rental Assistance / Asistencia De Alquiler, 2021-2022 City Council Goals and Objectives, Housing and Public Service Grants Committee, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and other financial reports, Disclosure (Campaign Statements, Conflict of Interest Statements), Legal Fees, Settlements, and Litigation Status, Risk Management/Workers' Compensation Claims, Costa Mesa's Business Assistance Collaborative (BAC), Knowledge and Health Fair Expo Registration, July 4th & Labor Day Block Party and Street Closure Requests, Look Up Road Conditions On Interactive Map, to learn more about how to volunteer with Brackens Kitchen. Newport Beach, grappling with rising tensions between homeless street people and city residents, decided late last year to kick in $1.6 million toward the building, along with a five-year commitment of $1 million in annual operating costs. Officials are looking for a new spot. The newly completed homeless shelter in Costa Mesa resides in a typical boxy, warehouse-type structure, similar to all the other buildings on a street named Airway Avenue because it parallels a runway at John Wayne Airport. We provide inclusive and affirming care for all young people, and every young person and family are treated with dignity and respect. Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter Ribbon Cutting 3-23-21 297 views Mar 25, 2021 4 Dislike Share Save City of Costa Mesa 1.14K subscribers The Cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach join with. The 72-bed homeless shelter will see its first clients in early April. Over 75,000 of those units have to be very low income to low income homes. It led to a collaboration of local nonprofits, grassroots volunteers and church groups that formed Costa Mesas Network for Homeless Solutions. Costa Mesa may buy West 17th Street property for homeless shelter; City Council considering expanded homeless efforts on Tuesday The City Council on Tuesday will consider additional amenities at Lighthouse CM Church of the Nazarene for now and buying property for a long term solution. Six additional clients will be opening the door to a new home and a new future by late October. The city settled the riverbed lawsuit last month. A shelter is a part of a system.. bi3 awards $695,000 to Lighthouse to develop theLighthouse Clinic, which will expand mental health services to provide in-house psychiatric and medical management services to youth under age 24 who experience multiple barriers to receiving care in the community. 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If you are [], Volunteer to Help Feed Orange Countys Homeless with Stanbridge College REACH, Volunteer and Give Groceries to Orange Countys Homeless, Keep Up The Compassion And Volunteer To Help Feed The Homeless With Stanbridge College REACH, Feed a Soul and Fill a Heart: Volunteer 10/26 to Help the Homeless, Students Stand Against Hunger at Stanbridge College, Give the Homeless Change They Can Use: Serving the Homeless at Lighthouse Ministries 2-25-12, Stanbridge College Helps Carry the Weight: Over 25 OC Homeless Receive Donations of Suitcases, Be the Change: Help Serve a Meal to the Homeless of Orange County 1/28, Stanbridge College Suitcase Drive for the Homeless Starts January 16th. © Copyright 2007 - 2023. Non Profit Organization that provides housing assistance, 2081 Business Center Dr Ste 110 The shelter also boasts a stainless steel commercial-grade kitchen, outfitted with a walk-in refrigerator and freezer, and something called a tilt skillet that will allow kitchen manager Bill Nelson to easily steam 50 pounds of vegetables at a time or cook up 50 gallons of marinara sauce. Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. The shelters 50 beds 36 for men and 14 for women are in the same trailer and separated by a partition. County residents have identified housing and homelessness as the most important issues, according to the 2020 Orange County Annual Survey conducted by Chapman University. Just as vital, however, has been buy-in from civic leaders and residents at large. Seventy-four percent of the chronic homeless were male while 31 percent reported mental issues, and 63 percent report alcohol abuse. The 72-bed shelter at 3175 Airway Ave. was built inside a warehouse purchased by the city in March 2019 and retrofitted into a 12,285-square-foot space with an intake area, offices, fully. Costa Mesa, which purchased the property in 2019 for $6.9 million and spent $4.5 million on capital improvements, has use of 50 beds. Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option, Rental Assistance / Asistencia De Alquiler, 2021-2022 City Council Goals and Objectives, Housing and Public Service Grants Committee, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and other financial reports, Disclosure (Campaign Statements, Conflict of Interest Statements), Legal Fees, Settlements, and Litigation Status, Risk Management/Workers' Compensation Claims, Costa Mesa's Business Assistance Collaborative (BAC), Knowledge and Health Fair Expo Registration, July 4th & Labor Day Block Party and Street Closure Requests, Look Up Road Conditions On Interactive Map, to learn more about how to volunteer with Brackens Kitchen. Alicia Robinson covers cities and local government for the Orange County Register. The city will end up spending millions to make it somewhat habitable, said the first person to make a public comment. Lighthouse is a safe space that promotes hope and healing in our community. Stanbridge College January Suitcase Donation Drive gathered suitcases, tote bags, and duffel bags for over 25 less fortunate and impoverished people in Orange County. 2212 Placentia Ave. Costa Mesa, CA - 92627 Before we had something like this, we really didnt have an option for our emergency personnel, police officers and fire department to really handle situations like this and now we have that, said Councilman Loren Gameros at Tuesdays meeting.