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The media is reporting that this weekend in Orange County volunteers are out and about to count the homeless. This in fulfillment of a federal requirement in order that the county receive as much federal money to assist the homeless as possible.
The media coverage seems to focus on the homeless who find themselves in this predicament because of the downturn in the economy or other circumstances pretty much beyond their control. That there are homeless like that is indisputable, and a sad commentary on our community.
But there are also homeless who are in that predicament because of self-medication with substances (drugs, alcohol), a criminal past that makes them pretty much unemployable, and some are mentally ill. The County civic center in Santa Ana is a gathering place for many homeless some of who are downright dangerous. Not to mention the stench of urine that permeates the air due to urination occurring most anywhere.
The climate in the civic center is well illustrated by a recent electronic memo sent to all county employees by the County Executive Office as follows:
“On the evening of January 20, a Civic Center employee leaving work after 5 p.m. was confronted by a homeless woman who approached her from behind and hit her in the back of the head. The transient immediately fled the scene. The employee and a companion reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Department kiosk at the Hall of Administration, and SAPD responded to take a report. The employee’s supervisor reports that she is shaken up but doing better and is back at work. The incident remains under investigation. We’d like to remind all employees to exercise caution when arriving to or leaving work. CEO takes the safety of employees very seriously, and we are working with the Civic Center departments to equip everyone with safety measures, training and escorts.”
Danger lurks, and precautions are warranted whether you work in the civic center or are going there to conduct business. Or trying to count the homeless.
*Homelessness is a very serious problem because the politicians and real estate developers can’t make a dime if they actually fixed it. We do not need Institutional Prisons, Mega Structures or endless Administrators.
What we need are transitory locations which can be manned with personnel as required. These locations can be empty strip malls, empty warehouses, empty office buildings or even tent cities erected as required. They need to be serviced by mobile food trucks, medical and dental support and overseen by competent law enforcement. 911 can be called for any medical emergency which requires EMT or hospitalization. Andy Gumps can be delivered to these locations and serviced as required. During the winter, various types of mobile heaters like those used in restaurants around the county could be employed and serviced as required.
There also needs to be Mobile Storage facilities, where the homeless can safely store their belongings in a locked up and safe environment. What will be the cost? Hmmm. Whatever that cost, it will bring government grants both State and Federal and a safe and healthy environment that can be moved at a moments notice.
None of the NIMBY issues will apply, because these facilities will be transitory and have the ability to close, transfer, combine or be changed at a moments notice. The homeless will not be encouraged “to dig in” or “refuse being incarcerated” from their points of view. Job Counselors and Health Professionals could volunteer their time, or Medical Students could become Interns to assess the needs of the homeless, as well as keep an accurate record of their health and suitability for productive work.
Will this system be perfect? Absolutely not, but it may stop the abject refusal to deal with the homeless situation, which is creating endless health concerns for the general public. These facilities should not be cush. They should be an adequate “last resort” for those without four walls to protect them.
OMG! Winship(s) strike gold.
Damn! That’s really good, ‘Ships!
Maybe one of us should work it into a story/proposal: The Winships Homeless Solution?
I already tried. Nobody cared. They want to overspemd on a piece of crappy property, waste millions rehabbing it, and then pay a politically connected do-gooder front to run it.
Maybe one of them should.
Sounds good. Let’s put the Winships in charge of getting this done!
There also needs to be some way to sort out the homeless from the professional panhandlers who are not truly homeless but view panhandling as their job – a way to make a living. Not everyone with a cup asking for money is homeless.
“Let’s put the Winships in charge of getting this done!”
Well, why not? They have identified every key aspect of immediate homeless needs. Meanwhile the soi-disant “professionals” and the politicians can only envisage institutionalizing and bureaucratizing the issue, and the more money wasted the better to show their compassion.
*Appreciate the comments. Here might be a solution one of our major leaguers here at the OC Juice might be able to perform: Call Pulido and tell him, we do not want the Developer Solution or the excuse that it is a NIMBY issue…..it is a social consequence issue that needs some out of the box resolution.