As a result of the City of Costa Mesa being named in a lawsuit filed by Orange County Catholic Worker vs. the County of Orange and Santa Ana and Anaheim regarding homeless encampments, city outreach staff compiled a summary of achievements from the city’s Network for Homeless Solutions.
The Network for Homeless Solutions is the only city-sponsored homeless outreach division within the county with three full-time equivalent outreach workers and partnerships with over 50 social service, governmental and private agencies for housing those experiencing homelessness in Costa Mesa.
Below are some of the highlights:
HOUSING
- 101 housed in 2017
- 270 housed since the network began in 2013
- 80 clients placed in permanent supportive housing via Coordinated Entry program
RECONNECTIONS
- 41 reconnected in 2017
- 112 reconnected to date
MEDICAL LINKAGES
- 245 in 2017
- 772 since 2012
SOCIAL SERVICE LINKAGES
- 191 in 2017
- 386 to date
MENTAL HEALTH LINKAGES
- 235 in 2017
OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONTACTS 2017
- 752 total contacts
- 483 self-disclosed homeless
PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM CONTRACTS
- 221 total contacts
- 47 self-disclosed homeless
The Network for Homeless Solutions collaborates with the County of Orange, the Department of Social Services, Social Security and Department of Motor Vehicles on homeless issues.
In addition, the Network has partnerships with local non-profits including Mercy House, Collette’s Children’s Home and Families Forward.
In addition, the Network for Homeless Solutions partners with the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene in the Westside of Costa Mesa, which serves as a homeless service center and periodic shelter for extremely vulnerable individuals.
The Network regularly delivers bus passes to homeless and recently housed individuals for medical, job and housing appointments and in addition provides taxi rides to homeless individuals needing transportation for reconnections, housing or medical appointments.
Highlights of the NHS partnerships include the following:
- 51 individuals helped by Mercy House over three years.
- 79 individuals helped by Collette’s Children’s Home over three years.
- 58 individuals helped by Families Forward over two years.
- 580 collaborative actions in 2017 with non-profit housing providers for the purpose of providing housing support to recently housed clients.
- 294 field support actions assisting both Costa Mesa Police Department park rangers, police officers and residents with homeless individuals seeking assistance.
- 41 emergency housing placements in 2017.