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Home My WebLink AboutCORRESPONDENCE - SPECIAL PRESENTATION11 51111, 1 1111111111FIII IT 1111 M t 4/16/2019 Update on the transition of the Courtyard Emergency Homeless Shelter to a new location by Supervisor Andrew Do, County of Orange. Special Presentati Date of Name Correspondence 1 411612019 Andrew Do *RA - Recommended Action Representative of OC Board of Supervisors, First District In Favor In Opposition Comment of RA*. of RA.* Yes m s 1 TOTAL: 1 Thursday, April 18, 2019 Page 1 of 1 April 16, 2019 ANDREW DO SUPERVISOR, FIRST DISTRICT ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 333 W. SANTA ANA BLVD., P.O. BOX 687, SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702-0687 PHONE (714) 834-3110 FAX (714) 834-5754 ondrew.do®ocgov.com Dear Mayor Pulido and Santa Ana Councilmembers, Due to the high level of public interest in the City's proposed use of the County's Yale Street property as a replacement for the Courtyard, I am writing to request that appropriate community outreach be done and formal action taken by the current City Council to reaffirm its above -stated intention and seek community support for said project on Yale Street. Since becoming a County Supervisor 4 years ago, I have worked diligently to improve the homeless condition in Santa Ana. I am proud of the work we have done in clearing the homeless encampments along the Santa Ana Riverbed, in the Civic Center - at the request of the City, and along Santiago Creek. The County also undertook the Jack Fisher Park Fencing project in Floral Park at our own expense. We have also been providing ongoing outreach support at the OC Link homeless shelter and throughout Santa Ana's parks and communities. Additionally, the County's lawsuit that I initiated stopped the Needle Exchange Program here in Santa Ana. Regarding the County's current homeless shelter, Santa Ana City Councilmembers have expressed to me at different times, formally and informally, their desire to move the Courtyard to a different location. Given the high population of homeless residents in the City, it is not feasible to argue getting rid of the Courtyard, especially with Santa Ana being a defendant city in a federal lawsuit. An example is a meeting I had with Councilmember Jose Solorio in my office in October of 2017, where he presented me with his "21 Point Plan" that includes the following as suggestion #2: Request that the County of Orange replace the location of the temporary Courtyard facility to another permanent location in Santa Ana. The County's Bridges at Kraemer Place in Anaheim is a model facility for a future Santa Ana facility. The City should oppose the renewal of the Courtyard facility use beyond 2018. For over a year, that is what I have been trying to do. Councilman Solorio was not the only councilmember who advocated for an alternate site. In response to the Federal Lawsuit regarding homeless services, in early May of 2018 Mayor Miguel Pulido committed Santa Ana in court to a 600 shelter bed facility. The intention behind the number 600 was to create extra capacity for City use, in addition to the Courtyard population of 425. To facilitate this collaboration, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was initiated by the City with the following stipulation: The Parties Intend for the Site to provide 425 beds to fully replace the Courtyard facility, provide 125 guaranteed beds allocated to Santa Ana, and provide the balance of beds to serve the needs of the Central Service Planning Area (SPA). To achieve these purposes, it is understood that the Site will feature bed space for up to approximately 600 individuals solely from the Central SPA. Of this amount, 425 beds are intended for County use to relocate the individuals currently residing at the Courtyard. The City shall have guaranteed access to 125 beds at the Site(s). Other than the guaranteed 125 beds, the Parties mutually agree that any available beds or services provided at the Site(s) will be limited to individuals from the Central SPA, and will be allocated based on the proportionality of unsheltered homeless Individuals in the Central SPA. The Santa Ana City Council voted to approve the MOU on September 4, 2018, although only 3 councilmembers who voted to approve that MOU remain today. From the beginning, community outreach was the foundation of what the County and City were to do going forward. During that council meeting, then Councilman Sal Tinajero publicly stated the importance of engaging the community, school district, and community college to ensure compliance with Santa Ana's Sunshine Ordinance (Ordinance), which aims at improving public transparency. The County followed suit and approved the MOU one week later. The initial site identified by the City in the MOU fell through, and the Yale Street property was quickly identified as an alternate site by Mayor Pulido and Santa Ana Police Department's Deputy Chief Ken Gominsky. The Yale Street location was then communicated to the County via a letter, dated October 25, 2018, and thereafter advocated for publicly and in court by the City. Throughout the fall of 2018 City Councilmembers, Chief Gominsky and City executive staff toured the property with County staff. Based on the City's request, the County purchased the Yale Street property. As we moved ahead in devising an operation plan, I began to hear opposition from some members of the current Santa Ana City Council. I also heard concerns about the project from the community during my town hall meetings with different neighborhood associations. I learned from community members, particularly those closest to the Yale Street property, that there has been no community outreach or information from the City to inform the community of the City's plans as to where to house the homeless, especially when the OC Link closes in approximately a year. These facts cause me much concern. Santa Ana's Ordinance and good governance require that the public be consulted. Since the County is following the City's lead with regard to the Yale Street project, it is important that I am assured the City has done all of the appropriate due diligence necessary for this project. As such, I have instructed County staff to stop work on the construction and opening of Yale Street as a homeless shelter until such time as the current City Council has heard from the community and reaffirmed through their votes their support for this project. It is important for me to make clear; comments from some members of this Council that I do not support and stand up for the City of Santa Ana are utterly and completely baseless. For the past year, I have consistently stood up in Federal Court and stated that Santa Ana has carried more than its burden of taking care of the needy in the county and continuously called upon South Orange County and other cities to step up and do their fair share. After the failed attempts to construct temporary shelters in Huntington Beach, Irvine and Laguna Niguel I stated publicly: "What we saw with the vote — with the hysteria from Irvine, is this: It's simply a class -based argument that if `I pay enough for where I live, I shouldn't have to deal with my homeless problem. I should [be able to] shift it to some other city."' I believe moving the Courtyard is the right thing to do for Santa Ana. However, the County needs the Santa Ana City Council to reaffirm its commitment under the MOU, together with a robust outreach plan, before we will proceed with the Yale Street project. We have done everything you have asked us to do; it is in your hands now. Regards, Andrew Do, Esq. Supervisor, First District Orange County Board of Supervisors