Orange County To Pay Firm $450K Annually To Keep Homeless From Riverbank
The county forced as many as 200 homeless people to leave their Fountain Valley riverbed encampment on Friday.
Orange County Register:
Orange County To Hire Private Guards To Help Enforce Riverbed Curfew That Displaced Homeless
Orange County will hire private, unarmed guards to help impose its newly enforced curfew that has displaced homeless people living along long stretches of the Santa Ana River, paying a security firm nearly a half-million dollars annually for those services and other activities. The Board of Supervisors approved the contract on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at a meeting where dozens of homeless advocates accused supervisors of criminalizing extreme poverty by clearing portions of the riverbed and not providing adequate housing for those who were displaced. (Graham, 11/14)
In other news —
KPBS/City News Service:
San Diego City Council Approves $6.5M To House Homeless In Industrial Tents
The City Council Tuesday approved a plan to spend $6.5 million on industrial-sized tents to accommodate the homeless in Barrio Logan, the East Village and the Midway District. The vote was 8-1, with Councilman David Alvarez opposed. Earlier Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved $500,000 in rental assistance for the homeless in unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The money comes from the federal HOME Investment Partnership, a flexible affordable housing grant. The board voted to reallocate those funds for two years of rental assistance for homeless people. (11/14)
KPBS:
Southwestern College Steps Up Services Amid Increasing Student Homelessness
But a new effort at Southwestern College aims to make quickly connecting homeless students with services the standard, not luck. The Chula Vista community college began partnering with nonprofits and service providers after a student survey last year revealed 80 percent of students experienced hunger or knew someone who had. The campus opened a food pantry in response and quickly learned many of those showing up were also homeless. (Burks, 11/14)
The San Diego Union Tribune:
Hepatitis A Vaccinations: 100,000+ And Counting
With the number of new cases slowing and vaccination efforts hitting six digits, there were hopeful smiles all around Tuesday as local leaders received the latest data on San Diego’s deadly hepatitis A outbreak. (Sisson, 11/14)