NEWS 7
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015
UNDER SHADE / The
Walk of Honor is
home to many who
have no place else
to go.
ROUNDTABLE:
SEEKING SHELTER
Continued from Page 6
TAKEN / Items are
confiscated from
homeless people
in the Civic Center
Plaza twice a week.
COUNCIL / Members of the Roundtable meet with City Manager David
Cabazos as part of the Coalition United to Alleviate Homelessness.
proposal for a check-in center with job referral services,
property storage, showers and restrooms.
“We do consider [the Roundtable] as having a seat at the table as our residents. A year-round shelter is a long term solution,” said Santa Ana Communications Director Alma Flores.
“We looked at a few models and we want to be sensitive to
our residents. Santa Ana is a very dense community.”
As other cities adopt more severe measures, Santa Ana has
become a hub for Orange County’s homeless. Fullerton and
Costa Mesa, for example, evicted their homeless during the
summer months.
“Costa Mesa doesn’t just run you out of the park, they run
you out of the city,” Smitty said.
The Orange County chapter of the ACLU has intervened on
behalf of the homeless, sending Eve Garrow to defend their
civil and human rights.
“It is vitally important that the voices of the people experiencing homelessness are part of the policy debate,”
said Garrow.
Finding a location for a shelter has remained a major hurdle
for the city.
“No one has found a site. The federal government hasn’t
found a site; the city doesn’t have a site. It’s easy to say put it
over there. We need to find a site. We have the money available,” city manager David Cabazos said.
Until then, the homeless seek shelter under the shade of
trees and buildings.
“Santa Ana College students should get involved, be engaged and look at creative ways to help the homeless and
come together. You guys are the young millennials that know
how to advocate,” councilmember Michelle Martinez said.