Blog Archives
What’s Your Point?
Bright and early last Saturday morning, about 700 volunteers came out in force for the annual “Point-in-Time” count of Orange County homeless. The exercise is alternated yearly with a count of homeless using the county’s emergency shelters and transitional housing, and is required by HUD in order to receive grant money for aiding the homeless and -hopefully- reducing their ranks.
The Voice of OC ran an article on the count titling it, “What is the Point of the ‘Point-in-Time’ Homeless Count?“. Lamenting the inherent flaws in the system, the article asked, basically, what was the point of making an attempt to count a transient and mostly secretive population. A chief complaint is that the time allowed for the count, four hours this year, is not enough to get an accurate account of the homeless picture. The article also bring up issues of the volunteers approach and methodology, saying it would be impossible to cover the entire county with any accuracy.
The count, which has been conducted every year since 2005, is required to obtain 16 million dollars in Federal funding to reduce homelessness. HUD does not appear to require a threshold number for disseminating funds so total accuracy may be a moot point from the funding perspective. Still, according to the VOC article, the numbers are disputed by homeless advocates, including Dwight Smith of Catholic Worker who is a vocal critic of how the county handles the homeless.
“Bullshit,” was how Dwight Smith, director of Isaiah House, the Catholic Worker shelter in Santa Ana, characterized that count.
However, Smith and others do credit county officials for doing a better job of training volunteers and making other improvements from the early years, when, as Leon describes, “they would just ask a college student to take an area and start counting.”
But the advocates said the count can only improve so much as long as it is done over such a short window of time. To illustrate the inherent flaws in the count, Leon recalled how when he was a public health nurse he witnessed the number of homeless people in Anaheim’s La Palma Park change drastically from one week to the next.
“I might visit one day and there would be 50 people in the park, but go back the next week there would be zero,” he said.
But, I have to wonder if lengthening the timeframe would result in any more accurate count? Although Smith believes the count should last as long as two months, how would that increase accuracy? In order for it to be more accurate, one would have to find some way of tracking individuals and families so they are not counted multiple times. My experience interacting with the homeless demonstrates most are suspicious of anyone exuding authority. Certainly a stranger approaching and asking questions, as the volunteers are required to do, would elicit less than an enthusiastic response from the population they are attempting to interact with. Asking more in-depth questions that would identify specific individuals, particularly from the mentally ill, would not go over and could produce unexpected results.
During the 2011 count, a total of 6,939 homeless people were counted/estimated in Orange County. The reduction from 2009 estimates was attributed by some to Federal Stimulus dollars and, by others, as poor counting. Still, the county defends its method of counting the homeless as the best available. They also claim it is a learn-as-you-go effort that gets better each year. Smith, who is probably one of the most knowledgeable in the county on the plight of the homeless, agrees. Still, he says, more could be done.
So, this year, the county will make its count using volunteers from all walks of life. Gone are the days when a handful of college students were tasked with the count. Saturday’s effort began a few months ago with the county reaching out to schools and even it’s own employees asking for volunteers. The response was good with many returnees helping out. And as I said, since numbers are not critical, it is the count itself that matters. And, perhaps, that is the point.
The numbers and graphs can be confusing. However, if you would like to see where your tax dollar is going, you can pull reports for California and Orange County specifically from the HUD page found here.
Affordable Housing Applications Taken
We just received this today. This is the first time in almost seven years that Section 8 Housing vouchers will be made available in Orange County. If you know someone who may qualify for housing assistance, then please pass this information to them. Because “affordable housing” is largely a myth here in the Real OC, this opportunity may not come back for a long time. This is also not a very well publicized program so those that may really need help may not be aware of it unless we as a community spread the word.
Orange County Rental Assistance Waiting List to Open
Opportunity for Section 8 Housing Assistance for Very Low-Income Individuals, Families, Seniors, and Disabled in Orange County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2012
CONTACT: Karen Roper (714) 480-2805
(Santa Ana – CA) The Orange County Housing Authority (OCHA) will open its Waiting List to accept pre-applications for housing assistance from February 15, 2012 until February 29, 2012. The Section 8 Waiting List is the only opportunity for very low-income families, seniors, disabled persons, and individuals to obtain a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. Due to the limited number of vouchers and the large number of people that applied, the last time OCHA’s Waiting List was last opened was November 2005. The February 2012 Waiting List opening may be the only opportunity for Orange County residents to apply for many years to come. The Housing Choice Voucher Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and enables OCHA to subsidize monthly rent payments for qualified applicants who live or work in 31 cities in Orange County. The Cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana operate their own housing authorities and have separate waiting lists for their residents.
“The opening of the Waiting List for Housing Assistance is a tremendous opportunity for our very low-income families, individuals, seniors, and disabled persons who live in Orange County,” stated Karen Roper, Director, OC Community Services. “A Housing Choice Voucher often provides the only means for these Orange County residents to have a safe and affordable place to live and I encourage every eligible person to submit an application.”
Section 8 Voucher assistance allows a very low-income family, senior, disabled person, or individual to pay approximately 30% of their monthly income towards rent. The remaining rental amount is paid by OCHA directly to the property owner or manager. Applicants must earn below 50% of the County’s median income. For a family of four, that amount is $48,150 while the amount for an individual is $33,750. OCHA serves most Orange County cities and all unincorporated areas, with the exception of the Cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, and Santa Ana.
Beginning February 15, 2012, applications for the Waiting List will be available online at http://www.ochousing.org or at participating cities and branches of the Orange County Public Library. Applications will also be available at select community organizations. Numerous community partners will have computers available to apply online and applicants are strongly encouraged to use this method which will provide an immediate confirmation.
Applications can be submitted in three ways:
Online at http://www.ochousing.org, Beginning 12:01 a.m. February 15, 2012 through 11:59 p.m. on February 29, 2012, or
faxed to (714) 667-6544, Beginning 12:01 a.m. February 15, 2012 through 11:59 p.m. on February 29, 2012, or
mailed to P.O. Box 22005, Santa Ana, CA 92702 and postmarked from February 15 through February 29, 2012.
No applications will be accepted at cities, libraries, or the OCHA office. Only one application per household will be accepted. Submitted applications are not considered first come, first served. Accepted applications will be grouped by preference categories (veteran, senior, disabled, working family or individual residing within OCHA’s jurisdiction). Applicants will be randomly placed within their qualifying preference group.
Interested persons are encouraged to log onto http://www.ochousing.org or call OCHA’s Waiting List Information Line (714) 480-2740 for updated information (including locations of community partners with computer access). Instructions and applications will be available online beginning February 15. Applicants will be able to apply directly online or the application forms can be printed and submitted by mail or fax.
Our Town Tustin 