Huntington Beach homeless shelter fills over 100 beds per night for first year – Orange County Register

During its first year, the spacious Huntington Beach homeless shelter, which opened in late 2020, provided parking for hundreds of Huntington Beach residents.

“It’s been a very successful program,” said Jason Austin, director of the city’s Behavioral Health and Homeless Services. “The stats speak for themselves.”

According to newly released statistics, more than 100 people are sleeping in temporary shelters – a large and sturdy tent on Beach Avenue – every night before August, a total of 30,871 for the whole year.

Of those, the city tallied 277 “no coincidence” residents in 2021. “If someone leaves and comes back, that counts only once,” Austin said.

The 11,600 square foot dome can accommodate 174 beds. However, Austin said, beds have been reduced to 127 during the coronavirus pandemic to allow for extra distance for sick people.

Called a “navigation hub,” the shelter aims to be a one-stop-shop for people while they look for a more permanent solution – with support services available onsite to help. they are on their way. Last year, 71 people were able to find permanent housing.

“We don’t want it to be your new home,” says Austin. “It was a temporary stop. We expect people to move out within a few months, but sometimes it takes a little longer.”

Even with good insulation and durability, tents are not meant to stand forever. Within about five years, the city plans to replace it with affordable housing buildings – an initial goal when the city purchased the site in February 2021. Meanwhile, Huntington Beach will find another site for a permanent homeless shelter.

The navigation center serves three meals a day, reaching 72,296 in 2021. The center also offers showers, laundry services, and counseling.

“A shower and clean clothes make an amazing difference to someone who is facing a lot of vulnerabilities,” says Austin.

Day-to-day operations at the shelter, including nursing services, are handled by Santa Ana-based Mercy House.

Released in December 2020, canvas structure replacing a dilapidated century-old house on a three-acre parcel of land – located between strip mall, medical office and apartment complex.

This was the first large tent used as a shelter for the homeless in Orange County. Los Angeles and San Diego are among a number of cities across the nation that have ready-to-install fabric navigation centers.

In 2021, the city’s homeless task force made 4,441 outreach to approximately 300 homeless people living in Huntington Beach.

The shelter allows Huntington Beach police to enforce anti-encroachment ordinances. In 2018, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a city cannot “criminalize homeless, homeless people sleeping outdoors” if they have nothing else.

Also under pressure from court authorizations, Orange County reimbursed Huntington Beach $2 million in exchange for 30 beds intended for county use.

“The whole purpose of the navigation center is to get people off the street and into a safer situation,” Austin said. “We’re doing it every day.”