The city of Anaheim is planning to have several cold weather shelter beds ready by February so that people experiencing homelessness in the city can have a warm place to stay overnight.
So far, no cold weather emergency shelter has opened in the county this winter. For a long time regional emergency shelters opened in the county by October – most years using the National Guard armories in Fullerton and Santa Ana.
The county will grant Anaheim $137,500 to work with faith-based organizations and churches to have up to 50 emergency shelter beds throughout the city, if an agreement reached is approved by the OC Board of Supervisors and the City Council on Tuesday. Most of the funding would go toward buying beds and other supplies.
Advocates have argued local leaders haven’t acted quickly enough to ensure the homeless population is safe from inclement weather during this winter season. Orange County is expected to see up to two inches of rain by Tuesday, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
The Anaheim cold weather shelters would be open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and be accessible to those with Anaheim ties.
They would open during inclement weather, such as overnight rainstorms, high winds and when temperatures are expected to dip below 45 degrees. City spokesperson Erin Ryan said the rain expected this weekend was a good example of weather that would prompt the shelters to open.
Last year, an emergency shelter didn’t open in the county until February after push-back from Santa Ana over hosting one again after the year-round shelters it had opened and lack of interest from other cities. The Independence Park gymnasium in Fullerton was used after the city agreed to help and people were provided transportation to the shelter.
Having one central location for an emergency shelter poses challenges for those seeking a place to stay overnight and for the hosting city, officials have said. City mayors and managers throughout OC were sent letters in October…
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