The county’s first cold weather shelter is set to open in Anaheim on Sunday, Feb. 4, giving some unhoused people a warm place to sleep indoors and out of the elements overnight just as more heavy rain storms are expected to drench Southern California.
The shelter will actually be spread over four churches in central and west Anaheim and will offer a combined 50 beds, according to a city news release. The OC Board of Supervisors agreed last month to give Anaheim $137,500 to work with nonprofits to make the emergency shelter beds available. The shelter program will open on Sunday with up to 15 beds available at one shelter, city officials said.
The city’s Community Care Response Team will grant access and transport people to the shelters, which are for people with Anaheim ties only. The city is not disclosing the shelter locations to discourage walkups and for privacy reasons.
The shelters were originally planned to be opened by Feb. 1.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for many cities in Orange County, including Anaheim, from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon.
Michael Sean Wright, the founder of Wound Walk OC, said there’s a full-court press to spread the word to unhoused people about the heavy rains expected.
“This is a mega storm on the way,” Wright said. “We are in for a long duration, so our concern for the health of individuals out there is quite high.”
Would Walk OC provides medical services for people living on the streets. Wright is concerned about people getting ailments such as hypothermia, trench foot and upper respiratory infections during the rain, he said. The nonprofit has been providing supplies for living on the streets to help people be more prepared and will be helping people during the storm, Wright said.
Anaheim officials have said its cold weather shelter will open during inclement weather such as overnight rainstorms, high winds and when temperatures are forecasted to dip below 45 degrees…
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