(CoC). The total number of people experiencing homelessness during PIT counts collected in Orange County during 2017 was 4,792. Recent trends show that rates of homelessness are increasing in Orange County, along with the percentage of homeless who are unsheltered (5% increase). Homeless Annual Count, Santa Ana/Anaheim/Orange County CoC Year of Count 2015 2017
Total Homeless 4,452 4,792
Sheltered
Unsheltered 51% 46%
49% 54%
Source: Orange County CoC Homeless Count & Survey Report/2-1-1 Orange County by Focus Strategies, July 2017 https://www.211oc.org/images/PIT-Final-Report-2017-072417.pdf
Among public school children, 5.8% are homeless, which is higher than the state rate of 4.4% homeless public school children. Homeless Public School Students Percent Orange County California
5.8% 4.4%
Source: Kids Data, 2016. https://www.kidsdata.org/region/365/orange-county/summary#37/family-economics
Community Input – Housing and Homelessness Stakeholder interviews identified the following issues, challenges and barriers related to housing and homelessness. Following are their comments, quotes and opinions edited for clarity: • There is a lack of affordable housing. Housing isn’t being built; what exists costs too much. Another factor leading to homelessness is the local economy, which has a lot of low-paying jobs. • There is a lack of permanent low-income housing. We have some transitional housing and some emergency housing. We need a system that works in terms of coordination. When we find homeless people, there should be a coordinated system for quick assessment and placement. The county is a mess with all sorts of bottlenecks right now. There is a system but delays in placing people are too long. • The homeless have economic or human capital disabilities. Their education levels are lower than the county average. They also suffer from social capital deficit. A smaller percentage are married, have children, may be separated from families, have families that can’t accommodate them, do not see their family on a regular basis and most of their friends are other homeless people. They don’t have the resource base to draw on when confronted with one crisis after another. Compared to the rest of the population, they are far more debilitated in terms of their health. • Homelessness and housing insecurity go hand-in-hand with mental health challenges. Coordination with mental health, housing and county providers is needed. UCI Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment
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