The shelters name is not designated on the outside, just the street-facing address 3175 B painted in the same bluish grey trim that tops the one-story, white washed building. From Martins perspective, perhaps the most rewarding part of the effort has been seeing city staff from across departments come together to accomplish something so ambitious. Newport Beach, CA - 92660 Its reservation-based, with no walk-ups allowed, and Mercy House is responsible for shuttling clients to and from the facility. Costa Mesa opens short-term homeless shelter, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Costa Mesa opens short-term homeless shelter for 50 people, Homeless advocates pitch igloos to offer warm shelter during cold snap, Sacramento Snapshot: More accountability needed in homelessness programs, legislators say, Sacramento Snapshot: How an OC legislator mobilizes her work, Village of Hope gets help with new playground from In-N-Out foundation, House along Newport Beachs Back Bay red-tagged after slide, Marine mammal rescue breaks ground on $14 million expansion, water reclamation project, San Bernardino mountain residents frustrated after volunteer helicopter efforts are restricted, Theres a dire need for male teachers of color. May 13, 2021. moving or considering moving away from using police, over the removal of homeless people from the Santa Ana riverbed, partnership with the city of Newport Beach, 2020 Orange County Annual Survey conducted by Chapman University, Southern California Association of Governments, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. (949)809-5700 WEBSITE DESIGN BY Granicus - Connecting People and Government. The City of Costa Mesa partners with the local non-profit, Mercy House, to operate the Bridge Shelter and coordinate the provision of guest services. The report said many have been meeting more frequently. Yet there is a lack of affordable housing in the county, they say. The City of Costa Mesa partners with the local non-profit, Mercy House, to operate the Bridge Shelter and coordinate the provision of guest services. Team members from Mercy House Living Centers the nonprofit operator of Costa Mesas homeless shelter meet Wednesday. The 72-bed homeless shelter will see its first clients in early April. A shelter is a part of a system.. The plan now is for the Lighthouse shelter to operate for roughly a year before moving to a longer-term location somewhere else in the city. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Just under $40 million sought for Newport Coast home with expansive views, Daily Pilot e-newspaper: Saturday, March 4, 2023, County renews grant pursuing sentence reductions in some homicide cases over protest from district attorney, Man accepts plea deal for DUI in Huntington Beach that killed friend, sentenced to 4 years, City Council preview: Laguna Beach to consider deal with Be Well OC for mental health services, OCC program helps students learn the lost art of job seeking, Daily Pilot e-newspaper: Friday, March 3, 2023, Orange Countys COVID-19 metrics remain flat; 177 hospitalized as of Wednesday, Laguna Beach reports $17-million budget surplus in update. Costa Mesa City Council unanimously approved a $2 million a year contract with Mercy House Living Centers to operate their new homeless shelter for a three-year term starting next month. As we move into the autumn and winter months, more and more shelters become over-crowded and many homeless people and families are left out in the cold without food or protection from the [], In its continuing efforts to serve the homeless population and needy in Orange County, Stanbridge College has created a new partnership with Free Pantry Organization in Costa Mesa. It was the humane and right thing to do, and the result has been a significant improvement to our community and neighborhoods.. The 2015 holiday season was a busy time at Stanbridge College! Mercy House operated the temporary shelter under a $1,457,000 a year contract. Costa Mesa is leading the way with a successful shelter model that helps those experiencing homelessness find housing, Mayor Katrina Foley said in a statement. The decision comes as cities across Orange County are rethinking their approach to the homelessness crisis. Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter Ribbon Cutting 3-23-21 297 views Mar 25, 2021 4 Dislike Share Save City of Costa Mesa 1.14K subscribers The Cities of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach join with. The shelters purpose and design took shape with input from residents and neighboring businesses, a process that was at times contentious. Foley said the shelter effort proves that if theres a will, theres a way., It was definitely long overdue in our community, she said. Leaders from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach the cities that built the shelter said as much during a ribbon cutting and early preview tour on Tuesday, March 23. These men are stepping up, Disneyland quietly removes controversial lyric from new parade soundtrack, Fannie Mae halts financing for 6,102 condos in Laguna Woods, Tax filing deadline moves to mid-October for most Californians, 2 arrested in Anaheim on suspicion of possessing $463,000 in stolen merchandise, Baram and Tioumentsev win World Junior title hours after their coach, Todd Sand, suffers heart attack, Lake Forest woman filed restraining order against daughter 8 years before being killed in their home, California weighs $360,000 in reparations to eligible Black residents, Taco Mesita opens flagship location in Old Town Tustin, OC Restaurant Week kicks off Sunday, March 5, Lake Forest man convicted of killing stepmom with pickaxe, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The newly completed homeless shelter in Costa Mesa resides in a typical boxy, warehouse-type structure, similar to all the other buildings on a street named Airway Avenue because it parallels a runway at John Wayne Airport. Theresa Walker has been a staff writer at the Orange County Register since 1992. Bracken's Kitchen is a nonprofit organization based in Orange County dedicated to rescuing, re-purposing, and restoring both food and lives through a community feeding program, food rescue, and culinary training. Keep up the compassion in 2014 and join [], Stanbridge College REACH Beyond the Classroom invites you to volunteer to help the homeless on Saturday, October 26th in Costa Mesa. Seventy-four percent of the chronic homeless were male while 31 percent reported mental issues, and 63 percent report alcohol abuse. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Just under $40 million sought for Newport Coast home with expansive views, Daily Pilot e-newspaper: Saturday, March 4, 2023, County renews grant pursuing sentence reductions in some homicide cases over protest from district attorney, Man accepts plea deal for DUI in Huntington Beach that killed friend, sentenced to 4 years, City Council preview: Laguna Beach to consider deal with Be Well OC for mental health services, OCC program helps students learn the lost art of job seeking, Daily Pilot e-newspaper: Friday, March 3, 2023, Orange Countys COVID-19 metrics remain flat; 177 hospitalized as of Wednesday, Laguna Beach reports $17-million budget surplus in update. The name isnt all that fancy anyway Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter. 949-852-0700 151 Kalmus Drive, H-2 Send us asecure tip. Almost always the reason that there is difficulty with housing placement is a lack of available housing, in particular housing that is affordable and appropriate for people coming out of our shelter system, Haynes said. Message usvia ourwebsite or staff page. The reason we were able to move forward so efficiently is because we had the political will, with the full council working together, Mayor Katrina Foley said Thursday. Nearby was a whiteboard with a simple written message: Welcome to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.. "Costa Mesa is leading the way with a . Assistant Manager Muriel Ullman with Fresh Beginnings, cleans the kitchen at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter, during a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Costa Mesa, CA. The 72-bed homeless shelter will see its first clients in early April. Lighthouse Views: Summer 2022. The Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously early Wednesday to adopt plans to build the shelter to serve the city and authorized a $3.7 million contract with Cerritos-based Cal-City Construction Inc., for the project. Join ourFacebook discussion. For more information, please call (714) 836-7188. Children and youth in Lighthouse residential care at any given time. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG), Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley speaks during a dedication ceremony for a navigation Center in Costa Mesa, CA on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. The system starts with outreach on the streets to get people into the shelters, where operators can help them get into a home. Two beds are set aside near the intake area for homeless people who might be brought to the shelter late at night, so as not to disturb people sleeping in the mens or womens dorms. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG), Officials gathered for a ribbon cutting at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Costa Mesa, CA. Since it opened at the beginning of April, the shelter located for now at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene at 1885 Anaheim Ave. has provided nearly 1,500 different services, according to the city report. Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Those arriving at the shelter will be provided storage for their belongings, assigned a bed, given fresh clothes and the chance to take a shower. He asked that the new bridge shelter partnership be so successful that other cities will think, My, oh my! Children, youth and families served each year. Earlier this year, the City Council took a courageous step to create a bridge shelter. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Brooke Weitzman representing a nonprofit group called Orange County Catholic Worker and seven homeless individuals who alleged the city of Costa Mesa and the other defendants have taken actions to force homeless people into the riverbed. Non Profit Organization that provides housing assistance, 18012 Mitchell Ave S The bridge shelter as the city calls it consists of a modular trailer containing the 50 beds, as well as portable restrooms and showers in the parking lot of Lighthouse Church at 1885 Anaheim Ave. Those effectively have been on hold for about a year because of a federal lawsuit filed in January 2018 on behalf of homeless people cleared from a former encampment along the Santa Ana River and a subsequent ruling from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that it is unconstitutional to prosecute homeless people for sleeping on public property when they dont have access to shelter. About Voice of OC: Mission | Editorial Policies| Contact Us | Funding| Privacy Policy. Stanbridge College REACH is looking for compassionate volunteers to help provide the homeless of Orange County with change that they could really use. Avery recalled how some residents shouted out the cruel suggestion to just round them up and take them to the desert., It was a dark time, he told the crowd. We had leadership willing to take the risk and we had the community engagement and transparency about the process that allowed the community to embrace this. Verify This Business Photos & videos Add photo Location & Hours View Full Listing Details Serving People In Need, Inc. Costa Mesa 151 Kalmus Drive, H-2 Costa Mesa, CA - 92626 (714) 751-1101 Non Profit Organization that provides housing assistance Other funding includes a $300,000 contribution from Hoag Hospital and a $2.5 million homelessness grant awarded by the county. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. You can make a difference in a childs life, Specialized services help deter youth from repeating risky behaviors, Services aimed at helping young adults create a plan for self-sufficiency, A first-of-its-kind program in Ohio for young people with complex needs, Expert and compassionate care so children, youth and families can heal, grow and thrive, Program focused on teen pregnancy prevention and preparation for adult responsibilities, Safe and welcoming places where teens heal through nurturing, accountability, and guidance, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) youth are dramatically over-represented in the homeless youth population, Care and support for youth and their families through prevention, crisis intervention and long-term service. She was a reporter and editor at the San Bernardino Sun from 1986 to 1992. Mercy House, a nonprofit that operates homeless and housing programs in Orange County, will manage services. 151 Kalmus, Ste H-2 Though it began service Wednesday, city officials will tie the proverbial bow on the 50-bed shelter at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene on Friday, the official opening day for a space they say will not only be a safe and warm place to sleep but also a service center for clients and an additional source of security for the community. Just as vital, however, has been buy-in from civic leaders and residents at large. She has a communications degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills. In recent years, homeless people have been able to walk into Lighthouse for a meal or to access other resources, such as the inclement-weather shelter and check-in center that operated there. Whether its therapy, residential treatment, foster care, emergency shelter, or housing, every young person receives personalized care and unconditional support to thrive. Its been a long time to get here, said council member Sandra Genis. Amid all the commotion, a few of the shelters first clients relaxed in the multipurpose room. Members of the public said the goal to house the citys homeless population is great but the location for the shelter is wrong with other sites better suited. Homeless Shelters In Costa Mesa, CA Park Place Village - Single Room Apartments 1662 Newport Blvd. The city also is in escrow to buy a building just west of John Wayne Airport that could become a permanent emergency shelter. Stephens said those numbers will be difficult to attain but acknowledged the city has not done enough to create a regulatory and zoning environment to incentivize development of affordable housing. The Lighthouse Church "bridge shelter," as city leaders call it,. Security personnel will be onsite 24 hours a day. Foley also briefly shared with the crowd of about 50 people that her own dysfunctional childhood frequently included moving among the homes of neighbors and friends to escape what she described as an abusive household. That history, she said, is something that influences her public life. Its been a lot of very rewarding, hard work, he said. Martin said that model likely will take time to get used to. Some 600 volunteers have signed up to help, she said. All rights reserved. The new shelter is the result of a partnership between the two neighboring cities. Call for prices. Costa Mesa, which purchased the property in 2019 for $6.9 million and spent $4.5 million on capital improvements, has use of 50 beds. Cities like Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Buena Park , Fullerton and Santa Ana are moving or considering moving away from using police officers as homeless responders and instead discussing using social workers to address calls on mental health and homelessness. Those who havent taken steps to provide emergency shelter could be barred from enforcing rules against camping in public. Costa Mesas shelter is a partnership with the city of Newport Beach. Others suggested its a great first step, and underscored how it will help homeless people and residents who are touched by homelessness. Having a different set of outreach, a different process, a different intake, a different entity in each city as we try and develop a cohesive model without the county stepping in a leadership role to have some sort of county wide healthcare led approach is bound to lead to some trouble, she said. To contact the Bridge Shelter please call the general line at 714-754-5346 or email costamesaNHS@costamesaca.gov. However, the idea of using social workers to respond to homeless and mental health calls has not been formally discussed by Costa Mesa council members. He earned his bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Arizona. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece. Costa Mesa, CA - 92627 (949) 646-8204 single room furnished units. Mercy House is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the facility including the provision of services related to locating, securing and maintaining permanent housing; identifying and mitigating barriers to housing and employment; referrals to third-party services and resources; providing extracurricular activities and modes of entertainment for shelter guests; overseeing security in and around the facility; as well as facilitating the transportation of guests to and from the shelter. On Wednesday night less than three months after that unanimous vote eight people had a roof over their heads. The warehouse was purchased for almost $7 million in 2019 with the purpose of being evaluated and converted into a bridge shelter, a facility intended to help people get off the streets and into permanent housing. The church already ran a bad-weather shelter and is leasing property to the city for the new facility, which is made up of modular buildings that house beds, showers and storage for clients belongings. The latest countywide homeless count, which took place in January, documented 187 unsheltered people in Costa Mesa. The first homeless people to move in will be about 20 individuals transitioning from Costa Mesa's 50-bed temporary shelter at Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene that the city began. bi3 awards $695,000 to Lighthouse to develop theLighthouse Clinic, which will expand mental health services to provide in-house psychiatric and medical management services to youth under age 24 who experience multiple barriers to receiving care in the community. Sixteen cities in the county, including Costa Mesa, filed appeals with the regional board to try to bring down the number of homes they have to zone for by the 2029 deadline. The shelter also boasts a stainless steel commercial-grade kitchen, outfitted with a walk-in refrigerator and freezer, and something called a tilt skillet that will allow kitchen manager Bill Nelson to easily steam 50 pounds of vegetables at a time or cook up 50 gallons of marinara sauce. Join ourFacebook discussion. Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). At least 20 more people are off the streets and under a roof since Costa Mesa became the latest Orange County city to create an emergency shelter to address the regions homeless crisis. Six additional clients will be opening the door to a new home and a new future by late October. Listing Location: 3.36 miles from Costa Mesa Government Departments and Divisions City Manager's Office Network for Homeless Solutions. With this arrangement, I really believe that we have a great opportunity to effectively change the pattern in some of these peoples lives.. The shelters 50 beds 36 for men and 14 for women are in the same trailer and separated by a partition. Two other people spoke against the location as well. In many of these cities, you need to go through a police officer to get into a homeless shelter. Acting as a triage between homelessness and housing, the 70-bed Bridge Shelter provides interim housing coupled with wrap-around services to support guests on their journey to securing a permanent housing option. Cities that have made plans to address the issue in their community have been released from the lawsuit. She has also reported at the Press-Enterprise in Riverside, the Daily Pilot in Costa Mesa, and at small daily and weekly papers in the midwest, before she became an honorary Californian based on hours spent in traffic. We hope and we expect that the shelter opening up provides immediate relief for that neighborhood, both with visual impacts on the buildings and a lot of street cleanup work and, of course, addressing the issue of residents feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods, she said. All that activity stems from an explosion of homelessness in Southern California the past few years and federal lawsuits filed on behalf of homeless people who were forced out of their Santa Ana River Trail encampment last year. Every fourth Saturday of the month, the Free Pantry Organization provides over 8,500 lbs of free groceries and fresh food as a healthy food alternative to those []. After a year Costa Mesa council members reached a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs. Its morally irresponsible to continue to allow people to live on the streets and the sidewalks and in the parks and not care for our community, she said. We cant deny that any city in Orange County has people who are in need of housing and as the eviction moratoriums lift well have more and more people who are at risk or homeless, she said. The lowest point in my time on the council has been over this issue.. The next step, she added, is the more crucial move of finding people permanent housing. Volunteers making a difference each year. Faith E. Pinho is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. With all these people packed in small spaces, is this going to become another COVID hot zone? Literally theres been 20 to 30 city staff here for 16 hours a day to make this happen, he said during a tour of the shelter with the Daily Pilot on Wednesday. Newport Beach, CA - 92660 Haynes said all of the 50 beds are filled nearly every night. Weve seen some clients who maybe hadnt showered for weeks or months, and to see how their personality changed after they took a shower, got a hot meal, got to sit down with a roof over their head thats an impactful thing, Martin said. How are you going to protect these homeless folks?. Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Mercy House is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the facility including the provision of services related to locating, securing and maintaining permanent housing; identifying and mitigating barriers to housing and employment; referrals to third-party services and resources; providing extracurricular activities and modes of entertainment for shelter guests; overseeing security in and around the facility; as well as facilitating the transportation of guests to and from the shelter. 1662 Newport Blvd. SHELTER KITCHEN OPERATOR Bracken's Kitchen is a nonprofit organization based in Orange County dedicated to rescuing, re-purposing, and restoring both food and lives through a community feeding program, food rescue, and culinary training. Shelters are only as effective as their exit strategies and exit strategies are wholly dependent upon housing opportunities.. The idea for the switch is inspired by the CAHOOTS model launched in Eugene, Oregon, which Brooke Weitzman, co-founder and directing attorney of the Elder Law Disability Rights Center, said has been significantly more successful in getting people the help they need. As the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter nears six months of operation, its unique model has successfully transitioned 18 clients from homelessness into permanent housing. The creation of Costa Mesas shelter is a result of a lawsuit filed against the County of Orange, and the cities of Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa in 2018 over the removal of homeless people from the Santa Ana riverbed. All hinted at huge expectations. Since 2019, Costa Mesa temporarily used the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene to provide beds until their permanent shelter opened earlier this year. The light is always on, and the door is always open at Lighthouse Youth & Family Services. Join the conversation:In lieu of comments, we encourage readers to engage with us across a variety of mediums.