In partnership with City Net, the Commission to End Homelessness created a 76-question survey of unsheltered homeless people. Results of the survey, which covered all of Orange County in August 2023, are available in a report at:
The surveyors approached 836 homeless individuals from around Orange County – (180 of those declined to take the survey.)
According to the 2023 compared to 2022 survey results – little has changed.
The overwhelming majority of homeless are white males from 25 to over 62 years of age. (About a 5% increase within that group and about a 5% decrease in homeless under age 18.)
• 81.5% reported being homeless for a year or more, with the majority falling between 3 and 10 years—12% over 15 years. 70% reported sleeping outdoors, 17.6% in a vehicle, and 3.4% in a shelter.
• 27.3% said a street outreach worker had contacted them, but nothing had happened, and 51.5% said they had never been contacted.
Only 20.4% said they had been connected to services by a street outreach worker. 57 of those respondents said they received referrals to emergency or transitional housing. 36 said they had referrals to permanent housing, 19 to medical care, 16 to help obtain documents, 14 to mental care, 7 to substance abuse care, and 5 to employment and training opportunities.
About half of the respondents said they left or wouldn’t use a shelter because of a lack of available spots, safety and privacy concerns, difficulty following rules, and lack of transportation to and from the shelter.
The services homeless respondents said they would like to see included hygiene, housing search assistance, storage for personal belongings, financial assistance for rental deposits and housing, and medical, behavioral, and substance use disorder support.
Based on the survey, recommendations include increasing outreach to provide services and resources, ensuring low-barrier accessible, supportive services, continuing investment in permanent supportive housing, and ensuring shelters prioritize safety, respect, and personal space.
Some of the data from the survey:
- Less than half of those surveyed reported engaging with a street outreach worker in the last three months.
- 85% chose their location because of having ties to the area (jobs, school, family, friends, safety)
- 93% reported having a benefit or enrollment in Support Services (2% who weren’t enrolled wanted to be.)
- 58% of those reporting a mental health condition – said they received services or wanted them but couldn’t access
- 49% of those reporting a substance use disorder – said they received services or wanted them but couldn’t access
- 64% stated they received treatment for medical concerns or visited a doctor in the last 12 months – or wanted treatment but couldn’t access
- 85% report experiencing a disabling condition. 49% reported having at least three disabling conditions.
Related Reports:
- Results of the 2024 OC Point in Time homeless count, which took place January 22-25, will be released soon. https://www.everyonecountsoc.org/about
- 2023 OC Point in Time homeless count overview – 1/23/2023 https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/CoC_PopSub_CoC_CA-602-2023_CA_2023.pdf
- 2022 OC Point in Time homeless count overview – 2/21/2022 https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/CoC_PopSub_CoC_CA-602-2022_CA_2022.pdf
- 2022 OC Point in Time homeless count showed that there were 266 people in Fullerton experiencing homelessness – 70 of those were living in shelters. https://www.ochealthinfo.com/sites/hca/files/2022-05/2022%20PIT%20Data%20Infographic%20-%205.10.2022%20Final.pdf
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Categories: Local Government, Local News
Excellent! Now take all this data and force-feed it to our wonderful Supervisors, and the next county CEO!
“58% of those reporting a mental health condition – said they received services or wanted them but couldn’t access.”
Observations: 1. Has anyone stumbled across the idea that being homeless will MAKE you crazy? Or do we need another study to prove water is wet? (sigh)
2. The effectiveness of 211 services are not tracked; the person on the other end of the phone says “Here’s a list of resources,” which the supplicant can spend days, if not weeks navigating, and then A) no-one from 211 services follows up, and 2) no “Resource” was able to help anyway.
Keep it coming, this is the stuff the community needs to hear!
If you are not crazy before trying to access supposed support systems, the hoops you will have to jump to do so will drive you crazy.
Why not put together a pamphlet that social workers, police, fire, city hall, etc., can hand out to anyone who wants information on services that are available to access? Names, locations, what can be accessed. It would help. 211 rattling off information? Not necessarily the best thing if you have to stumble through things.
Didn’t the Governor and state legislature expand Medi-Cal so that certain undocumented people could qualify, and yet we have up to 50% of the homeless who want care covered by Medi-Cal, but can’t get care?
Can the homeless get care in Canada? I keep reading about Americans retiring in Europe partly because they have single-payer health care over there.
Maybe Canada can give our homeless people some help? The Governor loves our global economy. May as well help the homeless out with medical care globally too, right? The state legislature could arrange Mercy Flights on big planes to Canada, and then bring them back.
Would Doctors Without Borders like to help California?
Yes, I am being sarcastic.