Data shows the number of unhoused people in Laguna Beach reduced by 60% the last two years
Laguna Beach is slowly making progress on ensuring its homeless population is receiving housing.
New data from the Point in Time Count released by the county shows the homeless population in Laguna Beach dropped by around 60% in the previous two years from 71 to 28. This isn’t the only metric showing progress. The local nonprofit Friendship Shelter announced it was close to achieving its objective of giving 100 people Emergency Housing Vouchers.
“Reducing homelessness in our community is a priority and these numbers demonstrate that hard work and collaborative efforts of our Police Department and our homeless shelter operator, Friendship Shelter, have made a difference,” Laguna Beach Mayor Sue Kempf said.
The Friendship Shelter had devised a plan to find housing solutions for 100 people who identified as unsheltered. To accomplish this, the nonprofit said it would utilize Emergency Housing Vouchers given out under the American Rescue Plan Act. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development website, HUD “is providing 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) in order to assist individuals and families who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.”
The nonprofit’s Executive Director announced the Friendship Shelter has now handed out 87 vouchers. Among the 87, close to 50 have been “leased up,” meaning the person has been leased into an apartment.
“We have a team of housing locators going all over South Orange County looking for these affordable units that fit within the parameters of the funding source so that we can find people places to live and start their lives over,” Price said. “We really need willing landlords.”
The group also hopes to raise $7,000 for each of the 100 previously unsheltered people. The Friendship Shelter has raised more than $650,000 thus far. The group is also paying twice the rent up front to ease any concerns landlords may have.
Orange County has ultimately seen a 16.6% decline in people experiencing homelessness in the past two years.
