TRUST ▪ CARE ▪ COMMITMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE
Memorandum
To: Tom Kisela, City Manager
From: Dan Adams, Chief of Police
Date: March 8, 2023
Re: 2022 Homeless and HEART Report
_________________________________________________________________________________ The Homeless Engagement and Resource Team (H.E.A.R.T.) maintains an effective presence in the community by providing field support to homeless subjects. H.E.A.R.T. is routinely called upon by field patrol officers, specialized units, City departments, and community members for short and long- term solutions related to homelessness. Their solutions include connecting the homeless with sheltering, counseling services, reunification with families, immediate basic needs, and criminal enforcement if necessary. The department hired a civilian Homeless Outreach Specialist (H.O.S) who started on August 1, 2022 and has been instrumental in increasing outreach services to the homeless community. As we begin 2023, a second Homeless Outreach Specialist has just been hired.
In 2022, Mary’s Kitchen closed, and the responsibility for services to the homeless community transitioned to the City of Orange, which is now The HUB of OC. In 2021, there were approximately 234 calls for service and numerous violent crimes at Mary’s Kitchen (517 W. Struck Ave.). Since the opening of The HUB OC in May 2022, there have been approximately 47 calls for service, no acts of violence nor significant incidents/crimes at the location. This is a distinct contrast from when the site was operated under Mary’s Kitchen. Of the 47 calls for service, there were 11 medical aids, eight disturbing the peace, five subjects refusing to leave, and four welfare checks / W&I 5150 evaluations or other miscellaneous type calls.
In 2022, there were 3,388 homeless related calls for service (CFS) citywide. The Bike Team and H.E.A.R.T. made a total of 4,108 contacts throughout the city, which included non-homeless specific contacts and repeated contacts with homeless specific individuals. Of those contacted, there were 1,029 arrested for various crimes (e.g., warrants, trespassing, drug related activity, assaults, and theft), 88 individuals arrested for felony offenses, and 941 arrested for misdemeanor offenses.
H.E.A.R.T sheltered 120 homeless people. Approximately 49 individuals sheltered were contacted at 517 W. Struck. The remaining 71 individuals were sheltered from areas throughout the city (e.g., Hart Park, El Camino Park, the Train Depot, and the Creek Bed). This was a 40% increase of sheltered people and families from 2021, at which time only 86 people accepted shelter (see the chart on the next page for shelter locations).
2 Those homeless individuals willing to accept shelter are continually referred into the Placentia Navigation Center, the Buena Park Navigation Center, the Bridges at Kraemer Shelter, and the HomeAid Family Care Center. These locations have since rebounded from COVID restrictions and continue to be a reliable resource for the North Service Provider Area (SPA). Unfortunately, many of these individuals leave the shelters after a short time for a variety of reasons, including their failure to follow shelter regulations.
H.E.A.R.T. refers people to the Salvation Army Program and the Be Well Center in Orange for substance abuse-detox programs. H.E.A.R.T also works weekly with the Orange County Outreach Team, offering various services to those in need (e.g., shelter, detox, and medical). The Orange County Health Care Agency provides H.E.A.R.T. with a Mental Health P.E.R.T. Clinician that works every Monday and every other Thursday. The clinician serves as a valuable mental health resource for members of the city’s homeless community and non-homeless residents. The clinician also brings knowledge about the county’s mental health and homeless related programs. Last year, 87 mental health follow ups were conducted, 26 mental health evaluations were performed, and 14 subjects were placed on mental health holds. These subjects were lodged at local hospitals – UCI Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, CHOC, Chapman Global, and Be Well.
H.E.A.R.T. maintains relationships with private and government outreach groups, such as The Beacon of Orange, One Church in Orange, Micah’s Way, Mercy House, P.A.T.H., The Orange County Rescue Mission, Orange County Outreach Team, Orange County Health Care Agency, and the Volunteers of America, who specialize in assisting homeless veterans. H.E.A.R.T. assisted them with acquiring food, showers, clothing, hygiene kits, medical attention, government documents, detox programs, mental health services, and much more.
H.E.A.R.T. collaborates with The Beacon of Orange, which funds and maintains funds to be used for our homeless Re-Unification Program and other homeless related needs. This fund is called the HEART FUND and is comprised of cash donations from various churches and organizations associated with One Church in Orange. Through the Re-Unification Program, H.E.A.R.T. and Specialist Luz Ontiveros were able to reunify two individuals (out of state) with their families.
05101520253035404550PlacentiaNavigationCenterBuena ParkNavigationCenterBridges atKramerHomeAid46391916120 Individuals Sheltered at these Locations 3 One individual had been homeless in the city of Orange for approximately three years. In October, the individual came to the HUB and said he had family in Colorado who was willing accept him.
Specialist Ontiveros gathered all the pertinent information, and he was transported to the airport where he boarded a flight home to Colorado. The second subject was from Arizona and flew to California to handle his friend’s death. In his travels, the airlines lost his luggage, which contained his heart medications, money, and credit cards. The male subsequently accepted assistance through the Re- Unification Program and was flown back to Arizona where he was re-unified with family.
H.E.A.R.T. continues to maintain a working relationship with the California Highway Patrol (C.H.P.) and Caltrans for state related properties in and around the city. C.H.P. has supplemented our teams and helped us with outreach and law enforcement along the freeway ramps, freeway underpasses, and non-state related properties throughout the city. The Bike Team, H.E.A.R.T., and C.H.P. continue to enforce trespassing laws along the Santiago Creek between E. Chapman Ave. to the SR 22 freeway underpass. The Bike Team and H.E.A.R.T. made approximately 283 arrests for a variety of crimes, including trespassing in this area; see below chart for a breakdown of arrest locations.
Several outreach and cleanup efforts were conducted during the year. During one clean-up, H.E.A.R.T., C.H.P., Caltrans, Santa Ana Police Department’s Quality of Life Team, CityNet, and OC Outreach worked together in Hart Park and continued west along the Santiago Creek to I-5 Freeway.
Caltrans cleaned up the trash along the state-controlled creek bed area and under the freeway overpasses, and they removed graffiti from multiple areas. There were approximately 10 arrests made for drugs, drug paraphernalia, and warrants. Only one individual accepted shelter services.
During another clean-up, H.E.A.R.T., the Bike Team, and Caltrans worked along the area of SR-22 and Santiago Creek. Throughout the event, Caltrans removed abandoned encampments and trash left behind. Approximately 15 repeat offenders/individuals were contacted, and seven of those were arrested. Of those individuals located along the Santiago Creek areas, most were repeat offenders who trespass, abuse illicit narcotics, illegally lodge, vandalize, and commit thefts throughout the city.
H.E.A.R.T. continues to patrol the railroad rights-of-way to prevent encampments from forming.
There is continued collaboration with Metrolink, Union Pacific, and B.N.S.F. to address encampment issues early. As a result, approximately 20 encampments that were situated along the different railways in the city (i.e., N. Batavia St./railroad tracks and W. Taft Ave./ railroad tracks) were removed, along with approximately 100 encampments throughout the city. 050100150200SantiagoCreek & 22FreewaySantiagoCreek & 55FreewaySantiagoCreek & E.ChapmanAve.SantiagoCreek & S.CambridgeSt.SantiagoCreek & 5FreewaySantiagoCreek & S.Tustin St.172402825153Number of Arrests Along the Santiago Creek2022 4 H.E.A.R.T. collaborates with other Orange County agencies’ Homeless Liaison Officers (HLO) from Anaheim, Tustin, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Buena Park, Brea, Placentia, Fullerton, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, Irvine, and Orange County Sheriffs Department. H.E.A.R.T. hosted a county HLO meeting at the Orange Main Library where over 100 HLO’s from surrounding cities attended and networked to discuss strategies to reduce homelessness.
The Bike Team and H.E.A.R.T. work closely with the City Attorney’s Office, Community Services, Code Enforcement, and the Public Works Department. Illegal encampments are posted for removal and clean-ups are conducted. Additionally, the City continues to contract with West Coast Arborists for yearly brush and non-native plant removal along the Santiago Creek. This effectively eliminates the ability for repeat offenders to conceal themselves and their encampments.
H.E.A.R.T. conducted outreach and enforcement of homeless people living in recreational vehicles in the areas of Hart Park, El Camino Park, Shaffer Park, and industrial areas along West Orangewood Ave. and North American Way. H.E.A.R.T. received citizen complaints reference these vehicles parked and gathering in the parking lots, and feces and urine being dumped along the pavement and grass areas. A plan was developed and implemented, which included offering outreach services, education of City ordinances, and following up with enforcement activity. H.E.A.R.T. used various enforcement methods to gain compliance through citations and Orange Municipal Code (O.M.C.) abandoned vehicle notices. The Bike Team and H.E.A.R.T. continually worked with Code Enforcement to address code-compliance violations. There has been an observed improvement in the area, where problem-vacant properties have been since demolished.
Unfortunately, several legal cases, state actions, and voter approved propositions continue to affect how law enforcement agencies address homelessness and enforce crimes frequently committed by homeless individuals. The Safe Neighborhoods and School Acts (i.e., Proposition 47) significantly impacted the criminal justice system and the way people arrested for crimes related to drugs and theft are held accountable. Prior to Prop 47, offenders were booked into Orange County Jail. However, now they remain out in the community, where they have a likelihood to reoffend.
In 2019, Martin vs. City of Boise was upheld by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. This court decision significantly hindered police departments’ ability to take enforcement action with people camping on public property. This limits the police department’s ability to arrest or remove someone from simply sitting, laying or sleeping on a sidewalk or other public places such as bus benches.
The settlement agreement in the case Orange County Catholic Worker v. City of Orange et al. was filed against the City of Orange, as well as other cities, and the County of Orange. Several plaintiffs alleged their civil rights were violated when these public entities enforced trespassing, loitering and/or anti-camping ordinances against them at a time when, according to the Plaintiff, there were no immediately accessible and appropriate beds available to them in Orange County. As a result, officers must give a warning and an opportunity to leave the public location before taking enforcement action.
If the person does not leave after receiving a warning, the City may issue a citation to the individual.
As a result of this case, H.E.A.R.T. and the Bike Team collaborated with the City Attorney’s Office to address homeless people living on public sidewalks and in City parks. There was an agreement to engage in a process of documenting warnings for violations of the O.M.C. and offering resources.
After multiple warnings, an O.M.C. citation could be issued for camping in a public space. After the citations, custodial arrests could be made, and personal property collected. This partnership resulted in the abatement of encampments on W. Sycamore Ave. (west of Main Street), in Hart Park, W.
Chapman & Main, and in Olive Park.
5 There was further collaboration with the Public Works Traffic Division to implement red curb-timed parking in problem areas near El Camino Park to mitigate overnight parking and camping.
While it is not illegal to be homeless, this population is not exempt from the law. Many of these individuals choose to live outdoors, decline assistance, and violate laws. The Orange Police Department partners with state and county government agencies, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, shelters, and outreach programs to provide assistance, resources, and solutions to those who are willing to accept them.