On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, Supervisor Katrina Foley will host an investigative hearing on homelessness in Orange County. Supervisor Foley will be joined by Chairman Doug Chaffee, several Orange County Mayors, law enforcement officials, nonprofit leaders, and other experts on homelessness
When: Wednesday, April 20, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
**Media interviews available during breaks between panels and at noon
Where: Hall of Administration, Board Hearing Room at 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd, First Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92701
A livestream of the hearing will air on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SupervisorFoley
Who:
Panel I: Orange County’s Approach to Homelessness
- Chairman Doug Chaffee, Board of Supervisors & Commission to End Homelessness
- Doug Becht, Director, Office of Care Coordination
- David Shawver, Stanton Mayor
Panel 2: The Costs & Consequences of Homelessness in Orange County
- Colleen Rozillis- Partner, Moss Adams
- Wound Walk OC
Panel 3: The Role of Cities & Local Law Enforcement
- Vicente Sarmiento, Santa Ana Mayor
- John Stephens, Costa Mesa Mayor
- Sue Kempf, Laguna Beach Mayor
Panel 4: Opportunities & Solutions
- Shauntina Sorrells, Chair, Continuum of Care Transitional Age Youth Committee
- Becks Heyhoe, Executive Director, United to End Homelessness
- Richard Owens, Chair, Housing Working Group of the Veterans and Military Families Collaborative
Over the next few weeks, members of the media are invited to join Supervisor Foley for the following to gain further insights into the situation on the ground:
- Tour of Talbert Park encampments
- Talk to the chronically homeless with Wound Walk
- Tour Stanton site of motel conversions
Supervisor Foley released the following statement:
“As County Supervisor, my role is to find solutions to regional problems. Homelessness is at the top of the list. As a mayor and councilmember, I felt that the county failed to take responsibility for the issue of homelessness, leaving cities to fund services and shelters using their general funds. That approach has failed.”
“When I took office, last year, I hired Moss Adams using discretionary funds to conduct an audit of all County dollars spent on homelessness. I learned that we spend more than $1.8 billion dollars. We don’t need more money; we need accountability to spend our money effectively. I also used discretionary funds to hire Wound Walk to conduct a census of our most chronically homeless population.”
“I’ve organized an investigative hearing on homelessness to hear from leading experts across all levels of government, nonprofits, and law enforcement. By assessing the County’s current approach, we can identify policy successes, gaps, and solutions to move forward.”
We invite members of the public to submit comments at this form or to email katrina.foley@ocgov.com with input. Residents can watch the live hearing on Facebook.
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Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley joined the Board of Supervisors in 2021. She serves on the Airport Ad Hoc Committee & Fly Friendly working group, the Sober Living Home Ad Hoc Committee, and boards of the Orange County Transportation Authority, CalOptima, Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, Law Library, Newport Bay & South Orange County Watershed Management Area Executive Committees & the Santa Ana River Flood Control Protection Agency.
