Orange County, California – Today, Supervisor Foley announced an award of $3.6 million in grant funding to the County of Orange to provide shelter or housing for 60 individuals currently experiencing homelessness in the County owned Talbert Park in Costa Mesa. These funds are part of $60 million in funding from the state of California, provided to 19 counties across the state.
“For years, as Mayor of Costa Mesa and - now - as County Supervisor, I advocated to remove encampments from our parks and transition residents to shelters or other housing. These encampments create a public health and safety concern, including a risk of fire. It’s unacceptable to have encampments on our streets, in our parks, or in any public spaces that endanger the health and safety of our community members, which includes the individuals experiencing homelessness.” said Supervisor Foley, “Transitioning unhoused peope into shelters and permanent supportive housing remains my top priority. I’m committed to finding solutions that address these challenges head on and improve the quality of life for all Orange County residents.”
In December 2021, Supervisor Foley’s office initiated a grant application to address encampments at Talbert Park. The County Office of Care Coordination applied for the State of California grant on December 30, 2021. These additional resources will be used to clean up the Talbert Park encampment in Costa Mesa, California.
This week, Supervisor Foley worked with Orange County’s biennial Point in Time count to survey the number of unhoused residents in the cities of Tustin, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, and Newport Beach, California.
“At the end of 2021, my office worked with the OC Health Care Agency to apply for this funding to address encampments at Talbert Park. For years, I have been working to address these issues and to return the area to its natural habitat. I’m thankful for the work of the Health Care Agency and look forward to addressing these critical public safety issues at Talbert Park.” said Supervisor Foley.
###
