Santa Ana Grapples With Homelessness : Forging a Common Front With Other Cities Offers More Hope Than Camping Ban

Santa Ana is fighting a battle against the problems of the homeless on two fronts. One has potential hazards; the other holds promise.

Two weeks ago the city passed initial judicial muster for its law banning camping at the Civic Center. That law substituted for an earlier measure to ban camping anywhere in the city, which a state appeals court struck down. The state Supreme Court still could uphold that previous law, but it would be unfortunate if it does.

Even the more limited measure that was upheld by a Superior Court judge holds the danger of becoming a tool to harass the homeless and perhaps spur a campaign to drive them out of the city altogether. The city attorney said that was not the intent; Santa Ana merely wants to stop the camps that pop up around the Civic Center, with its numerous city and county buildings.

There is no doubt the shopping carts, cardboard lean-tos and black plastic bags filled with belongings can be ugly. There is no doubt that passersby are annoyed and sometimes frightened by the homeless. There is no doubt that garbage occasionally found around the tents can be a health hazard.

But pushing the homeless elsewhere is not a solution; then they just become some other city’s problem. Instead, other cities should help Santa Ana. Here is where Santa Ana’s other initiative holds promise.

The city provided the countywide Homeless Issues Task Force with a grant to investigate a countywide approach to the problem of the homeless. One good suggestion was to have each city put money, perhaps $1 per resident, into a fund that would provide a variety of programs for the homeless. The county would also help finance the programs, which could include more beds in shelters and expanded mental health and substance abuse programs. Churches and temples have been asked to provide assistance and ideas.

A number of cities are investigating whether state law allows them to contribute to the fund. If they can, they should. If not, they should explore other ways to help, perhaps by opening their own shelters or expanding programs to help the homeless inside their own cities.

Homelessness is a regional problem that demands a regional solution. There are an estimated 12,000 homeless in Orange County. The number of beds in shelters is approximately 900. Santa Ana has not solved the homeless problem within its borders, but its attempts to do so deserve assistance from other cities.