Officials in Orange County approved a new pilot program to combat homelessness by providing payments to people facing eviction and stopping them from losing their homes in the first place.
There are an estimated 5,700 people experiencing homelessness in Orange County.
The program, which Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento calls "first of its kind" looks to make sure the problem doesn’t get any worse by setting aside $3 million in funds for people being evicted.
"It’s to keep people from falling into homelessness so we feel that if we can prevent that, the numbers are going to remain flat," said Sarmiento. "they’re very low-income folks, people that have a tough time on minimum wage making market rate rent."
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Governor Newsom spoke at the event hosted at a former Costa Mesa Motel 6 that was turned into a 40-unit apartment complex through Project Homekey, another initiative that looks to solve the homeless problem.
"The idea is to get people back on their feet, back to self sufficiency," said Newsom. "It's not just 15,000 units that are permanent for one individual. It's the turnover."
The program would provide a lump sum payment directly to renters and further payments over a year. To address their finances long term the program also includes financial literacy programs and workforce development.
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"What we found in studies is that there’s a disparity or a Delta of about $300-$500 that would keep people housed, if we can use the money intelligently, it’s 1/10th the cost of what we spend once somebody is on the street," said Sarmiento.
