The following will be printed in my "City Council Notes" in the upcoming issue of the Fullerton Observer Newspaper, Fullerton's only independent newspaper since 1978.
At the March 21st Fullerton City Council meeting, representatives from the County of Orange gave a presentation on the first ever permanent year-round homeless shelter in OC history, the Kramer Year-Round Emergency Shelter and Multi-Service Center, which is located in a light industrial area of Anaheim adjacent to the 91 freeway. The shelter broke ground in 2016, and will partially open with 100 beds in 2017, and is expected to fully open by 2018 with a total of 200 beds for homeless single men and women.
The soon-to-be-opened shelter was first envisioned by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 2013 to help those facing homelessness, and address the historic lack of a permanent year-round shelter in Orange County. After two failed attempts to secure a location (in Fullerton and Santa Ana), the Anaheim location was approved last year.
The new shelter, which will be operated by Mercy House, has the support of north Orange County cities, including Fullerton (which contributed $500,000 to the project). In addition to the 200 beds, the completed facility will include bathrooms, showers, a kitchen, a computer lab, employment training, and a health clinic.
A community introduction event is scheduled for late April, 2017.
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| Part of the site in Anaheim. |
