Deal reached to help homeless losing Calif. encampment

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Public officials and homeless advocates reached an agreement Tuesday on providing for homeless people who are being evicted from an encampment in a Southern California riverbed.

Orange County officials said they would use motels and other means to get 700 to 800 beds for the homeless driven from the encampment in Anaheim.

“We pledge up to 400 motel rooms, immediately,” County Supervisor Andrew Do told the court, adding that the county would also add beds to other facilities and could put up a tent on a county-owned parking lot if space was needed.

Brooke Weitzman, an attorney for the plaintiffs seeking to stop the eviction, said she was concerned that the tent dwellers would not trust county officials’ offer of help on such short notice, but U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter told her notices would go up as soon as Wednesday and he trusted their word.

He said he suspected homeless residents who don’t want help, and want to wander, will move elsewhere.

“If you want to solve this, this is the one opportunity we really have,” Carter said, after officials emerged from four hours of talks.

The sides agreed that social workers would help the homeless find longer term housing after the initial relocation, which will take place in a week.

The deal came at the demand of Carter, who called the sides in for the unusual hearing on Tuesday.

He called on Orange County officials, veterans, women’s advocates and others to step up and offer solutions for those living on the twomile stretch of riverbed trail once popular with joggers and bikers that has been overrun by tents, trash and human waste.

Carter said he plans to visit the encampment on Wednesday morning.