I was recently introduced to the Orange County (California) HomeAid organization. HomeAid Orange County has the sole vision and purpose to end homelessness in Orange County.
HomeAid Orange County was founded in 1989 by the Building Industry Association of Southern California. Over the last 28 years they have completed 60 development projects that added 1500 shelter beds throughout the county. To date these facilities have housed 60,000 homeless.
HomeAid is primarily a housing developer that connects service providers with community volunteers, builders and specialty contractors to build new or renovate housing for homeless families and individuals. HomeAid is involved in each phase of the development including land acquisition, funding, design, construction, interior design, and landscaping. HomeAid multiplies every dollar received through in-kind donation and volunteer labor. To date, over $45 million in in-kind donations have been focused on solving homelessness in the community.
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| HomeAid Family Care Center |
I visited the construction site for the Family Care Center (artist concept shown above). This shelter will open in the Spring of 2017 and provide emergency housing for families. With 56 beds, it is expected to provide refuge for 10-15 families per day. As with all of HomeAid's developments, the Family Care Center will be operated by a community partner, in this case, Mercy House.
Beyond housing development, HomeAid has two other major initiatives impacting the homeless community.
"HomeAid Essentials" is a community wide annual effort to collect 1.5 - 2 million essential baby items such as diapers and baby food for the close to 500 babies and their mothers experience homelessness in Orange County.
"HomeAid CareKits" is a key means of outreach to those living on the streets. Each year approximately 6000 CareKits and other items such as blankets, clothing, and other hygiene items are assembled and distributed. The CareKits (shown below) have many useful items, the most important of which is a reference card that links the homeless individual to a broad range of needed services.
HomeAid 's work has been validated by several organizations that continue to partner with them. These include Google, Kimberly-Clark, Starbucks, UPS, Angels Baseball, and Kaiser Permanente.
I highly recommend that anyone living in Orange County consider partnering with HomeAid to help address homelessness.
