Orange County supervisors are about to put one nonprofit in charge of both their homeless shelters despite the operator failing to hit their goals for getting more people into housing for years, saying the shortfall is from the county\u2019s own lack of affordable housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
People Assisting the Homeless, or PATH, are set to receive over $45 million from the county to run the Yale shelter in Santa Ana and Bridges at Kraemer Place shelter in Anaheim if supervisors sign off on the contract tomorrow, which controls over 600 shelter beds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reports from the county show that while they\u2019ve succeeded at enrolling their residents in housing programs, PATH largely failed to get them moved into permanent housing or helped them increase their income.<\/p>\n
A county staff report from April 2025 found that since 2022, PATH never hit the goal of having 20% of homeless people departing the shelter head to permanent housing from the Yale Shelter, with their peak at 16% in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only 6% of homeless residents at the shelter increased their income, compared to the 15% the county asked for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While PATH already runs the Yale Shelter, they\u2019d be replacing Mercy House in running the Bridges shelter in Anaheim.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A representative from PATH declined to comment, referring all questions on their work to the county.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But two county supervisors said it\u2019s not PATH\u2019s fault they can\u2019t get people moved into housing because there isn\u2019t enough to go around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sad reality is that we will not be able to place all those who need assistance into more permanent housing, given the shortage of available units in the County,\u201d said Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento in a Tuesday statement. \u201cWe are realistically unable to meet the ever-increasing demand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supervisor Katrina Foley agreed in a Tuesday interview, saying that next year the situation should be different as more of the county\u2019s permanent supportive housing projects open up and that PATH has done a good job at getting people eligible for housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have enough permanent supportive housing,\u201d Foley said. \u201cIt isn\u2019t because they\u2019re (PATH) not trying, it\u2019s because there\u2019s not placements available.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rest of the county supervisors did not respond to requests for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Under the proposed contract up for consideration at OC Supervisor\u2019s 9:30 a.m. meeting tomorrow, officials are also asking for PATH to enroll at least 70% of homeless people in insurance programs while they\u2019re at the shelter, and connect at least half of them with other county medical services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Foley said she hoped to see most of those people sign up for CalOptima, the county\u2019s health plan for the poor, noting that it would help the county pay for their care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just not signed up because they don\u2019t have an address or a phone,\u201d Foley said. \u201cThis will help us to offset the cost of the services if they\u2019re ensured.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org. <\/p>\n
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