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After four years in operation, Orange County has quietly shut down its only low barrier walk-in shelter without any public announcement.
The closure last Friday of the Courtyard shelter in downtown Santa Ana – which once was home to over 400 homeless people – comes as the county opens a new, more restrictive shelter in a different part of the city.
The replacement Yale shelter offers more services for homeless people but has more limits on who is eligible – requiring a referral from police or health workers – and does not allow residents to walk in or out.
That’s prompting concerns that the closure is pushing people back to nearby streets – as well as frustration from local officials about why county officials like Supervisors Chairman Supervisor Andrew Do – who also represents Santa Ana – didn’t reach out to them with a plan.