After a large-scale renovation, the Homemaker Family Care Center, operated by the non-profit organization HomeAid, reopened in Orange County, providing temporary accommodation for 56 homeless families, with plans to increase to 64 beds by October.
On July 31st, the Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Donald Wagner, along with Orange City Mayor Dan Slater, City Council member Kathy Tavoularis, Vice Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Doug Chaffee’s office representatives, representatives from HomeAid and its operating partner HIS-OC, and many community members attended the grand reopening ceremony.
The Family Care Center received a total of $1.3 million in donations from the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Continuum of Care Board, and various foundations, ensuring its operation for the upcoming year. The Board of Supervisors approved $500,000 in unrestricted funding for HomeAid from Wagner’s Third District, and an additional $250,000 from the Continuum of Care Board.
Wagner commended the work of HomeAid, stating, “The excellence and beauty of this county do not stem from the government, but from people like you who see problems, establish non-profit organizations, and collaborate to make improvements. You are providing families with the opportunity to stand tall.” He mentioned that Orange County’s situation regarding homeless individuals is better than California in general and emphasized the need for public investment and support in addition to one-time funding.
Gina Cunningham, the Executive Director of HomeAid, expressed gratitude for the donations and stated, “We look forward to welcoming families in need back to the center, where they can rebuild their lives and thrive.”
Located in Orange City, the Family Care Center opened in July 2017. Cunningham described it as a low-threshold emergency shelter for families, specifying that beneficiaries must have children under the age of 18, not be registered sex offenders, and not face outstanding arrest warrants. Cunningham, who has worked for HomeAid for 27.5 years, expressed her passion for the work, aiming to ensure that neighbors have housing and a home, which she considers the goal of her life.
Cunningham mentioned that the center, a building dating back to the 1960s, underwent renovations on its plumbing, bathrooms, water heaters, and the creation of low walls to provide families with semi-private spaces. She highlighted the center’s goal of fostering a family atmosphere to prevent people from feeling like they are just staying in a large space. Despite the city’s ordinance allowing homeless individuals to stay for 45 days, Cunningham expressed the hope of extending this to 90 or 120 days.
For individuals applying for permanent housing and on waiting lists, the average stay can last hundreds of days according to Cunningham, who emphasized the center’s mission to prevent families from falling into homelessness.
Jenny, a mother who stayed at the Family Care Center in 2017 with her three children (the youngest being 8 years old), expressed how the center alleviated their worries about shelter, meals, and laundry, allowing them to focus on their next steps. Jenny shared that they stayed for around 30 days before securing housing, with the center’s assistance in relocating. Since then, Jenny and her children have returned to volunteer occasionally.
HomeAid originated in Orange County 35 years ago when volunteers from the construction industry renovated an old farmhouse for a homeless family, leading members of the Southern California Building Industry Association Orange County Chapter to establish the non-profit organization. Cunningham highlighted the substantial cost savings achieved through materials and labor donated by industry partners, emphasizing the organization’s significant and unique impact on homeless individuals nationwide, starting from Orange County and expanding to seven branches in California and 11 institutions from California to Washington, D.C.
Yvette Ostrom, the Housing Director at HomeAid, expressed gratitude to everyone contributing to addressing family homelessness, including foundations, plumbing and heating companies, construction renovation and interior design teams, as well as irrigation and landscaping volunteers.
Mayor Slater remarked that the hard work done and yet to be done by HomeAid is helping homeless families transition from helplessness to hope. The beneficiaries of the center include the unemployed, victims of domestic violence, and evicted tenants, and other cities are encouraged to join in solving these issues. He highlighted the benefits of having a clean and well-operated facility without negative impacts on the surrounding community.
According to the latest statistics from Orange City, there are approximately 120-140 individuals experiencing homelessness, and efforts are being made to reduce this number. The Family Care Center accommodates people from all over Orange County.