The Orange City Council disclosed this press release on September 29, 21017.
ORANGE, Ca. – At a special meeting to address the issue of Homelessness in the City on September 26, the Orange City Council took a comprehensive report on the subject from the Orange Police Chief, Tom Kisela, and City Manager Rick Otto.
As a result of the information from the report, and after listening to the residents and businesses of Orange during the public hearing, the Council then directed the following actions:
- Authorized the addition of two new Police Officer positions dedicated specifically to address calls for service to the homelessness issues. These two positions will be in addition to the two existing HEART (Homeless Engagement Assistance and Resource Team) officers.
- Increased the presence of the private security patrols at selected city parks and the Main Library. Existing private security coverage will increase by 40% to enhance the preservation of our parks and library.
- Directed the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance for consideration by the City Council prohibiting Aggressive Solicitation in the City of Orange.
- Created three new City Council ad hoc committees to address specific aspects of the homelessness issues:
- A committee to work with surrounding cities on finding shared solutions and to address the homelessness issue holistically.
- A Committee to advocate for the City on the homelessness issue on both the County and State levels, including the financial impact on our community and the City’s resources.
- A committee to interface with our community, exchange information and ideas, and allow for our residents to provide direct feedback to the City government.
The City has also launched a new web page, cityoforange.org/homelessness, where the public can go to find current information on the homelessness situation, contact information for local government agencies, non-profits, and assistance organizations in the area, and updates specific to Orange.
These actions join several programs already in place, such as the HEART Team, for compassionately providing assistance to the homeless population, and protecting the property and wellbeing of our citizens.
The public may read both the report and the PowerPoint presentation that accompanied it, or watch the Council meeting in its entirety, at the City of Orange website www.cityoforange.org, and visiting the “Council Online” page.
For more information please call Paul Sitkoff, public affairs and information manager for the City of Orange at (714) 288-2590.