Construction has begun on a homeless shelter in Buena Park that officials hope will ease the need for places to stay off the streets of north Orange County.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Wednesday, July 10, for the shelter on Caballero Boulevard, which is expected to be ready in early 2020.
North Orange County cities are contributing to the construction and maintenance of the shelter, called a navigation center for the supportive services it will also provide on location.
Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Orange, Placentia, Villa Park, Stanton and Yorba Linda are all contributing. A second shelter is planned in Placentia.
“The ground breaking of the Buena Park Navigation Center is an important step forward,” Michelle Steel, Orange County 2nd District supervisor, said. “It is a comprehensive regional solution that will provide transitional housing for those living on the street and offers a stable setting for healthcare and other services with the goal of permanently transitioning clients off the streets.”
The total cost to build the two shelters is estimated at $14.3 million. In 2018, the north Orange County cities were granted upwards of $12 million toward the project by the Homeless Emergency Aid Program.
The Buena Park facility will be 15,360 square feet and will offer 150 beds. Shipping containers are being re-purposed into the building.
“We see this as a beacon of hope,” Larry Haynes, executive director of Mercy House, which will operate the shelter, said of future residents. “We cannot wait to serve you.”