Annual Supplier Outreach Event
On April 16, 2025, the Orange County Procurement Office hosted the Annual Supplier Outreach Event. This event allowed vendors and community members to learn about the County of Orange’s (County) procurement and contracting processes and how to successfully secure a contract with the County. The event was held at the Anaheim Convention Center and was well attended by vendors from various fields and many County departments and agencies. The Office of Care Coordination was invited to host a table at the event in support of efforts to increase participation and engagement from Human Services vendors. Attendees were able to learn more about the Office of Care Coordination's work and potential partnership opportunities.
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California Department of Social Services Convening
In early May 2025, staff from the Office of Care Coordination attended the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Regional Convening that occurred in Riverside County. This two-day meeting was facilitated by the organization Change Well and brought together administrators and providers from throughout the Southern California region who are working with CDSS programs such as Housing and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP), Home Safe Program (HSP), and Bringing Families Home (BFH), to discuss collaborative possibilities and provide opportunities and sharing of ideas. Group discussions focused on collaborative problem solving to develop strategies to address common challenges with housing placement, benefits advocacy, and sharing resources.
Homeless, Housing, Assistance, and Prevention (HHAP) Program Round 6 Community Listening Session
On July 10, 2025, the Office of Care Coordination hosted a community listening session to provide the opportunity for a range of stakeholders in the community to contribute their insight and experience to the development of HHAP Program Round 6 application and the Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan. This meeting was open to the public and sought collaborative input from community members. Key groups were encouraged to participate, including people with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, developers of permanent affordable housing, and others. This meeting, in conjunction with community listening sessions hosted by the cities of Anaheim and Santa Ana, satisfies the Stakeholder Engagement requirement of the HHAP Program Round 6 application.
In February 2025, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released the HHAP Program Round 6 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), with the objective of providing recipients with flexible funding to continue efforts to improve regional and systems coordination to prevent and end homelessness in their communities. The application process involves a collaborative effort with the Orange County Continuum of Care and the cities of Anaheim, Irvine, and Santa Ana. Applications for HHAP Round 6 are due August 29, 2025. The HHAP Program provides grant funds to support regional coordination and capacity building to address immediate homelessness challenges in the community. Eligible recipients of HHAP funds include counties, Continuum of Cares and large cities.
Commission to Address Homelessness Recruitment
The Office of Care Coordination is recruiting seats on the Commission to Address Homelessness (Commission). The Commission is comprised of nineteen members. The Commission makes recommendations to the Orange County Board of Supervisors that shape policy and design programs aimed at addressing the needs of individuals and families at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness across Orange County.
Membership Recruitment is open now through July 28, 2025, for the following seats:
- Business Representative
- Central Service Planning Area Representative, Elected official or a City Manager who served or serves in the cities of Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Tustin or Westminster
- South Service Planning Area Representative, Elected official or a City Manager who served or serves in the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, or County Unincorporated
- Faith-Based Community Representative
- Philanthropic Leader, leader funding solutions to address homelessness
- Lived Experience Representative, individual who has current or past lived experience of homelessness
Details regarding the recruitment can be found on the Office of Care Coordination website at: Commission to Address Homelessness | Orange County CEO’s Office
Commissioners serve a two-year term and meet six times per year. Meetings are bi-monthly, on the third Wednesday of the month at 1:00 pm at the County Administration South Conference Center, 425 West Santa Ana Boulevard, Santa Ana, CA 92701. For additional information, please contact the Office of Care Coordination at (714) 834-5000 or via email Carecoordination@ocgov.com.
Continuum of Care (CoC) Builds Notice of Funding Opportunity
On July 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced approximately $175 million in funding through the through the Continuum of Care (CoC) Builds (CoCBuilds) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) – a first of its kind funding for new construction, acquisition, or rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing (PSH). On May 16, 2025, HUD sent a letter via email to CoCBuilds Applicants sharing that a CoCBuilds NOFO was published on May 16, 2025, and that the NOFO supersedes the CoCBuilds NOFO published July 19, 2024, and includes several changes. Applications received before the publication of the May 16, 2025, NOFO will not be considered for funding unless resubmitted under the recently published CoCBuilds NOFO.
On June 25, 2025, the County of Orange’s Office of Care Coordination, as the Collaborative Applicant for the Orange County CoC, submitted the final CoCBuilds Project Listing to HUD via e-snaps, which included a project application from Jamboree Housing Corporation called Costa Mesa Senior.
Compensation for People with Lived Experience Program
After nearly two years of planning, coordination, and community input, the County of Orange’s (County) Office of Care Coordination and Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC) have taken a major step forward in recognizing the value of people with lived experience in shaping homelessness services. On May 24, 2025, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with Orange County United Way (OCUW) to serve as the contracted provider administering a formal compensation program for people experiencing homelessness participating in the Lived Experience Advisory Committee (LEAC), Youth Action Board (YAB), and other County and CoC-affiliated efforts.
The process began in early 2023 with multiple rounds of Requests for Proposals and Requests for Information, followed by a collaborative effort between the Office of Care Coordination, LEAC, CoC Board and the County Procurement Office. This diligent work resulted in a supportable, structured system for compensating people with lived experience for their time, insights, and leadership.
This change represents a significant shift in the County’s approach to ending homelessness, one that not only includes lived experience in planning and decision-making, but values and compensates it as essential expertise. This partnership marks a key milestone in advancing equity and accountability throughout the CoC.
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CES Instagram Launched
The Office of Care Coordination has officially launched the Orange County Coordinated Entry System (CES) Instagram account! The content will be geared toward CES Access Point staff, housing providers, and even the public as the Office of Care Coordination provides education and relevant information on CES in an easy, absorbable format. The account will cover CES 101 topics, myths of CES, announcements and updates, and reminders on CES activities – including training and tasks. To follow the CES Instagram, click here: OC_CES, or scan the QR code below.
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Additional Resources added to OC CES Academy
The Office of Care Coordination is proud to announce additional resources have been added to the OC CES Academy. The CES Resource Library includes a plethora of CES related resources such as CES guides, tools, forms, video trainings, and links to other relevant resources. An interactive map highlights Service Planning Areas (SPAs) and Public Housing Authority jurisdictions to the exact address. The CES Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page provides answers to frequently asked questions about CES, and the CES Glossary provides definitions for terms associated with CES. The OC CES Academy does not replace the existing required CES and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) training courses provided by OC HMIS. Newly launched content can be accessed by visiting CES Training.
WISEPlace on Broadway Completes Lease Up
The County of Orange partnered with WISEPlace, the City of Santa Ana, Jamboree Housing Corporation, and other partners to assist in the successful completion and lease of 47 units of permanent supportive housing serving several different populations. This included 14 units exclusively for households with a qualifying mental health disability. Importantly, 15 units were made available specifically for survivors fleeing domestic or other violence. WISEPlace on Broadway was the first permanent supportive housing project to take referrals through the CES for Survivors. As vacancies become available, these will be filled via referrals from CES. WISEPlace on Broadway will help safely house survivors for years to come.
Highlighting Permanent Housing for Seniors Throughout Orange County
Since July 2024, the County of Orange has assisted in the addition of 86 units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness ages 62 or older that exclusively take referrals from CES. This includes units at five new, different sites, including Santa Angelina in Placentia and Meadows in Lake Forest. This greatly adds to the CES’s capacity to refer and connect households experiencing homelessness to senior specific housing communities, adding to the four previous permanent supportive housing properties that accepted referrals for units designated to seniors, which included Altrudy in Yorba Linda and Cotton’s Point in San Clemente.
OC Same-Day Solutions Fair; Post Event Debrief
Following the success of the Orange County (County) Same-Day Solutions Fair held on March 27, 2025, the Office of Care Coordination (OCC) held debrief meetings in April 2025 with participating community vendors and County departments to gather insights on how to best enhance future events. The debrief meetings included an opportunity for the OCC to provide a summary of the event’s impact through a review of preliminary data points gathered. Additionally, the feedback collected from individuals, event vendors and providers that attended with their client was reviewed. The responses received were both valuable and informative, offering important guidance that will help shape and strengthen future events.
The OCC is looking forward to implementing the feedback received to improve event planning and coordination. The OCC is exploring additional locations for future OC Same-Day Solutions Fairs throughout the different Service Planning Areas (SPAs) in Orange County. More information regarding the next OC Same-Day Solutions Fair will be released as it becomes available. To learn more, please visit the Office of Care Coordination website: Office of Care Coordination
  Bridges at Kraemer Place Community Advisory Board (BCAB) Quarterly Meeting
The Bridges at Kraemer Place Community Advisory Board (BCAB) meets quarterly to discuss the operations of Bridges at Kraemer Place (Bridges) and learn about the impact it has on the community in the North Service Planning Area. The BCAB meetings provide an opportunity for open dialogue between the members of the advisory board, collaboration to support the efforts, and the exchange of ideas to support and improve services for individuals currently enrolled at Bridges. Members of the advisory board, which includes stakeholders from the North Service Planning Area, discuss current challenges, share best practices, and explore potential solutions to enhance shelter operations and participant outcomes.
The most recent meeting was held on April 23, 2025, at the City of Villa Park’s Town Hall. Volunteers of America Los Angles (VOALA) delivered a presentation highlighting the Regional Care Coordination Services (RCC) Program and how the beds at Bridges support one key component of the RCC program, which is shelter. The partnership between Mercy House as the operator of Bridges and VOALA as the operator of the RCC program, is a key example of how the collaboration of community-based organizations leverages resources to ensure individuals are eligible for services. In addition, the presentation provided an overview of the program’s goals, operational framework, and impact to date, underscoring the importance of interagency collaboration in supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.
For more information on the BCAB, please visit here.
Proposition 36
On December 18, 2024, California's Proposition 36 (Prop 36), the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act, took effect. Prop 36 modifies the legal landscape of drug and theft crimes by introducing “wobbler” offenses – crimes that can be charged as either misdemeanors or felonies, depending on various circumstances. It emphasizes treatment for drug-related offenses and recognizes addiction is a health issue that requires treatment. Additionally, Prop 36 uses the wobbler provisions and increased penalties to deter repeat offenders.
The Office of Care Coordination (OCC) has been working closely with the Collaborative Courts and other County departments to allow for further assessment of programmatic needs of Prop 36 defendants through Enhanced Care Management (ECM) providers: Project Kinship, Mariposa, Korean Community Services (KCS), and Health Right 36. The services delivered through the ECM play a key role in providing wraparound support to individuals.
Furthermore, the OCC began attending Prop 36 Court in January 2025 and engaging with participants who are in need of connections to services. Roughly 66 percent of participants engaged in Prop 36 Court reported housing instability or episodes of homelessness and 38 percent of those participants have interacted with the Homeless Response System via shelter enrollment or participated in other supportive programs. As a result of the participant engagement efforts of OCC, a total of 14 shelter referrals, 24 Outreach and Engagement referrals, and seven (7) ECM referrals have been made live during the court hearings. Facilitating connections to housing, treatment, long-term support, and resources can help address the cycle of addiction and reduce recidivism.
Homekey Program Interim Services
The State of California continues to work with eligible jurisdictions in the success of the Homekey Program by transforming existing facilities, such as hotels and motels, into permanent supportive housing.
The Homekey Round 2 Program began services for participants in October 2022 at the Huntington Beach Oasis (Program) site, operated by American Family Housing (AFH). Since its opening, the Program has served 116 individuals and 55 percent of participants exiting the Program have successfully transitioned to a permanent housing opportunity. The Program is currently in the conversion phase and rehabilitation/construction is scheduled to end by late Fall 2025. The rehabilitation will transition units from interim housing to permanent supportive housing. AFH continues to provide housing focused services to ensure transitions to permanent housing opportunities. This includes case conferencing around all active participants, facilitating connections to the Coordinated Entry System (CES) and exploring available housing opportunities. The Program currently has 31 active participants on site and will begin the ramp down soon.
PATH Success Story
An individual had been experiencing homelessness since 2019 and had been connected to various homeless services and agencies to assist with securing a place to call home. The individual enrolled at Yale Navigation Center in April 2022 with the goal of finding permanent housing. PATH was equipped to provide services that catered to the individual’s needs including transportation and health services. The individual received their first match to a voucher in September 2022 to permanent supportive housing unit at Estrella Springs. However, the individual declined the match due to a preference for a different city. Despite ongoing health concerns, navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, and behavioral challenges, PATH case managers continued to provide support and motivation for the individual to proceed with their permanent housing journey.
In August 2024, the individual was matched to Estrella Springs once again; however, they remained adamant about finding housing in their preferred cities: Costa Mesa or Huntington Beach. PATH continued their ongoing support by encouraging the individual to provide proof of strong ties to those cities. Although the individual struggled to provide ties to their preferred cities, PATH continued to advocate for them.
In the Fall of 2024, the individual was matched to Estrella Springs for the third time. PATH staff urged the individual to do an onsite visit of the location before declining the match. The individual agreed to complete a walkthrough of the site and decided to accept the housing match. Due to PATH’s consistent efforts to engage and encourage their clients, the individual successfully “made it home” into their own apartment in December 2024, where they remain housed to this day.
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