Central Cities Navigation Center (CCNC)

According to the UCI Cost Study (Click Here to View Report), the top three causes of homelessness in Orange County are:

1. Difficulty finding or retaining jobs that pays a sustainable wage (40%)
2. Difficulty finding or retaining housing that is affordable (26%)
3. Family issues, such as domestic violence, divorce, death of family member (28%)

This refers to people who have been continuously homeless for one year or more, or who have experienced at least four instances of homelessness in the last three years, which collectively total at least 12 months, and has a long term or permanent diagnosed/documented disability, physical, mental or addiction.

Annually, the City funds numerous non-profit service providers to provide a range of services to people in Garden Grove who are currently or at-risk of experiencing homelessness including: street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and homeless prevention. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19), the City was awarded four separate grants by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and the American Rescue Plan. These grants were awarded to the City to provide additional resources for the homeless and at-risk populations in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Please click on the link below for current accomplishments and data related information.

Link to the Homelessness Data Dashboard: https://ggcity.org/endhomelessness/dashboard

In an effort to leverage resources among the Central Service Planning Area cities, the City entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the cities of Fountain Valley and Westminster, which was approved by City Council on June 14, 2022. The MOU outlines that the cities agree to collaborate towards a navigation center including funding contributions towards construction and operations. A navigation center provides emergency shelter and essential services to homeless individuals. A navigation center also allows for a stay up to 6 months and only accepts clients on a referral basis. Also, navigation centers are open during the day, allow clients to receive services, make connections to resources and work with trade staff to better ensure connections to housing. Please click on the link below for additional information about the Central Cities Navigation Center.

Future Navigation Center Web-Page: https://ggcity.org/navigation-center

For additional information about the City’s efforts to addressing homelessness, please click on the following link: https://ggcity.org/endhomelessness

The City adopted the Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness (CSPAH) in September 2021 to outline the goals and objectives related to homelessness over the next 5-years. The CSPAH provides an overview of the City’s resources that are allocated to addressing homelessness and identifies specific strategic actions that the City will take to reach the goals and objectives. Please click the link below to visit the City’s Addressing Homelessness webpage to view the 2021 CSPAH.

https://ggcity.org/endhomelessness

If you see someone or know someone experiencing homelessness, the best option is to contact the City’s street outreach providers to get essential services and housing referrals. The first point of contact should be with the Garden Grove’s Special Resource Team and the Be Well OC in Garden Grove Mobile Response Team, who can be reached at the Police Department’s non-emergency line below.

Garden Grove Special Resource Team Contact: (714) 741-5704

Be Well OC in Garden Grove Mobile Response Team Contact: (714) 741-5704

In addition, you can contact 2-1-1 Orange County who can connect the individual experiencing homelessness to the Coordinated Entry System so they can begin the process of getting connected to permanent housing. This system can also refer people to other services that they might need.

Homeless Service Provider Hotline: Dial 2-1-1

It is a common misconception that people experiencing homelessness refuse services because, "they do not want the help or they choose to be homeless”. Being homeless is stressful, humiliating, exhausting, and oftentimes unsafe. Daily, men, women, and children who are victims of homelessness live vulnerably and are commonly found in dangerous circumstances. When our outreach teams take the time to learn someone’s story, they will hear that the individual is not “choosing to be homeless”, but rather there are barriers for them to get housing. It is our responsibility as a community to talk about homelessness with empathy, compassion, and servitude.

In many instances, the City’s outreach workers need to make numerous contacts with each individual experiencing homelessness for the assistance to be accepted. Trust building is a critical component to the referral process and increases the likelihood that assistance will be accepted.

https://unitedtoendhomelessness.org/blog/myth-people-choose-to-be-homel…

The City of Garden Grove currently funds a mobile response team called Be Well OC in Garden Grove to provide immediate in-community assessment and stabilization to residents experiencing mental health and substance abuse. The mobile response team is composed of two crisis counselors from Be Well OC. The teams are trained in de-escalation and are skilled to effectively address the emotional and social well-being of their clients. The crisis counselors will provide appropriate information, referrals, transportation to services, as well as ongoing case management to ensure continued success.

Be Well OC Mobile Response Team: https://ggcity.org/be-well-oc-garden-grove

A navigation center serves as temporary housing (up to 6 months) for individuals experiencing homelessness. In addition, a navigation center provides a stable setting with supportive and stabilization services to provide clients with the resources they need to permanently transition to permanent housing. A typical navigation center has the following features: offices, classrooms, a laundry room, restrooms and showers, designated pet areas, locker rooms, and indoor and outdoor meeting spaces.

Individuals who are homeless (living in a place not meant for human habitation) will be eligible to use a navigation center. A navigation center typically only accepts clients on a referral-basis, and walk-ins are not permitted.

Non-profit homeless service providers typically operate navigation centers. The jurisdiction developing the navigation center usually issues a request for proposals from qualified homeless service providers once a building has been acquired.

Referrals to a navigation center are typically made by homeless liaison officers in police departments or street outreach homeless service providers. Referrals can also be made through the Orange County Coordinated Entry System if beds are available in the navigation center.

Garden Grove Special Resource Team Contact: (714) 741-5704

Homeless Service Provider Hotline: Dial 2-1-1

The maximum number of days that an individual can stay at a navigation center cannot be longer than 6 months, per the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The maximum number of days someone can stay at a navigation center can vary and is dependent on the jurisdiction that the center is located in.

Services offered at a navigation center typically include the following services:

• Referral to supportive services through the Orange County CES;
• Mobile healthcare and mental health services;
• Veteran specific services;
• Income, benefits and employment services;
• Life skill classes including financial literacy and budgeting;
• Housing navigation and assistance; and
• Substance use recovery and treatment programs.