Recent decisions by the Orange County Board of Supervisors regarding the acquisition of properties for emergency homeless shelters provides hope for the future, but fall short of meeting the immediate needs of unsheltered homeless persons this winter.

The current county projects will not be in place until late 2016 and in the meantime leaves the homeless to endure low temperatures and additional extreme weather conditions imposed by El Nino as forecasted by meteorologists.

This petition will advise Chairman Todd Spitzer and other members of the OC BOS to declare an immediate declaration of a State of Emergency for all homeless persons in Orange County.

The opening of Red Cross emergency shelters should be facilitated in areas close to the most populated homeless encampments countywide when temperatures are forecasted to be 40 degrees or less and when rain is predicted.

We are asking that the county eliminate the process of seeking Request for Proposals from contractors to provide emergency shelters in a way that immediately serves the needs of homeless people in a more timely manner.