Shelter Providers Of Orange County Inc

HomeAid’s mission is to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness build new lives through construction, community
engagement, and education.

In 1989, leaders of the Building Industry of Southern California engaged in a revolutionary project: the renovation of an old farmhouse in Irvine into affordable housing for families experiencing homelessness. This one-off project opened the door to an innovative new idea: a charitable branch of the Building Industry that donates their expertise, labor, and materials towards construction projects that help end homelessness. HomeAid's story of ending homelessness through housing began.

Established by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, HomeAid primarily constructs housing for nonprofit service providers and public entities that serve people experiencing homelessness. Our unique model, centered around in-kind donations of labor and materials from our building industry partners, saves a significant amount of market costs on each HomeAid housing construction project. HomeAid Orange County is the founder of 19 HomeAid affiliates working across the United States to end homelessness.

As HomeAid, we believe that housing is a human right. Every person deserves a safe and dignified space to call home. Each HomeAid project brings us one step closer to our goal: building a future without homelessness.

Since our founding in 1989, HomeAid has sought to be a vital force in creating safe and dignified housing for our neighbors experiencing or at risk of homelessness, while also improving and expanding both the housing and resources available to those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Beginning in 2008, HomeAid began adding new Community Engagement programs that aim to bring in millions of essential items for people experiencing homelessness in the greatest need. To become a better catalyst for positive change, HomeAid advocates for housing as a human right and centers its work around three core values: inclusiveness, collaboration, and integrity.

Since HomeAid's founding in 1989, HomeAid Orange County has completed 73 different housing projects. These include emergency shelters, bridge housing units, and affordable housing projects.

In 2017, HomeAid Orange County opened its first self-owned housing project, the Family CareCenter, an emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness. The CareCenter meets the in-demand need for emergency shelters specifically for families, and is designed to keep families together when so many become separated during the crisis of homelessness. Operated by a nonprofit service provider partner, the CareCenter provides human services that help address the housing needs of the families they serve. To date, the CareCenter has served over 360 Orange County experiencing homelessness.

HomeAid Orange County's Community Engagement programs, include two annual donation drives, the Diaper Drive and the Holiday Meal Drive. Since 2008, our Diaper Drive has brought in over 13.5 million essential items, including diapers, wipes, and baby food, to be given back to families experiencing homelessness. Since 2019, our Holiday Meal Drive has given an estimated 8,000 meals for individuals and families experiencing homelessness during the holidays.

Overall, HomeAid's housing projects and community engagement opportunities have served an estimated 90,000 individuals experiencing homelessness, and continue to serve an estimated 10,000 more each year.

Orange County is a diverse and beautiful place for anyone to call home. From an outsider’s perspective, Orange County might seem like the home of the wealthy. However, while there is great wealth, there is a great disparity of it that has caused many of its citizens to experience homelessness.

The most recent Orange County Point-in-Time count has recorded that on any given night in Orange County, there are 5,718 individuals experiencing homelessness. Homelessness can happen for a variety of reasons – from the loss of a job, a crisis of health, the death or abandonment of a caretaker, or domestic abuse. A rapidly growing factor of individuals losing their homes has become the frighteningly growing divide between average earnings and the cost of living.

According to the 2023-2024 OC Community Indicators Report, home prices in Orange County have increased by 91.6 percent in the past 10 years. In 2023, only 22 percent of first-time home buyers in Orange County were estimated to be able to purchase an entry-level home, which has already plummeted from 29 percent in 2022.

The lack of affordable housing has increased demand for apartments, which only leads to the increased cost of renting. The hourly wage needed to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Orange County is now $40.63 per hour – an over 10% increase from $36.63 an hour in 2022. Some of Orange County’s most important occupations – our carpenters, mechanists, and salespeople – do not reach this hourly threshold.

When someone loses their home and begins to experience homelessness, their life is fundamentally in danger. All their time and effort must be spent on finding enough food and shelter for 24 hours at a time. This can be especially difficult for families, who have a larger threat of being separated once entering homelessness. Falling into the cycle of homelessness and poverty can happen to anyone in these economically challenging times, and it is difficult to break out of. In the 2023 California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), 89% of all participants stated that high housing costs negatively affected their ability to reenter permanent housing.

In these economically challenging times, anyone can become at risk of homelessness, and it is an incredibly difficult cycle to break out of. HomeAid exists to meet this basic need for shelter and affordable housing by increasing the number of safe beds that are available in Orange County.

All of Orange County, California.

I am often asked, why HomeAid? When I think about the answer, I’m reminded of all the dedicated and generous people throughout the 26+ years I’ve been at HomeAid Orange County, who have contributed their time, resources, and financial support to raise awareness about our mission.

The resiliency and enthusiasm I’ve witnessed firsthand time and time again for what we do, regardless of the challenges we often face, humbles me and fills me deeply with gratitude.

With housing affordability continuing to be at the forefront of our conversations, our goal for 2024 is to be positioned in a way that allows us to respond with the greatest impact. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that life can change on a dime, and we need to be prepared. The unwavering support of donors like you allows us to lead and play an important role in the conversation about homelessness in our community. This is more important than ever as we see families and single adults struggling to make ends meet, which pushes them into a greater risk of homelessness.

The journey we’re on together can be challenging but it is also tremendously rewarding when we hear the stories of lives being impacted by the work we do. So, as we look ahead to 2024, may the achievements of this year propel us forward with gratitude toward a legacy of building a future without homelessness.

- Gina Cunningham, Executive Director

Profoundly impacting people’s lives through housing is an opportunity you are a part of as a supporter of HomeAid Orange County. The stories from individuals and families impacted by the work we do are a powerful testament to the generosity of our donors, sponsors, volunteers, and project partners. As a contributor to our mission, thank you for your commitment to HomeAid Orange County and for believing that together, we can end homelessness in our community.

- Steve Murow, Board President