Homeless night shelter at Orange County armories comes to an end this weekend

The 90-day summer extension that allowed Orange County to continue using two California National Guard armories as night shelter for homeless people ends with the last night on Sunday, July 15, with no additional emergency shelter set to open anytime soon.

The Fullerton armory will close as sleeping quarters for homeless people by midweek because the military needs the space for upcoming drills. Those staying there will be transported to the Santa Ana armory on Flower Street, which will continue providing shelter through Sunday night, according to Molly Nichelson, the county’s public information manager.

Outreach workers will be available to discuss “options” at the Santa Ana armory from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nichelson said.

The Fullerton and Santa Ana military facilities traditionally open during the winter as night-only shelter under a county-operated program that typically ends in early April.

But this year, with local officials under pressure from a federal judge over the lack of adequate shelter for Orange County’s homeless population, Gov. Jerry Brown and the California Military Department granted an extension. As the weather warmed, fewer people showed up to sleep at the armories, which lacked air conditioning.

A lawyer in a civil rights lawsuit over the displacement earlier this year of more than 700 people from Santa Ana River Trail tent encampments said Tuesday that she is eager to see what options the county will offer. At the last court hearing in June before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, there was talk of progress on several undisclosed sites for possible homeless shelters.

“We hope to see the local governments step up and provide services that keep families together and consider disabilities including trauma,” said attorney Brooke Weitzman, adding she might seek a return to court next week if alternative sleeping arrangements are inadequate.