Governor Gavin Newsom Joins Orange County Leaders for Grand Opening of Regional Homeless Outreach Hub

Fullerton, Calif. – Orange County elected officials and local service providers were joined by Governor Gavin Newsom today for the grand opening of a new homeless outreach facility in the city of Fullerton. The HOPE Center, otherwise known as the Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement Center, will serve as a unified dispatch base for trained homeless liaison officers and community service providers to quickly and effectively respond to people experiencing homelessness across the region.

“The HOPE Center is a model of what’s possible when we realize the promise of providing services in the community, where people can heal – and not behind the locked walls of institutions and prisons,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “This is an innovative, smart, local approach that complements the state’s work to disrupt the status quo and deliver results for people struggling on our streets and sidewalks.”

The HOPE Center will operate as the centralized command hub for the work of the North Orange County Public Safety Collaborative. Established in 2017, the Collaborative brings together cities, law enforcement and community-based organizations across Orange County to address leading public safety issues, with an emphasis on homelessness. Initially comprised of six cities, the Collaborative has expanded its reach to include eleven cities across the North Orange County region, which include the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Orange, Placentia, Stanton and Yorba Linda.

"Over its first five years of operation and evolution, the North Orange County Public Safety Collaborative has demonstrated its value as a framework and model for addressing homelessness without the need for arrests," said Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton). "The newly opened HOPE Center will serve as the hub for the Collaborative’s efforts going forward, connecting and aligning housing resources, healthcare workers, community-based organizations, and local law enforcement personnel under one roof to efficiently and effectively coordinate and deliver resources. I’m very grateful to Governor Newsom for joining us to commemorate its grand opening, and for his interest in assessing this model for replication opportunities across the state.”

Central to the Collaborative’s work is the use of Outreach Grid, a mobile platform and smartphone application built to collect and share information on unhoused individuals, make referrals, track progress and even instantly book beds in local shelters. Through the use of this state-of-the-art technology, critical data is collected to ensure that those in need are connected to housing and resources at the time and place they need them. In Orange County and across the state, the process of finding a shelter with available beds used to take days or even weeks, but using Outreach Grid, service providers in the region can help find shelter for those seeking housing in less than 15 minutes. With the opening of the HOPE Center, this technology will be deployed on a larger scale further proving its potential to address the complex challenges that accompany homelessness.

The original $20 million funding for the Collaborative was secured in 2017 by Senator Josh Newman in the California State Budget. Since then, the Collaborative has received an additional $15.8 million from the state, $5 million from the federal government and $500,000 from the County of Orange.

“It’s incredibly meaningful for me able to be here with my colleagues and Governor Newsom, who has lead the way creating collaborative solutions to tackle homelessness here in California. And, Senator Newman is deserving of special recognition here for being both the brains and machine behind the HOPE Center and Collaborative, in particular” said Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana). “I’ve had the privilege of working with both of these men and many of their partners on the establishment of CARE Courts – a new framework to get people with mental health and substance use disorders the support and care they need.  HOPE Center fits directly into that model by providing clinically prescribed, individualized interventions with supportive services for this same complex population. It’s an absolute joy to see these pieces coming together to better serve one of our most vulnerable communities.”  

“We know that a well-coordinated, collaborative effort is key when it comes to improving the availability of services, shelter beds and treatment for our unhoused neighbors. The HOPE Center will now provide a centrally located service hub, providing a variety of resources to better serve those experiencing homelessness in Fullerton and surrounding cities. I thank Senator Josh Newman, for supporting the North Orange County Public Safety Collaborative in this amazing project,” said Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton). “This work is a testament to what a community can do when it opens its heart to those who are suffering so that we can provide people the help they need to regain the stability that leads to a permanent home.”

To schedule an interview with Senator Newman, contact Lizzie Cootsona at 530.592.5547.

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State Senator Josh Newman represents the 29th Senate District, which is comprised of portions of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Bernardino County. The 29th District includes all or parts of the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Chino Hills, City of Industry, Cypress, Diamond Bar, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, Rowland Heights, Stanton, Walnut, West Covina and Yorba Linda. Senator Newman is a former United States Army officer, businessperson, and veterans’ advocate, and lives in Fullerton with his wife and daughter.