Homeless Prevention

Without housing subsidies, low-income renters in South County are continually confronted with the difficulty of choosing between the necessities of food, utilities, medicine or rent. South County Outreach has operated a homeless prevention program since 1989, supplying groceries from our food pantry, rent and utility assistance for clients facing eviction and utility shut-off and now offering one-on-one case management, resources, and referrals for walk-in clients.

Providing supplemental food not only increases nutritional levels for children and adults but allows people to redirect their financial resources toward equally pressing obligations. Likewise, assisting with one utility bill or one month’s rent is cost-effective compared to the financial and emotional price of an eviction. Here in Orange County, there are few affordable housing units and the fair market rents are high, which makes re-housing both difficult and expensive. Additionally, losing one’s home has a devastating emotional impact on every family member and may cause added problems such as unemployment, lost school time, malnutrition, or illness.