BUENA PARK, CA (July 13, 2004)

Hope Family Housing - Buena Park will soon occupy this one-acre vacant in-fill lot at 8657 Whitaker Street, on the Buena Park-Fullerton border. The Courtyard Apartments are adjacent to the lot with single-family homes and an industrial park nearby.

As the project's architect, long time HomeAid supporter, Bassenian/Lagoni Architects was presented with a difficult design challenge. In addition to providing both a sense of community and privacy the architects were faced with the issue of maximizing an underutilized property measuring only 100 feet wide and positioned between two existing and very different land uses.

To meet the task, Bassenian employed the row town home design concept, creating two separate areas each with a village green complete with a play area and landscaped grounds. In addition to the community green space, the development will be comprised of a separate manager's unit and multi-purpose room, with each efficiency unit having a private courtyard, laundry and garage. The exteriors are slated to be fashioned after the city's historic roots offering a compatible aesthetic addition to the neighborhood.

The Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) - currently partnering with HomeAid Orange County's Village of Hope development – a $10.2 million facility on the closed Tustin Marine Air Base – also serving homeless families – will manage Hope Family Housing's day-to-day operations.

The primary focus of the OCRM program is to provide hope through an environment of independent living with supportive services. Hope Family Housing residents will participate in a two-year program that includes job training, counseling and other services providing life skills training that will assist them with their ultimate transition back into mainstream society. Many of these OCRM services will be delivered via its "Strong Beginnings" mobile outreach program providing medical services, food, and job training to the residents.

This program's procedures and requirements will be outlined to the potential residents as a part of their application process and as a requisite of their acceptance into Hope Family Housing - Buena Park. The measurable outcome for the residents will be based on independent self-sufficient living without the use of welfare.

According to a recent article, most neighbors say they're glad the city is taking steps to help the homeless, which according to the Orange County Homeless Issues Task Force, number over 28,000 countywide. Additionally, groups dedicated to helping the homeless say they welcome the shelter, which would help ease the significant gap between available beds and the growing numbers of homeless.

HomeAid Orange County, the largest provider of homeless shelters with 35 completed projects to their credit, is in the process of seeking a Builder Captain to spearhead the development. The $2.3 million project is expected to break ground in 2005. For information, contact HomeAid Orange County at (949) 553-9510 or visit www.homeaidoc.org.