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It's official.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors agreed this week to a proposed settlement from their 2018 homeless lawsuit.
In case you weren't aware, this lawsuit has led the county to better develop a system of care. This had led to the opening of shelters, more permanent supportive housing units, stepped-up health care for people on the streets, and an increase in mental health care services.
While a copy of the settlement proposal is not available yet to the public, a court date before U.S District Judge David O. Carter is expected to take place as early as next week so the agreement can be finalized.
“This settlement is an important step in Orange County’s efforts to build our system of care and broader homeless response plan,” Supervisor Andrew Do said in a statement.
This proposal is slight similar to the tentative agreement that the county reached in October with lawyers representing homeless plaintiffs. However, there's one huge difference between these two proposals.
This newest proposal includes a stipulation from the OC Sheriff's Department that there will be no enforcement of anti-camping laws in the nine south OC cities that contract with the sheriff for police services unless homeless people are provided other options to sleeping outdoors.
The nine cities are: Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.
For more information, read more here.