Leaders of Orange County’s top corporate, philanthropic, government and faith-based organizations gathered in February to officially announce United to End Homelessness. The initiative boasts a coalition of nonprofit and private interests joining to create solutions for a pressing problem: growing homelessness in a county with some of the country’s wealthiest cities.
The 250-plus invited guests at University of California-Irvine’s Barclay Theatre greeted the announcement with loud applause.
The concept is straightforward: OC abounds with forward-thinking people who develop solutions on a daily basis in their roles as executives, managers and employees. Why not tap into that wealth of talent to tackle one of the largest issues?
Collaborative
The seed was recently planted in cities such as Orlando, Fla. and San Antonio—and led here to the creation of United to End Homelessness last year, propelled by a study of the financial costs of homelessness to the Orange County community. The study was commissioned by nonprofit organizations Orange County United Way and Jamboree Housing Corp. in Irvine, and UCI, with the support of the Association of California Cities and the Hospital Association of Southern California.
The study, according to Orange County United Way Chief Executive Sue Parks, is one of the most comprehensive of its kind in the U.S. It showed that nearly $300 million in taxpayer and nongovernmental agency money was spent in the 2014-15 fiscal year to address homelessness here.
Parks said the idea of a “collaborative solution” to homelessness sprouted in July of last year, when United Way executives began bouncing the idea around in a series of meetings. By the fall, they’d decided to pursue the initiative.
Within a few months, the effort had a leadership council that included executives from Orange County’s most influential companies and organizations, among them Disneyland, the Anaheim Ducks, Angels Baseball, Kaiser Permanente Orange County, Pacific Life Insurance Co., Wahoo’s Fish Taco, the Orange County Business Council, UCI, the Orange County Community Foundation and the Hospital Association of Southern California.
The collective plans to work with county government, cities, developers, property owners and service providers to establish immediate and short-term housing and long-term supportive housing for the chronically homeless in Orange County.
All told, from inception to launch, United to End Homelessness coalesced in about three months.
“This is lightning speed for something this major,” Parks said with a smile.
Good Business
“We probably had 40 business leaders and philanthropists on our initial invite list” to the launch event, she said. The guests, who represent a range of industries, were eager to discuss sustainable solutions for people without homes.
“Some were already long-term supporters of the United Way,” Parks said. “We had great support early on from Pacific Life, for example. They were one of the first companies that offered to be the backbone of this initiative.”
After the launch, United Way extended invitations to join the leadership council. Nearly every organization they approached signed on.
Leveraging members’ talents, the council is charged with shaping the initiative, developing short- and long-term goals and objectives. More than 40 executives are taking part, including Orange County Business Council President and Chief Executive Lucy Dunn, Five Point Holdings LLC Chief Communications Officer Steve Churm, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Chairman Dennis Kuhl, Kaiser Permanente Orange County Executive Director Mark Costa, Wahoo’s Fish Taco co-founder Wing Lam, and Memorial Care Saddleback Medical Center board Chairman Tom Rogers. Leading the council is Ware Malcomb Chief Executive Larry Armstrong.
“Over the last several years driving around the county … I became more and more concerned,” Armstrong told the Business Journal after agreeing to take the post. “I did some research. There’s a ton of work going on … but then there’s more and more tents. So I called United Way, had lunch with [former United Way Orange County Chief Executive] Max Gardner, and I joined the board.”
Based on their skills and interests, council members are divided into working groups focused on public awareness, rental, funding and performance metrics.
Companies are also investing financial resources. For example, Pacific Life donated $40,000 this year to support the initiative. Kaiser Permanente Orange County committed to give $150,000 over two years, and Wells Fargo & Co. donated $100,000 this year to be distributed over the next few years.
Working Together
“It’s the first time we’ve engaged the business community in a meaningful way and said, look, businesses are doing their business … I think it’s time for a public awareness campaign, time for the business community to get involved and help push this over the goal lines,” Armstrong said.
“Homelessness in Orange County is an important issue, and no one entity is going to solve it alone,” Parks said. To that end, any person or business who wants to get involved in the solution is welcome.
“It’s our brand. It’s who we want to be as a community,” she said. “Please take a look at the United to End Homelessness website. Read the site, learn about the issues, and come join the fight. We can do this if we do it together.”
