July 01, 2022

Rep. Correa Recognized for Key Role in County Wide Efforts to Support Homeless

New Non-Profit Will Expand Resources for Orange County

Washington, D.C. — Today Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA) was formally recognized by nonprofit organization, Housing for Health OC, for his instrumental role in securing their 501(c)(3) status. Housing for Health OC is a collaboration of four Orange County homeless housing, including Mercy House in Santa Ana, and service providers that work under the CalAIM program:

"Thousands of community members in Orange County have been suffering as a result of the homelessness crisis for too long. It is critical that we treat those affected with respect and provide them with the essential resources they need. Housing for Health OC will directly address this key issue and their operations will be crucial to the support and betterment of the Orange County community.”

“Our collaborative, which includes American Family Housing, Friendship Shelter, Mercy House and Jamboree Housing, is at the forefront of providing homelessness services under the CalAIM program,” said Heather Stratman from the Housing for Health OC. “ This program operates under a federal waiver from the Center for Medicare Services, and our continued work in this space was made possible by the swift action of Congressman Correa’s office in helping secure The Collaborative’s nonprofit status with the Internal Revenue Service. The work by the Congressman will enable our organization to support hundreds of Orange County’s homeless residents in the coming months”

“As Chair of the HHOC, our collaborative is always grateful for the continued support from elected officials to address issues of homelessness within our community,” said Larry Haynes from the Housing for Health OC Board President.  “While our collaborative is a leader in supporting and housing homeless individuals utilizing the CalAIM program, our work is only possible when enthusiastically supported by community leaders at every level of government. We are grateful that Congressman Correa has seen the importance of our work first hand, and we will continue to work with his office to remove any barriers that exist when serving this incredibly vulnerable population.”

Background:  Congressman Lou Correa, a member of the Congressional Homelessness Caucus, led a bipartisan letter in the support of securing 501(c)(3) status for Housing for Health OC in April this year. Housing for Health OC (HHOC) is a nonprofit that was created to establish an umbrella and oversight over the four Orange County homeless service providers – Mercy House, Friendship Shelter, American Family Housing, and Jamboree – to provide centralized administrative and financial support to access Medi-Cal billing under the CalAIM Community Supports program. HHOC will provide critical supportive housing services and is poised to assist hundreds of Orange County’s homeless. 

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