Over 600 Homeless People Were Relocated From the Santa Ana Riverbed to Motels Across County, but Their Plight Isn't Over

"Some homeless people who were relocated from the Santa Ana Riverbed to Orange County motels are allegedly being evicted early or denied access to basic needs, according to complaints filed in federal court.

“We’re hearing, across the board, motels are evicting people. We heard that from the county,” said Lili Graham, litigation director of the Legal Aid Society of Orange County.

The filings by Legal Aid, a nonprofit legal service for low-income individuals,  specifically accused the Motel 6 on Chapman Avenue in Orange of evicting a homeless resident on Feb. 20 and not meeting the 30-day stay period arranged by the county for residents to have shelter while looking for permanent living situations.

Since then, Graham said the former riverbed resident was rehoused. The filing said the individual was moved to the Motel 6 on Katella Avenue in Stanton.

Graham said the Stanton Motel 6 had evicted former riverbed residents Thursday after seven days of their stay, and that health care agencies visited the motel and were unable to relocate all of the evicted people.

It is unclear whether or not those individuals had broken rules established by the motels in an arrangement with the county.

The complaint alleges that the motels may be trying to avoid the formation of a landlord-tenant relationship, which would form if the individuals stayed at the motel for over 30 days, entitling them to tenant rights under California law..."

Continue reading