STORY AND PHOTOS BY TIMOTHY BRAVO AND NOEMI MOSQUEDA / el Don

She lives in the shadow of the Angel Stadium ’ s “ A ,” her encampment woven within the web of Orange County ’ s concrete jungle . Along the Santa Ana River , with her back hunched and knees bent , 23-year-old Ashley digs her feet into the scorched earth — the charred remains of a fire that recently turned her belongings into a billowing tower of smoke . In the two years she ’ s been homeless , this was not the first time she lost everything . The first time was in the winter , where the jaws of sweeping floods swallowed her possessions into a watery abyss . Now Ashley claws at the ground , her bony fingers caked in dirt from clearing the fire ’ s remains so she can move back with her precious blue-nose pitbull . “ I lost everything . I actually risked burning my face off getting my tent . The fire got some of my hair , and my face was red after . Someone pulled me away ,” Ashley said . Homelessness in Orange County has been growing over the past few years , with hundreds like Ashley residing along the Santa Ana River , fearing for their futures . The encampment , which the county estimates at as many as 500 inhabitants , stretches along the bike trail with the majority sitting between Chapman and Katella avenues . The strip forms what people are calling OC ’ s “ Skid Row .” Once a simple mass of tents and makeshift homes , skid river has evolved into a sprawling community of residents

like Ashley who are familiar with a life of disaster . Homeless residents were forced to abandon the east bank , south of the Angel Stadium area , because sand and boulders are now stored on the property between Chapman and Orangewood avenues . According to OC Public Works , living on the edge of the river is not safe . Michael , whose parents have been living in the encampment for the last three years , explains the unfortunate decisions the county has made . “ What bothered me was the rock storage ,” Michael said , describing how he felt the City of Orange valued rock storage more than people ’ s homes . He said these tents are people ’ s homes filled with their belongings and kicking them out is insulting . “ Society just says , ‘ Screw you animals , you all deserve what you get .’ That ’ s not true for a lot of people . Life happens . You get down to this point , you can imagine the self-esteem ,” said Patrick , a visitor to the Santa Ana River and a Santa Ana College alumnus from the 1980s . Patrick , despite becoming homeless six months ago , is an author who has published two poems and three short stories , and is currently working on publishing a fourth short story . There have been mixed emotions regarding the move with complaints from residents of a nearby apartment complex and protesters helping to keep the homeless where they are . “ I do feel bad for them but I am also glad that the city is doing something about it after many complaints ,” said Lissette Liceaga , a resident of a nearby

apartment complex in Anaheim .

“ I used to go for runs and bike rides , but I often encountered many people that were not very nice , forcing me to stop going completely .”

Frank , another homeless resident , has been living along the river for the past two years and says he is the face for many of the homeless living along the Santa Ana River .

“ I ’ m not mentally ill . I ’ m not an addict . I became bankrupt . I ended up broke and I had worked all my life ,” Frank said .

Frank became homeless after he lost both his thumbs at a company he worked for and they failed to pay his workers compensation , ultimately leaving him penniless . Despite receiving a Social Security check it is not enough to get him a place to rent and pay bills .

“ What do I do ? I can ’ t work and I don ’ t get enough money from social security ,” Frank said .

He explains that all the homeless want is a safe zone , a piece of land where they can camp and not bother anyone .

To aid the homeless living by the river bed , visitors , many of whom are from church groups , arrive with different types of charity such as handing out food , offering donations and performing services like washing clothes . While visitors come on different days of the week , most come during the weekend .

City employees have also developed a system with the homeless by having them separate the trash they wish to dispose of into orange trash bags , which are then left by the side of the road for pick up . Trash collection occurs a few times a

week , according to residents .

Despite the efforts made by charities and the county , many homeless in the area believe more can be done . Many necessities , such as water and access to medical care , are not available .

“ Substance abuse is not rampant ,” Patrick said . “ It ’ s not a majority , but it ’ s here . It ’ s like an infection , and if you do not take care of it you can die from it . Just point them in a direction .”

To combat the growing numbers of homeless in Orange County , the first year-round homeless shelter opened at the beginning of this month . The Bridges Homeless Shelter , located in Anaheim , was created out of a converted warehouse and is set to accommodate up to 200 people . The shelter ’ s first phase consists of accepting 20 people at a time until the first 100 beds are occupied . The next 100 beds won ’ t be filled until its second phase , which is set to be completed by next year . The shelter will include a health clinic , kitchen , restrooms and shower facilities .

The shelter is a step in an effort to bring the homeless off the streets . For those still living on the river bed though , life goes on . While many may want to leave , not all are able to .

“ This place has a curse . If you ever have actually lived down here , you get stuck down here . Everybody that stays here for more than a week gets stuck . It ’ s like , almost impossible to leave , and you want to . You can have that eagerness , but there ’ s just something holding you back . But I still continue to try to stay as real as possible ,” Ashley said .