City officials and service providers on Wednesday described the City of Costa Mesa's coordinated "continuum of services" for people experiencing homelessness, and highlighted data and partnerships they said underpin the program.

"The system of care that we've created in the city of Costa Mesa is truly a continuum of services," Neighborhood Improvement Manager Nate Robbins told a standing-room town-hall audience. Robbins said the program pairs early street outreach, a city-owned shelter and a pathway to permanent housing.

The overview emphasized three front-line components: proactive street outreach and engagement, a city-owned bridge shelter that Robbins said has grown to 100 beds, and housing and homelessness-prevention services that include permanent supportive housing and tenant protections. Robbins said outreach makes about 150 unduplicated contacts per month and that, combining street outreach and the shelter, the city has housed about 465 people since 2019.

Why it matters: Costa Mesa officials framed the effort as a data-driven, partner-dependent operation that mixes services and targeted enforcement to keep streets and public spaces usable while offering help. Officials said the city's model is unusual in the county because Costa Mesa owns its shelter and directly provides case management.

Officials stressed the role of partners. Robbins and other speakers credited county programs, CalOptima-funded street medicine, nonprofit providers such as Mercy House and Celebrating Life Community Health Center, faith groups and universities for casework, clinical care and volunteer support.

The presentation cited recovery- and health-oriented services delivered by mobile teams, on-site clinicians and community supports funded by new Medi-Cal initiatives. Robbins said the CalOptima street medicine vendor had enrolled 90 people and that 80 percent of people living on the street do not regularly access medical care, a gap the mobile teams aim to close.

Police and code-enforcement personnel who addressed the meeting described a coordinated approach that layers outreach and services with targeted enforcement when needed. "You can't arrest your way out of homelessness," Captain Watkins said, adding that enforcement is one part of a broader strategy to deter long-term encampments while offering help. City code-enforcement and police representatives described referrals, voluntary compliance efforts with property owners and a joint response to problem sites.

Public comment at the town hall ranged from praise for staff and volunteers to requests for more case managers, data displays and upstream housing solutions. Several speakers urged additional funding for staff who help clients complete paperwork and keep medical and housing appointments.

Looking ahead, officials said the city will continue to rely on county and state grants, nonprofit partners and intercity partnerships to expand services. Robbins and others urged residents to use the NHS hotline and Costa Mesa 311 app to report needs and locations where outreach can connect people to services.

Ending note: City leaders framed the program as a long-term effort that combines outreach, short-term shelter and housing placements, and said the mix of services and enforcement is intended to keep public spaces accessible while moving people into more stable housing.