Garden Grove council adopts first-year action plan for five-year homelessness strategy; navigation center marked one year

Garden Grove City Council on July (date not specified in record) adopted a one-year action plan to implement the city's 2025'2030 homelessness strategy, approving the list of tasks to be carried out in fiscal year 2025'26.

City staff told the council the plan organizes work under four goals: enhance community communication and engagement; improve the service delivery system; leverage partnerships, funding and resources; and improve quality of life for residents and businesses. Timothy Throne, who presented the plan, said, "The strategy is organized around 4 goals," and outlined deliverables that include website updates, partner and client surveys, regular Tri Cities coordination meetings, and a quarterly tracking cadence.

The action plan sets specific, near-term deliverables. Staff listed calendar targets such as publishing an updated homelessness webpage and a partner satisfaction survey by June 30, 2026; sharing at least four public success stories during the year; maintaining monthly service-provider meetings and Tri Cities coordination; launching a client satisfaction survey in partnership with Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOA LA); and developing a heat map of public-safety calls related to homelessness by June 30, 2026.

City staff and operator representatives also reviewed operations at the Central Cities Navigation Center (CCNC). A video and staff remarks commemorated the center's first anniversary. Eric Richardson, identified in the meeting as the executive director of Volunteers of America Los Angeles, and a CCNC program manager described the site as a transitional facility with beds, showers, meals and case management. Staff said CCNC can serve up to about 100 people at a time and has enrolled hundreds of clients since opening; presenters reported on enrollment and exits, employment placements and efforts to secure identification and housing documents for clients.

Council members praised the navigation center and the strategy'one speaker noted a citywide reduction in homelessness, saying the city had achieved a roughly 39% reduction (figure stated by speaker during the meeting). Multiple council members urged continued transparency; one asked staff to consider also reporting on efforts that did not succeed as a way to inform the public and build community understanding of program challenges. Staff replied they track exits that do not work and review those cases during regular coordination meetings.

The motion to adopt the one-year action plan carried with seven yes votes. Council discussion and the presentations emphasized cross-sector partnership, use of existing budgeted staff time and funds, and quarterly reporting back to the council on progress.

The council's vote and the CCNC anniversary were the most significant actions on homelessness during the meeting; staff said progress on the action items will inform next year's work plan.

Ending: Staff said they will begin implementing the listed action items this fiscal year and will provide quarterly updates to the council. The city identified partnerships with VOA LA and other Tri Cities partners (Westminster and Fountain Valley) as central to the work.