Costa Mesa NHS manager urges community referrals and describes outreach network

Nate Robbins, Neighborhood Improvement Manager for the city of Costa Mesa, described the Network for Homeless Solutions (NHS) as a coalition of city staff, nonprofits, churches and volunteers that conducts street outreach and connects people to shelter and housing services.

Robbins said outreach workers meet people where they are, build relationships and help clients obtain documentation, income and health services needed to access housing. "We have people at every 1 of those junctures ready and willing to work with our clients with whatever they need," he said.

He asked community members to call the NHS hotline to request assistance or refer someone experiencing homelessness; the hotline is answered 24 hours a day by a live person. Robbins said volunteers and coordinating-committee members can step in to lift people up and invest in longer-term solutions.

The presentation framed outreach as the first of three prongs in the city's system of care (outreach, emergency shelter, housing), and positioned the NHS as a bridge between people living on the street and the services offered at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter and other partners.