Who We Are

H.I.S. House is a 40 bed transitional shelter for families, singles and couples. As you will read in the following paragraphs, the shelter was founded by members of the Placentia Presbyterian Church answering a call and need to assist the homeless in Orange County with shelter and supportive services. The members of the board of directors are comprised of a variety interested persons from various walks of life and occupations.

The shelter has grown during the last 20 years to accommodate 40 people. We offer no cost housing for four to six months. The shelter offers a myriad of services in order to promote self-sufficiency. (See brochure for our Seven Steps to Self-sufficiency philosophy).

While poverty and homelessness have always afflicted humans of every generation, the United States, since the 80’s, has witnessed a rise in the number of people who had no place that they could call home. American society is based on a capitalist economic system that accentuates the importance of individual initiative. Therefore, those members of the population who cannot compete, for whatever reason, tend to fall behind. The result is often homelessness for those at the very bottom of the economic scale. In addition others find themselves in a homeless situation due to mental illness, alcoholism or drug abuse.

According to the County of Orange Housing & Community Services Department, the Orange County homeless population includes families, and individuals representing every race, age group and community in Orange County. The homeless are often wrongly portrayed as panhandlers asking for money. On the contrary, the Orange County homeless population consists of working families and individuals. Many live in cars, parks, under bridges, motels and in homeless shelters such as HIS House trying to maintain their dignity while they struggle to survive. As a result, most homeless remain hidden. According to the 2007 Point-in-time Count and Survey and the 2007 Homeless Needs Assessment there were 24,545 homeless persons in families and 10,520 unaccompanied individuals who experienced episodes of homelessness. As 2008 came to a close, H.I.S. House experienced a 50 percent rise in calls from families, singles and couples seeking housing.

H.I.S. House board of directors, staff and volunteers are committed to assisting those in need of housing with all of the supportive services we offer in order to transition them from homelessness and hopelessness into self-sufficiency.