Homelessness in the Santa Ana River Watershed

A Symposium on Water Management, the Human Right to Water, and the State of Homelessness in the Watershed

Riverside, Ca. – About 9,000 people are homeless on a given night within Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Many unsheltered people live along the Santa Ana River and its tributaries, and their presence is too often treated as only a water quality and flood risk. Homelessness is a pressing social challenge, and the growing Housing First approach requires the attention of the entire community.

Opportunities exist for strengthened collaboration between homeless service providers and water sector members. This is particularly true in light of California’s Human Right to Water, which recognizes that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.”

As part of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority’s (SAWPA) Disadvantaged Communities Involvement Program, SAWPA and the Inland Empire Waterkeeper have partnered to host a symposium that considers what role the water sector should play in mitigating homelessness. Stakeholders and members of the press  are invited join us June 29 as we hear from expert panelists and discover intersections between homelessness and water.

This event and the Disadvantaged Communities Involvement Program are funded by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources under the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014.

Event Details – Thursday, June 29, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lakeside Room at Fairmount Park, 2601 Fairmount Blvd., Riverside, CA 92501 

Please bring new, sealed toiletries (toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products), socks and hats, and/or perishable food items for donation.

About the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority

The Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, a joint powers authority, is comprised of five member agencies: Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Eastern Municipal Water District, Western Municipal Water District, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and Orange County Water District. SAWPA works with planners, water experts, design and construction engineers, community members and groups, as well as other government agencies to identify water management issues and innovative solutions. It also owns and operates the Inland Empire Brine Line. The Santa Ana River Watershed encompasses 2,650 square miles and is home to about six million people.

About Inland Empire Waterkeeper

Established in 2005, Inland Empire Waterkeeper is a non-profit environmental organization whose mission is to protect and enhance the water quality of the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed through programs of advocacy, education, research, restoration and enforcement. As the only non-profit in the Inland Empire dedicated to addressing water quality issues in the Santa Ana Watershed, Waterkeeper focuses on grassroots, community-oriented projects including water sampling, habitat restoration, community clean-ups and robust educational programs, to protect waterways throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Waterkeeper uses a regional, collaborative approach to watershed management working with local, state, and federal government agencies to ensure proactive water policy while promoting compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act and other environmental laws for swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters. For more information, visit www.iewaterkeeper.org.