Searching for solutions in America’s No. 1 state for homelessness

A tent city in the shadow of the Santa Ana city hall is home to about 500 people. “They want to pretend we don’t exist. It makes life a lot easier for them, I think,” said Nick Blinderman, 26, a heroin user who lives in the camp.“I’ve never in my life seen anything like the drug use around here. It’s as common as like drinking a cup of coffee in the morning,” he said. “You find feces everywhere, in every trash can, all over the place.”