Crystal Gayton, 7, embraces Jose Ponce before "lights out" during the last open night of Ventura County's largest seasonal drop-in-center for the homeless. Gayton's family, Ponce and a few other honorary family members met at the shelter and hope to find a place to live together. [photo Karen Quincy Loberg/The Star]

Over 600 people found themselves desperate enough for housing this past winter that they'd call this armory home for at least a night. This is about a third of the estimated 1800 homeless people who live in Ventura County.

But now the shelter is closed, and if you're homeless you're on your own.

Some were able to find housing before the street including two women with small children but Sarah Gaytan and her 7-year-old Crystal could not.

"My daughter cried when I told her this was the last night," Gaytan said. "She has gotten to know everyone so well.

"When she gets stressed out, I tell her, 'Don't worry. Momma has got this. You need to be a 7-year-old. We're going to make it.' " (VenturaCountyStar)

They are looking for a place near Ramona School in Oxnard, where Crystal attends second grade. If you have any means to help contact carrieescobar28@yahoo.com.

The way to remedy homelessness comes through housing. We must get people in homes and then we can talk jobs, recovery, lifestyle... Services are great but when was the last time you heard of a homeless person starving to death? You will however here of them freezing to death outdoors on full stomaches.

It's time to bring people in and share our ceilings...less praying for and more being the answers to.

Thanks to local papers like the Ventura County Star and reporters like Kevin Clerici for continuing to tell these type of stories.