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Deep in the forest behind a convenience store in eastern Orange County, Stacy, a former restaurant manager, has a roof over her head.

It’s made of corrugated metal, sitting propped on some panels and served as a drug den for its prior residents. She and her two dogs, Tank and Suge Daddy, are protected by a fence with a locked gate.

On a recent morning, she was repairing the motor on her generator, telling outreach workers she wanted to cook a Thanksgiving turkey and sides for her neighbors in the woods on her fire pit.

She said she’s the “Mama Bear” of the various encampments on the property, where she helps people get tents and other things they need. It’s a snapshot of life in the woods in east Orange, where one homeless service provider e

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