In a recent podcast interview with the Voice of San Diego, I had the chance to dive deep into my commitment to tackling homelessness in San Diego. The conversation provided me an opportunity to detail the series of innovative and compassionate solutions my administration has implemented since I took office.

Reflecting on the progress we’ve made since the implementation of the Unsafe Camping Ordinance last summer, I highlighted the importance of our work expanding shelter capacity to ensure that unsheltered San Diegans have access to safe and supportive environments. So far, we’ve doubled the number of options San Diegans experiencing homelessness have to come off the streets, and we’re not slowing down.

In the nearly 45-minute podcast, I also discussed both the development of the proposed Hope @ Vine Campus and the homeless service site at H Barracks, where we plan to nearly double the current capacity of our Safe Parking Program. I cannot overstate the importance of these two initiatives, which are crucial parts of our broader, comprehensive strategy to provide immediate relief to people on our streets while also providing longer-term housing solutions.

My message throughout is clear: I remain wholeheartedly dedicated to creating spaces where people can get connected to care and put on a path to permanent housing. My goal is to transition individuals from the streets into stable housing, addressing the root causes of their homelessness, including mental illness and addiction – two challenges that make it difficult to successfully take someone from the streets and place them directly into an apartment or other permanent housing that doesn’t include the kind of onsite wraparound services we can provide at City-run shelter sites. Sites like Hope @ Vine and H Barracks are critical stops along the way to rebuilding lives long-term.  

Finding locations for homeless service sites is a challenging process. I have become accustomed to neighbors who say they don’t want these types of services in their communities; however, once the sites are up and running, people who once opposed these sites often become their biggest fans. They see first-hand how much better it is to have people experiencing homelessness inside these shelters and connected to services rather than being left to languish on the streets and sidewalks outside homes, schools, parks and businesses.  

The County recently made a decision to halt plans for a planned homeless shelter and services site comprised of tiny homes in Spring Valley because of this persistent opposition. A handful of residents who are demanding that their elected officials solve the homelessness crisis are also too often unwilling to say yes to possible solutions.   

But we must act with urgency on this issue, because leaving people outdoors is unacceptable. That's why, for the City, the decision point isn't about whether we open a new large-scale shelter like the Hope @ Vine Campus; it's about where will it be located. The location we have chosen is a superior site to other options we have evaluated, which is why I am completely committed to it; however, if this site doesn't work out for some reason, we will persist and open a new large-scale shelter elsewhere in the city.