San Diego politicians discuss how to replace shelters as shelter closures loom – San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego city councilors have signaled they are willing to expand the city's designated campgrounds and rent blocks of hotel rooms for the homeless as authorities rush to replace hundreds of shelters in the coming months.

On Tuesday, politicians discussed several properties that could serve as interim solutions, including the scandal-plagued 101 Ash Street high-rise, which could not be used as a municipal office building because of asbestos, and part of the Pechanga Arena parking lot.

No decisions were made at the public hearing. The issue is expected to be discussed again next week.

“We are facing a short-term emergency,” said Councilman Kent Lee from the podium.

By the end of the year, San Diego will lose over 600 homeless shelter spaces. Permits for some facilities are expiring, while others are being built. Homelessness is increasing across the county just as temperatures are about to drop – and despite San Diego's warmer climate, many residents have died on the streets from hypothermia.

Moreover, most people who request a spot in a traditional shelter already don't get one. Only about 1 in 10 requests were approved last month, largely because shelters managed by the San Diego Housing Commission are mostly full.

The council will also eventually consider granting the mayor emergency powers to approve larger contracts with service providers, which advocates believe could speed up the process of opening new shelters.

Officials said Tuesday that homeless residents have wanted smaller, more private spaces, as opposed to large communal facilities like the empty warehouse in the Middletown neighborhood that some politicians want to turn into one of the largest homeless shelters in the country. (There is no timetable yet for when that proposal might be reconsidered, as council members previously told negotiators that the original version of the lease posed too many legal and financial risks.)

One piece of good news: Two homes that were on the brink of closure can stay open for at least a few more months. Delayed construction should keep the doors of the women's shelter Rachel's Promise open, and building renovations will also extend the life of the Community Harm Reduction Team facility, known as C-HRT. Together, they have more than 80 beds.

Officials said the installation of more than 200 tents at San Diego's two safe sleeping sites in Balboa Park could be completed by the end of October.

The locations of the hotels that may rent out entire blocks of rooms were not immediately disclosed. Some sites previously considered as possible shelters, including Camp Barrett, a property deep in the east of the county, have since been deemed impractical. Councilman Henry Foster called for libraries in his district, including the Malcolm X site, to be taken off the table.

The reduction in beds comes at a time when police could increase raids on camps in the city centre.

The Downtown San Diego Partnership, a nonprofit economic development organization, called for, among other things, a “24/7 ban on camping on streets and sidewalks” at a recent press conference attended by Mayor Todd Gloria. This approach would likely go beyond San Diego's existing camping ban, which often only applies when shelter is available.

A spokesperson for the mayor said the city will explore a broader ban, but no new instructions have been given to the police department. San Diego “will continue to prioritize the development of additional shelter capacity and full implementation of the Dangerous Camping Protection Ordinance,” Rachel Laing wrote in an email.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that cities across the country can clear out camps regardless of whether beds are available.

Council members had previously put forward their own proposals for buildings that could serve as emergency shelters, including the Balboa Park Activity Center. Several people spoke out against that option on Tuesday, and dozens gathered outside the facility on Saturday in protest.

Shan Huang of the San Diego Badminton Club argued that losing access to the gym would hurt youth sports. The building “is the only public facility in San Diego that offers dedicated badminton play times,” she said.

Council President Sean Elo-Rivera noted Tuesday that he only mentioned the building to help refugees from the Golden Hall shelter downtown. The facility was originally scheduled to close in October, but officials said the new end date is likely to be Dec. 31. Elo-Rivera said he therefore no longer believes the gym is needed.

Councilman Stephen Whitburn, whose district includes Balboa Park, said the building was closed.

Other accommodation projects will take at least months to complete, including an attempt to build nearly 200 parking spaces on a site adjacent to the airport. A lawsuit could delay that project as well.

San Diego is still receiving feedback from property owners who may offer other buildings. The deadline to respond to the formal request for information is October 7.

Originally published: September 24, 2024 at 19:26