As the City of San Diego works to create new shelter options for people experiencing homelessness, staff from the City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department and the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) held listening sessions to gather input from key stakeholders. These have already helped in establishing a semi-congregate 165-bed shelter near Midway and will continue to guide future decisions.

In the last two months, seven listening sessions have been conducted with individuals staying at existing City shelters, shelter staff, service provider leadership, persons with lived experience and outreach workers. Discussion has focused on site-based and programmatic considerations to inform the shelter planning process, such as living space layout designs and privacy considerations, safety measures for vulnerable populations, expanding ADA accessibility, location and security, design and decor, property storage and common spaces.

“The City is committed to a shelter system that people experiencing homelessness will want to use and ultimately will assist them on their way to stable housing,” said Renee Robertson, Deputy Director of the Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department. “What we heard over and over was the desire for a secure space that is trauma-informed and client-centered -- somewhere where they can dream about the life they want to build again.”

Existing shelters offer a variety of social services to assist individuals experiencing homelessness. These shelter listening sessions have proven these services are working, but some participants need more assistance navigating benefits that may be available to them. Many of the City’s contracted service providers have adopted workforce programs employing individuals with lived experience to support shelter residents. People who provided feedback said this peer support is critical. Listening sessions have also confirmed that most individuals want shelters to be close to existing services and not feel like they are being hidden away.

“The listening sessions we co-facilitated with the City encouraged collaboration and an open dialogue,” said Casey Snell, SDHC Senior Vice President of Homelessness Housing Innovations. “We heard from those with lived experience in homelessness, including current shelter residents, as well as homelessness sector staff and leadership. Additional privacy in shelter and access to supportive services, including making more of them available on-site, were top priorities expressed in these sessions. This feedback is essential as the City and the Housing Commission continue to work to identify and implement additional shelter options.”

In partnership with the SDHC, more of these shelter listening sessions are planned. The City has been acting with urgency to increase shelter capacity, with space for 930 people added to San Diego’s range of shelter options since June of 2023, while at the same time planning for beds that will be coming offline. Both of these actions provide the opportunity to incorporate the feedback from the listening sessions and continue to engage with stakeholders.