The City of San Diego is halting new intakes to the homeless shelter at Golden Hall in preparation for transitioning those staying at the facility to other shelters by the end of the year. Intakes continue at all 17 other City-funded shelters and its two Safe Sleeping and four Safe Parking sites. 

The Golden Hall Shelter, operated by Father Joe’s Villages under a contract with the San Diego Housing Commission, is set to close by the end of the year. The City Council first approved using the facility as a temporary shelter in 2019. 

The pending closure is due to the temporary nature of the permit issued by the City fire marshal, given the facility’s condition and type of use. The Golden Hall facility is 60 years old and has been damaged during heavy rainstorms. A report issued by the City’s Independent Budget Analyst last year estimated Golden Hall would require at least $9.3 million in improvements to operate as a permanent shelter. Given future redevelopment plans for the Civic Core site, such an investment has been deemed unwise.

Shelter residents not yet connected with long-term housing will be relocated to existing or new City-funded facilities by the end of this year. Golden Hall’s current capacity is approximately 264 beds.

Mayor Gloria has proposed expanding the City’s shelter capacity by 1,000 beds and more than 200 Safe Parking stalls for households living in their cars.

The City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department has been preparing for the Golden Hall shelter closure, noted in the Comprehensive Shelter Strategy. The facility is among a handful of others operating as temporary shelters, further underscoring the need for a more permanent facility to increase bed capacity.