One of the top priorities in my Fiscal Year 2025 proposed "Protecting Our Progress” budget is the continued work we are doing to address homelessness and help people get on the path to permanent housing.  

My proposed budget includes a $18.3 million increase in funding for homelessness services, reflecting our City’s determination to tackle this crisis with the urgency it demands. Our work to address homelessness focuses on preventing homelessness and adding shelter beds to eliminate unsafe encampments. 

In our efforts to prevent homelessness, I am proposing to fully fund the Eviction Protection Program and the Housing Instability Prevention Program. Additionally, the Multidisciplinary Outreach Team, which plays a vital role in our homelessness outreach efforts, will see an increase in funding from both the general fund and a state grant, enhancing our ability to connect with and assist our homeless population.  

The budget also allocates significant resources to expand the capacity of our shelter system by increasing the number of available shelter beds by at least 1,000. These beds will be complemented with meals, housing navigation and case-management services, ensuring a comprehensive support system for those in need. 

Additionally, we are set to double the size of our Safe Parking program by transforming the H Barracks site near San Diego International Airport into a Safe Parking lot for people who are living in their vehicles, demonstrating a strategic approach to using every possible City resource to help in our ongoing work to address homelessness.  

It is imperative that we create more options for people experiencing homelessness to have a place to stabilize and get back on their feet. Our entire community suffers when we leave people to languish and deteriorate physically and mentally on the street. It’s not only inhumane, but extremely costly and puts a burden on the residents and businesses that must deal with the impact of encampments and people living out of their cars in neighborhoods. 

The lack of sufficient shelter options for those experiencing homelessness in San Diego hinders our ability to provide effective outreach, essential services, and case management, slowing down or even reversing progress we've made. 

If we don’t expand these critical homelessness service programs, it will signal a big step backward in our commitment to addressing homelessness with urgency, compassion and effectiveness. It is crucial that we continue to invest in these programs to support our most vulnerable residents and maintain the health and safety of our entire community. 

Get more news and information by signing up for the weekly "From the Mayor's Desk" newsletter via email or text message here.