Hundreds of shelter beds will be added to the City of San Diego's homelessness response system, following a vote today by the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Board of Commissioners. The move authorizes agreements with service providers to add 263 shelter beds to the City’s homelessness response system. The City is funding these new shelter beds, which were first announced near the end of October. 

These actions, combined with the recent expansion of the Safe Sleeping Program, ensure no one has to return to the streets with the expected closure of the Golden Hall shelter in December and loss of shelter beds from The Paul Mirabile Center in East Village. The Paul Mirabile Center, operated by Father Joe’s Villages, will soon be converted from traditional shelter beds to beds dedicated to detox.

“Adding these new shelter beds is another significant step toward getting people off our streets and on the path to ending their homelessness,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “This is in addition to other new shelter and housing options like 161 affordable homes for formerly unhoused San Diegans at a converted hotel in Mission Valley, 235 new Safe Sleeping spaces and an expansion of our Safe Parking program, demonstrating our City’s comprehensive approach to providing immediate shelter and long-term solutions for those experiencing homelessness.”

These shelter beds support the Short-Term Action Plan that was presented to the San Diego City Council last month to address the anticipated loss of shelter beds at existing programs by Dec. 31, 2024. The City Council confirmed its support for the plan on Oct. 1, 2024. The City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department and SDHC will present an update about the plan to the City Council on Dec. 9.

“Our goal is to get every person experiencing homelessness in San Diego into permanent housing,” said Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. “Doing that will require us to listen to those who have experienced homelessness, collaborate with multiple partners, and make use of all of the resources and tools available. Our short-term action plan did just that and today’s authorization is the product of that work. This serves as model for us to move forward in a collaborative process and find the most effective ways to shelter and find homes for San Diegans in need.”

“For over 40 years, Veterans Village of San Diego has made a positive impact in the lives of homeless veterans and their families,” said City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, who represents Council District 2, where 170 of the new beds will be provided on the existing Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) campus at 4141 Pacific Highway. “They provide many crucial services, from offering emergency, transitional, and permanent housing options to running the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic for mental health services to partnering with courts and local service agencies to resolve legal issues for the homeless population. I am grateful for their strong and constant partnership with the City as we work together to end homelessness.”

The San Diego Housing Commission will administer the contracts authorized today with VVSD, San Diego Rescue Mission and TURN Behavioral Health Services. Additional beds will be operated at VVSD’s campus through a previous contract with Father Joe’s Villages, which SDHC also administers.

“Shelters are an essential short-term component of comprehensive homelessness strategies in the City,” SDHC President and CEO Lisa Jones said. “With these new shelter programs, the City, SDHC and service providers are centering the voices of people with experience living in homelessness so we can implement solutions that are person-centered and can best address under-met needs as we collectively continue to develop new shelter options.”

The new shelter beds are among a package of homelessness initiatives announced last month. The initiatives are the result of the Short-Term Action Plan, which was informed by listening sessions with stakeholders, including people with experience living in homelessness.

The agreements authorized today are:

• VVSD. An agreement for VVSD to operate 40 shelter beds for veterans experiencing homelessness and a license agreement and Memorandum of Understanding to use space at VVSD’s campus for Father Joe’s Villages to operate 130 shelter beds for single adults and seniors ages 55 and older experiencing homelessness. Operating cost (Dec. 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025): $602,202.

• TURN. An agreement to operate a 56-bed, non-congregate shelter known as the Adult Substance Use Outpatient Program for Alcohol Use. Beds previously operated as transitional housing will now operate as an interim shelter program. Operating cost (Jan. 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025): $356,305.   

• San Diego Rescue Mission. An agreement to operate 37 beds at the South County Lighthouse Interim Shelter program in National City for individuals who identify as male or non-binary/gender. Operating cost (Dec. 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025): $544,668. 

The shelter beds at VVSD’s campus and San Diego Rescue Mission are anticipated to begin to be available as early as Dec. 1. The Adult Substance Use Outpatient Program for Alcohol Use beds will become available starting Jan. 1, 2025.

In addition to these new shelter beds, SDHC and the Regional Task Force on Homelessness collaborated on a homelessness diversion initiative that launched Nov. 1 to assist up to 150 individuals in the coming months, which will free up shelter beds to assist others experiencing homelessness. Diversion strategies employing flexible financial assistance, shared housing strategies and targeted case management can result in positive outcomes for shelter participants who are experiencing homelessness for the first time or who have existing support systems and the ability to end their homelessness without a long-term subsidy. 

The City’s Safe Sleeping Program also recently added 235 tent spaces. With the expansion, the City has a total of over 760 Safe Sleeping spaces, which offer a safe space as an alternative to traditional shelters. The program provides tents, cots, meals, showers, restrooms, transportation, case management and connection to resources.

Friday’s SDHC Board of Commissioners’ actions will become final in seven days unless at least two members of the City Council, in their roles as members of the Housing Authority of the City of San Diego, ask to review the actions.