Acting on its commitment to urgently increase shelter options for people experiencing homelessness, the City of San Diego is expanding its Safe Sleeping Program by nearly 50% over the next month with room for approximately 235 more tents. The Safe Sleeping Program is a low-barrier sheltering option providing housing navigation, meals, transportation and other supportive services across two sites located on City property. 

“Safe Sleeping is a first-of-its-kind program that provides an opportunity for people who previously hadn’t accepted City services to take a crucial first step toward ending their homelessness,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “Cities across the country are taking note of this innovative way to remove unsanitary encampments and get unsheltered people into care. While we’ve made great progress, our work is far from over. My administration will continue to get people off the streets and on the path to housing.”

Safe Sleeping, one among numerous innovative programs launched by Mayor Todd Gloria to address unsheltered homeless and unsafe street encampments, was implemented in June of 2023 and enabled outreach teams to bring entire encampments off the streets. Each tent has the potential for up to two individuals for those who may want to stay with a partner or caretaker.  Current capacity for the program is just over 500 tents. Following a unanimous vote of the City Council today, the program will expand to more than 750 tents with added platforms at the O Lot and 20th & B locations on the outskirts of Balboa Park. 

Safe Sleeping expansion was included as a proposal in the recently updated Comprehensive Shelter Strategy. The move will help offset an expected loss of approximately 600 shelter beds by the end of the year. Outlined in the recently updated Comprehensive Shelter Strategy, HSSD anticipates two shelters to come offline by the end of 2024 – Golden Hall and the Paul Mirabile Center. Since last year, the City has added space for 930 people to San Diego’s range of shelter options.

Earlier Tuesday, the City Council also supported implementing a short-term action plan to address the shelter bed losses. The plan was created by the City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department and the San Diego Housing Commission. The Council action called for prioritizing the expansion of the Safe Sleeping Program along with the Safe Parking Program, diversion/financial assistance programs, potential expansion of existing shelters and non-congregate shelter options. 

“Housing placements are the ultimate goal, but that can take time and there needs to be safe and secure options for people to work to end one’s experience of homelessness,” said Sarah Jarman, Director of the City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department. “With this Safe Sleeping expansion, we’re able to quickly add much-needed sheltering options while planning is underway for additional programs.” 

The nonprofit Dreams for Change operates the 20th & B site and part of the O Lot site, with the Downtown San Diego Partnership also managing programs at the O Lot site. Through June of this year, at least 88 program participants have been connected to housing, with additional individuals on their way.

As part of a long-term strategy for adding new, permanent shelter locations in San Diego, last month the City issued a formal solicitation to identify potential sites. The Request for Information (RFI) will be open until Monday, Oct. 7, at 4:30 p.m. 

In July, City staff brought forward a proposed lease agreement for Hope @ Vine, a proposed campus in Middletown, which could provide a permanent shelter location in a modern and dignified way. Lease negotiations continue on that property. 

In fiscal year 2024, City-funded programs placed 1,677 people into secure permanent or other forms of long-term housing, a 24% increase compared to FY23. This is due, in part, to the expansion of emergency shelter options.