A new 210-bed shelter program in Downtown for unhoused single adult women and women-led families with children received unanimous approval today from the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) Board of Commissioners. The City of San Diego is funding these new shelter beds, and SDHC will administer the contract for shelter operations.  

“With this new shelter, we’re expanding our capacity to get more people off the street and connected to care,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “This builds on the work we’ve already done over the past four years to more than double shelter options and help nearly 5,000 people move into housing.”  

The shelter proposal comes just a few months after the City and SDHC unveiled a Short-Term Action Plan that added 263 beds across three new facilities.  

Currently, the City funds approximately 1,630 traditional shelter beds across nearly two dozen programs, up to 770 tent spaces in the Safe Sleeping Program, and 210 spaces for vehicles in the Safe Parking Program with more than a dozen RV trailers specifically for family use. This spring, the City will nearly double capacity of the Safe Parking Program with an overnight-only facility expected to open off Harbor Drive near the San Diego Airport. The new program will add beds to the homelessness response system in the City of San Diego. 

“Shelter beds are critical to addressing homelessness in San Diego, especially for our most vulnerable residents. I thank the San Diego Housing Commission for their work in adding these much-needed beds for women and families,” San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava said. “Facilities like this, when used alongside prevention, outreach, mitigation, and building affordable homes, are important tools as we reduce suffering and help individuals and families move towards housing.”

“We will be able to serve many more senior women and women with children at this new shelter in District 3,” said City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents District 3, where the new shelter program will be located. “By providing this beautiful safe space, we will lift up our most vulnerable women and children and give them a pathway to permanent housing and stability. I appreciate the partnership between the City of San Diego, SDHC, and Catholic Charities to make this site a reality.”  

SDHC will contract with Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego, to operate the new shelter program, to be known as Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children.  

“We’re seeing more women and girls among the people our homelessness programs are serving. This new shelter program will help to address that growing need in a setting that allows for more privacy for families, focuses on the unique needs of women and girls, and provides the services necessary to assist them with moving on to longer-term or permanent homes. I applaud our team, our partners at the City’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department, and our City Council and Mayor for focusing on person-centered approaches that not only increase available resources but also continue to enhance our system,” SDHC President and CEO Lisa Jones said.  

At full capacity, the shelter program would consist of approximately 109 beds for single women and 101 beds for families with children, including congregate, semi-congregate and non-congregate options. 

"We are honored to partner with the City of San Diego and the San Diego Housing Commission to manage and operate Rachel's Promise Center for Women and Children,” Catholic Charities CEO Vino Pajanor said. “This new shelter program is a significant step forward in addressing the growing needs of unhoused women and women with children in our community. By providing a safe and supportive environment, we aim to offer not only immediate relief but also the necessary resources and services to help women transition to longer-term or permanent housing. Our focus on individualized, specialized care, comprehensive support, and privacy, including trauma-informed care, will ensure that women and children receive the dignity and assistance they deserve. Together, we are building a stronger, more compassionate, and resilient San Diego."  

Services for shelter residents will include a safe place to sleep, meals, clothing, access to showers, laundry, housing-focused case management, care coordination, referrals and support for enrollment in health care resources, individual therapy, life skills classes, and assistance applying for public benefits. The shelter site also makes it possible to have additional services on-site. SDHC will host stakeholder sessions in early spring to determine what additional services to prioritize.  

The Coordinated Shelter Intake Program, which SDHC administers, will refer individuals and families into the program.  

In the first four months, starting in March, the program will be able to accommodate 50 women—10 more than the previous Rachel’s Promise shelter, which the new program will replace. The previous 40-bed shelter program is anticipated to close by June 30, 2025, due to redevelopment. An additional 160 new beds will become available during Fiscal Year 2026, which begins July 1, 2025.  

Approximately $1.6 million from the City will fund program operations, including start-up costs and administrative expenses, in the first four months. The annual cost to operate the shelter in future years is approximately $5.3 million per year, including administrative costs. Fiscal Year 2026 will also require about $309,000 in additional start-up expenses.  

The percentage of women and girls experiencing homelessness in SDHC-administered programs funded by the City and/or SDHC has risen in the past five years. In calendar year 2020, 29.1% of the people served through these programs identified as women or girls, but in calendar year 2024, women and girls accounted for approximately 42% of the people these programs served.  

The new Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children adds to collaborative shelter initiatives among the City, SDHC, the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) and homelessness shelter providers that have been implemented in recent months, including 263 shelter beds the SDHC Board of Commissioners approved on Nov. 22, 2024. Friday’s SDHC Board of Commissioners’ actions will become final in seven days unless 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.