The San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) and City of San Diego (City) Homelessness Programs provide temporary shelter, supportive services, and permanent housing to some of the City’s most vulnerable residents.
SDHC administers shelter, transitional housing, supportive services, and rapid rehousing (RRH) programs on behalf of the City through several Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). SDHC also administers RRH and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs through several U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) grants.
- Shelters
- Transitional Housing
- Supportive Services
- Permanent Housing
- Homelessness Program for Engaged Educational Resources (PEER)
SDHC operates several direct service programs for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the City; more information about SDHC’s direct service programs may be found here.
Shelters
The City’s Bridge Shelter and Interim Shelter programs address the immediate shelter needs of San Diegans experiencing homelessness. The shelters provide safe, low-barrier, temporary housing, as well as stabilization and supportive services to prepare individuals and families experiencing homelessness for the most appropriate housing solutions. SDHC currently oversees a coordinated shelter intake process to maximize use of available beds within the system.
NOTE: Bed availability listed below is subject to change based on public health guidance from local, state, or federal authorities.
City’s Bridge Shelters
- 16th Street and Newton Avenue, operated by Alpha Project for the Homeless, provides up to 326 beds for adults 18 years of age or older
- 17th Street and Imperial Avenue, operated by Alpha Project for the Homeless, provides up to 140 beds for adults 18 years of age or older
- Golden Hall, 202 C Street, operated by Father Joe’s Villages, provides up to 272 beds for adults 18 years of age or older
City’s Interim Shelters
- Bishop Maher Center, operated by Father Joe’s Villages, provides up to 28 beds for women 18 years of age and older
- Connections Housing, operated by People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), provides up to 80 beds for adults 18 years of age and older
- Family Interim Shelter, operated by Alpha Project for the Homeless, provides 42 units for families with children
- Harm Reduction Shelter, operated by Alpha Project for the Homeless in conjunction with the County of San Diego, provides up to 44 beds for adults age 18 years and older experiencing substance use disorder or co-occurring conditions
- Haven Interim Housing, operated by The Salvation Army, provides 9 units for families with children
- Paul Mirabile Center, operated by Father Joe’s Villages, provides up to 350 beds for adults 18 years of age and older
- Rachel’s Promise, operated by Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, provides up to 40 beds for women 18 years of age and older
- Rosecrans Shelter, operated by Alpha Project for the Homeless in conjunction with the County of San Diego, provides up to 150 beds for adults age 18 years and older
City’s Youth Shelters
- TAY Emergency Shelter, operated by Urban Street Angels (USA), provides up to 52 beds for Transition-Age Youth between the ages of 18 and 24
- Storefront Youth Emergency Shelter, operated by San Diego Youth Services (SDYS), provides up to 17 beds for youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are runaways and/or experiencing homelessness, operated by San Diego Youth Services (SDYS), provides up to four beds for youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are runaways and/or experience homelessness
- LGBTQ+ Affirming TAY Shelter, operated by The San Diego LGBT Community Center, provides 23 beds for Transition-Age Youth between the ages of 18 and 24 in an LGBTQ-affirming environment
Transitional Housing
Transitional Housing programs provide service-enhanced temporary housing for up to 24 months along with a variety of supportive services to assist individuals and families in transitioning to permanent housing. Current Transitional Housing programs include:
- Serial Inebriate Program (SIP), operated by Mental Health Systems (dba TURN Behavioral Health Services), provides up to 56 beds to individuals identified as chronic inebriates experiencing homelessness, 18 years of age or older, who are offered treatment in lieu of custody through a court order.
- Turning Point, operated by The YMCA of San Diego County, provides up to 10 transitional housing units to single and parenting youth ages 16 to 21.
- Transitional Living Center (TLC), operated by The Salvation Army, provides up to 28 transitional housing units to single mothers and their children, prioritizing families who have experienced domestic violence or human trafficking, or are recovering from substance abuse.
Supportive Services
Day Center for Adults Experiencing Homelessness
The Day Center for Adults Experiencing Homelessness, operated by Father Joe’s Villages, is a drop-in facility where adults experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness may receive a variety of services and resources to meet their basic and longer-term needs, such as:
- Information and referrals to stabilization services and other community resources
- Showers and bathrooms
- Food and water
- Mail services
- Cell phone charging
- Secure storage
- Laundry services
Storage Centers
The City’s storage centers serve San Diegans experiencing homelessness. They provide a safe place for people to keep their belongings as they attend to personal needs, which may include working on housing options, looking for or going to work, attending classes, meeting with service providers, seeking medical care, or other activities such as accessing cleaning or washing facilities. There are currently three storage centers operating in the City:
- Storage Connect Center I at 116 South 20th Street in Logan Heights, operated by Mental Health Systems (dba TURN Behavioral Health Services), provides up to 500 storage bins.
- Storage Connect Center II at 5453 Lea Street in the Chollas Creek neighborhood, operated by MHS, provides up to 300 storage bins.
- The Transitional Storage Center at 252 16th Street in Downtown San Diego, operated by Think Dignity, provides up to 400 lockers and storage bins.
Homelessness Response Center (HRC)
The City of San Diego’s Homelessness Response Center (HRC) provides a broad range of services to help individuals and families experiencing homelessness on their path to permanent or other long-term housing. For more information, click here.
HomeShare
The HomeShare program, operated by ElderHelp of San Diego, is a roommate matching service, connecting people who want to share their homes with those looking for affordable housing. The program connects individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness with seniors residing in the City who are interested in renting a spare bedroom for a fee or service exchange arrangement.
Permanent Housing
Rapid Rehousing
Rapid Rehousing (RRH) provides short- and medium-term rental assistance and supportive services to households experiencing homelessness. SDHC administers eight RRH programs, operated by five providers, including The Salvation Army, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), Home Start, Inc., SBCS, and Father Joe’s Villages.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is long-term rental assistance paired with intensive wraparound supportive services to help maintain housing stability for households that experienced homelessness and have long-term disabilities, extensive service needs, and lengthy or repeated episodes of homelessness.
SDHC receives grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) program to fund PSH. SDHC administers 11 PSH programs with these funds. They provide rental assistance for more than 275 units. These programs are operated by eight homelessness service providers, including Father Joe’s Villages, Housing Innovation Partners (HIP), Townspeople, Mental Health Systems (dba TURN Behavioral Health Services), Home Start, Inc., SBCS, Pathfinders, and The San Diego LGBT Community Center.
In addition, SDHC collaborates with developers to provide rental housing vouchers to help pay rent at affordable housing developments for individuals and families who experienced homelessness and receive access to supportive services through their residence. SDHC also works with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help veterans experiencing homelessness obtain PSH with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers.
Homelessness Program for Engaged Educational Resources (PEER)
As a first-of-its-kind collaboration between SDHC and San Diego City College, the Homelessness Program for Engaged Educational Resources (PEER) course helps develop the workforce needed to staff homelessness programs. Homelessness PEER builds on established San Diego City College certificate programs in mental health work, alcohol and other drug studies, gerontology, and the Associate of Arts Degree in Behavioral Health: Social Work. The program’s objective is to provide a pipeline for students into employment opportunities in homelessness services via specialized education, opportunities for internships, service learning sites, and job placement assistance with the City’s homelessness service providers. To learn more about the program visit: https://sdhc.org/news-release/sdhc-city-college-homelessness-services-training-course/
