Vision
By working creatively and collaboratively, the City of San Diego will build a client-centered homeless assistace system that aims to prevent homelessness, and that quickly creates a path to safe and affordable housing and services for people who experience homelessness in our community.
Guiding Principles
- System partners must rely on a set of principles to guide policy and funding decisions and build community cohesion.
- Be accountable.
- Develop creative and new housing options.
- Value the voices of people with lived experience.
- Improve service and options to people experiencing homelessness through evidence-based approaches.
- Make data-driven decisions and create transparency.
- Communicate and collaborate more effectively and frequently.
- Build capacity.
- Create positive momentum.
- Remove politics from decision-making about homelessness.
Recommended Actions
- Advance high impact solutions. Developing long-term housing takes time. Aggressive measures must be taken now, and the system needs to be flexible over time to meet changing needs and circumstances.
- Support strong leadership. Creation of a city-wide leadership council and project manager to keep progress on track.
- Invest in new housing and service options. Increase temporary crisis response solutions while also investing in permanent long-term units.
- Quickly address key issues. Address items needing immediate attention including adding behavioral health resources, outreach coordination, utilization of vouchers and appropriately staff entities implementing this plan.
Permanent Housing Needs
- 6,940 permanent housing opportunities needed between 2023 and 2029 for individuals and families experiencing homelessness:
- New rehabilitated supportive housing
- Supportive housing leased in the private rental market
- Rapid rehousing rental assistance with services for one year
- Low-income housing rental assistance with services for three years
- Estimated cost: Approximately $96 million per year for rental assistance and services and $1.4 billion between 2023 and 2029 for development of new housing.
- Resources for services, including coordination with the County of San Diego
Crisis Response Actions
- 465 – 930 new crisis response beds or services needed to meet the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness and the estimated annual inflow into emergency shelters.
- Estimated cost: $14 – $28 million per year for new shelter operations
Prevention and Diversion
- 2,700 diversion resources annually between 2023 and 2029:
- Divert 2,700 households who have recently entered homelessness by quickly connecting them to services and financial assistance so they can return to permanent housing.
- 2,025 prevention resources annually between 2023 and 2029:
- Prevent 2,025 households at risk of homelessness from losing their housing by connecting them to rental assistance and services.
- Estimated cost: $63 million per year for rental assistance packages
