April 17, 2025
50-Bed Shelter for Unhoused Women Opening in Downtown San Diego
Capacity at the site will increase to 210 beds for women and children upon completion of tenant improvements in the coming months
SAN DIEGO, CA — Continuing the City of San Diego’s and San Diego Housing Commission’s (SDHC) collaborative efforts to increase shelter options for people experiencing homelessness, a new downtown San Diego shelter site is opening for the first 50 residents in a program that will expand later this year to serve a total of 210 unhoused women and children.
“We are seeing an increase in women and children seeking help through our shelter system, and Rachel’s Promise will meet that growing need,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “The new Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children transforms the closure of a smaller shelter into an opportunity for something bigger and better—210 beds and wraparound services tailored to those it will serve. To the women and children who will walk through these doors: know that we see you, we value you, and we are working every day to give you the safety, stability, and dignity that every human being is entitled to.”
The City of San Diego funds the shelter program, known as Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children.
“I’m very proud to have a shelter like this in my district,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn. “From the moment you walk through the doors, you feel the warmth and the hope this space offers. It will provide a safe, supportive environment for women of all ages—including mothers with young children—whose presence will bring even more life and light to this shelter. As local leaders, we must continue to be a voice for those who are too often unheard and remain committed to expanding shelters and programs that are transforming lives with each shelter that opens.”
SDHC contracts with Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego to operate the program.
“In recent years, women have begun to make up a larger percentage of the population served by City-funded homelessness shelters that SDHC administers, ” SDHC President and CEO Lisa Jones said. “That is why this site for Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children is so important. It provides a combination of shelter beds and support service to meet the needs of unhoused women and their families. This is a safe space for them to determine their next steps and begin to take those steps toward housing.”
“This partnership is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when the public, private, and nonprofit sectors come together with a shared purpose,” said Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor, the CEO of Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego. “It is an honor to stand alongside dedicated partners who believe, as we do, that every woman and child deserves safety, stability, and the chance to rebuild. Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children isn’t simply a roof over someone’s head—it’s intentionally being designed to feel like a home, where compassion replaces fear and hope begins to grow. We will accompany each woman who walks through our doors through personalized, trauma-informed coaching and care as she takes steps toward healing, independence, and a future she defines for herself. Since 1984, Catholic Charities Rachel’s Programs has been a place of refuge for unhoused women, and now, with deep pride, we are expanding that mission to also serve their children.”
The new shelter site is a public-private collaboration. Property owners Dene Oliver and Jim McMillan have worked closely with Catholic Charities to plan the site design and tenant improvements needed to expand the program’s shelter capacity and create semi-congregate and non-congregate shelter space for women and children. They also donated furniture and equipment at the former office site for Catholic Charities to use.
Women will begin moving next week into the initial 50 beds at Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children. This is an increase of 10 beds from the shelter program’s previous site nearby, also operated by Catholic Charities.
The new site replaces the previous 40-bed location that served single adult women, which is anticipated to close by June 30, 2025, due to redevelopment.
At full bed capacity at the new site, 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.
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, and assistance applying for public benefits. The shelter site also makes it possible to co-locate additional services on-site.
The Coordinated Shelter Intake Program, which SDHC administers, will refer individuals and families into the program.
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 rose from 29.1 percent in calendar year 2020 to approximately 42 percent in calendar year 2024. In the first two months of calendar year 2025, 38 percent of the people served through these programs were women or girls.
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 November 22, 2024.
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Media Contact:
Scott Marshall,
Vice President of Communications
San Diego Housing Commission
619-578-7138
scottm@sdhc.org
