SD County Board approves $32M in loans for homeless housing.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Approves $32 Million Plan to House Homeless

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has authorized up to $32 million in loans towards a plan to house more than 300 homeless people in the city of San Diego. The plan includes purchasing and utilizing two Extended Stay America Suites, the Ramada Inn, and an apartment building in Ocean Beach to house the homeless. The city’s Housing Commission has agreed to use the state’s Project Homekey funds to purchase the properties.

As San Diego County has seen record high homelessness in 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) ventured into several different housing strategies including building 1,200 tiny homes for the homeless. In this strategy, which Newsom announced in March, California will spend close to $30 million to build the tiny homes across the state, including 150 in San Diego.

Opposition to the Plan

Supervisor Jim Desmond was the only opposing vote with the view that there should be treatment for substance abuse and mental health issues before issuing housing. Desmond also issued a statement claiming that the cost of the properties are too high.

“Today’s legislation fails to address the root causes of homelessness and lacks the necessary accountability for taxpayer funds,” he said. “Spending over $153 million taxpayer dollars at $478,000 per unit is not the solution.”

Coronado Mayor, Richard Bailey, was also in opposition to the purchases of the properties, calling it “misguided” and “fail[ing] to address the core issues perpetuating this crisis.”

“California politicians continue to repeat the decade-long failures of housing first. At the same time, more and more people tragically end up on the streets,” he said. “San Diegans should reject ineffective approaches and demand solutions that tackle the underlying causes of homelessness in our community.”

Despite the opposition, the majority of the board voted with the view that the purchase was worth pursuing.

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