San Diego officials have cleared another encampment downtown, further decreasing the homeless population in the city’s urban core even as the crisis grows throughout the region.
The latest effort focused on East Village sidewalks near the old central library and the U.S. Post Office, officials announced Wednesday. Nearly 100 people were connected to housing or shelter.
The outreach was funded by a $2.4 million grant from California’s Interagency Council on Homelessness.
“San Diego is putting state dollars to work by moving people off our streets and into housing,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “It’s time for more local governments to utilize these funds.”
At the same time, November was the 20th straight month homelessness increased overall in San Diego County.
More than 810 individuals were successfully housed last month, according to the newest report from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness. That was offset by 1,135 people countywide who became homeless for the first time, meaning the total population grew by more than 300.
Leaders are trying a range of approaches, from rental assistance to opening shelters to increasing police enforcement.
San Diego’s camping ban was approved in June and gives officers more flexibility to push people off public land. Neighboring cities, including Poway, have adopted or are considering similar ordinances.
While San Diego police have punished few individuals under the new rules, the possibility of jail time has led some living in tents to finally ask for shelter. Others appeared to simply move to less visible spots.
Downtown has been especially affected, with the number of people sleeping outside or in vehicles recently dropping to around 1,200, a two-year low.
The newest grant-funded outreach zeroed in on Seventh to 10th Avenues and Broadway to F Street, officials said. The city hired two nonprofits, NAMI San Diego and Healthcare in Action, which ended up offering assistance to more than 120 people.
Nineteen found housing, according to a press release. More than 70 landed in a shelter, three moved out of the city and the Downtown San Diego Partnership helped two reconnect with family.
In addition, one person ended up in a psychiatric institution while another was jailed, a city spokesperson said. Around 30 appeared to decline services.
“Thanks to these additional resources” we “have been able to clear these unsafe and unsanitary encampments,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement.
Money from the state’s Encampment Resolution Funding Program will also boost outreach in two other areas.
About $3.1 million is reserved for encampments along Interstate 15 in Normal and City Heights, from Adams Avenue to Thorn Street, officials said. An estimated 90 people live in that area.
An additional $17 million will hopefully help about 250 living along the San Diego River.
California is still accepting applications for the grant program, which has already handed out millions of dollars to cities and counties around the state.
