County leaders are exploring what land could quickly host temporary homeless shelters amid a regional shortage of beds and ongoing discussions about cracking down on encampments.
The Board of Supervisors moved unanimously Tuesday to assess whether a range of sites could host small cabins, large tents or safe parking lots, among other options.
Some of the locations are in the city of San Diego and Escondido.
“We still have hundreds and hundreds of people unhoused on our streets every single night who need and deserve a place to sleep,” Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, the measure’s sponsor, said from the dais.
Staffers must report back in about four months. The bipartisan vote set aside around $90,000 of federal relief funds for the work and Lawson-Remer highlighted the existing Rosecrans Shelter, a 150-bed tent in Point Loma, as a model to follow.
Leaders also continue to explore a countywide camping ban.
An initial list of possible shelter sites drew some pushback Tuesday. Several residents of Escondido, including the city’s mayor, said they hadn’t been consulted about one spot at 620 East Valley Parkway.
That lot is near several businesses and scheduled to eventually host affordable housing.
“While I oppose this specific site,” Mayor Dane White told the supervisors, “we would propose being partners on a permanent shelter on city property in another, more appropriate location.”
The board agreed to remove the specific reference to East Valley Parkway from the list, although the lot may still be considered. Even if it or other sites did end up hosting homeless residents, officials said the shelters would be taken down in time for any planned development.
Before the meeting, The Lucky Duck Foundation, a prominent homelessness advocacy and philanthropist organization, issued a press release criticizing the Escondido mayor’s planned opposition to the county proposal.
The statement warned the city from trying to start its own shelter “alone,” without outside support. “Homelessness is a regional tragedy that needs regional solutions.”
While White did publicly pledge to work with the county, he defended his approach to The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I’ll ultimately advocate” for “what’s best for my city,” he wrote in an email.
Tuesday’s discussion further resulted in the removal of 6255 Mission Gorge Road from consideration as well as spots throughout District 2, which covers much of East County and is represented by Joel Anderson.
That supervisor said he and his team were already deep in the process of evaluating sites for shelter and more assessment risked duplicating work and fracturing trust with local communities.
Anderson had previously backed off constructing small homes for the homeless in Lakeside and Santee after public outcry, although he said some residents were coming around.
One shelter option includes units constructed by the company Pallet.
Two Pallet shelters were displayed outside the county administrative center on Feb. 2, 2024.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Two were displayed Friday outside the county administrative center. The smaller option is 70 square feet. The larger is 120 square feet and includes a bathroom.
The county is buying about 100 and has been looking for organizations willing to help set them up.
The smaller Pallet shelter is 70 square feet and does not have a bathroom.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
