Addressing homelessness is one of my top priorities. Every single day, we are getting people off the street, connected to services and on a path to securing permanent housing.  

City Council Approves "Protecting Our Progress" Budget with Key Investments in Homelessness and Housing

The City Council unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2025 "Protecting Our Progress" budget, which focuses on maintaining essential city services and making critical investments in addressing the homelessness and housing crisis, investing in our roads, stormwater systems and other critical infrastructure and keeping San Diego safe by ensuring our San Diego Police and Fire-Rescue Departments are fully funded.  

The approved budget increases funding to address homelessness by approximately $28 million, enabling us to undertake transformative projects — like a new 1,000-bed shelter and doubling our Safe Parking program by transforming H Barracks — that will significantly boost our efforts to get people off the streets and connected to services that will help them end their homelessness.  

Once we turn H Barracks — the City-owned former Navy land adjacent to the San Diego International Airport — into roughly 200 spaces for the Safe Parking Program, this successful program will be able to provide more San Diegans a safe and legal place to stay overnight in their vehicles. 

And, to fulfill my commitment to add homeless shelter beds to the City’s homelessness response system, we have identified a site at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street in Middletown for the city’s largest-ever, permanent homeless shelter and services campus. 

Once these two key projects are completed, the City will have more than tripled the number of opportunities for unsheltered San Diegans to come off the streets. 

In addition to these initiatives, the budget supports efforts to speed up the creation of affordable and middle-income homes near transit by fully funding the personnel needed to review projects under the highly effective Affordable Housing Permit Now and Complete Communities Now programs. To date, these programs have fast-tracked the creation of 2,356 new affordable homes, with 1,700 units already under construction. 

While we still have a long way to go in combating both our homelessness and housing crises, these efforts ensure we are making significant strides in helping every San Diegan find stability and a place to call home. 

Continued State Homelessness Funding Secured

I'm pleased to share that our efforts to secure essential funding for homelessness have been successful. 

The California Big City Mayors, a coalition of mayors from the state’s 13 largest cities that I chair, has been advocating for permanent state funding to help address California’s homelessness crises. I’m thrilled to announce that the leaders of the state Senate and Assembly have included a new round of funding for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program in their Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal. 

The proposed budget allocates $1 billion in HHAP funds and restores Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) funds. This funding is a lifeline for our city and others across California, enabling us to continue our vital work of getting homeless individuals off the streets and into permanent housing. 

To date, HHAP funding has been instrumental in creating over 15,000 shelter beds, serving 150,000 unhoused residents, and moving more than 42,000 people into temporary or permanent housing across the state's largest cities. 

The inclusion of this funding is a testament to the commitment and leadership of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire. Their efforts have ensured that we can maintain and expand shelter opportunities for vulnerable Californians. 

We look forward to collaborating with our partners in the Legislature and Governor Newsom to finalize this budget. 

Preparing for Transition: Golden Hall Shelter Closure and Future Plans 

In an important step towards improving our approach to homelessness, the City is preparing to transition residents from the Golden Hall shelter to other facilities by the end of this year. 

As we prepare for the closure, new intakes at Golden Hall will be paused, though our other 17 City-funded shelters, as well as our Safe Sleeping and Safe Parking sites, will continue to accept new residents. 

Golden Hall has always been a temporary shelter. Operated by Father Joe’s Villages under a contract with the San Diego Housing Commission, Golden Hall has served as a temporary shelter since 2019. The facility's condition and the temporary nature of its permit from the City fire marshal have necessitated its closure. 

Heavy rainstorms this past winter have damaged the 60-year-old building, and estimates suggest it would require at least $9.3 million in improvements to remain operational. With redevelopment plans for the Civic Core site on the horizon, such an investment is not smart or feasible. 

All current residents of Golden Hall will be relocated to other existing or new City-funded facilities. Currently, Golden Hall accommodates approximately 264 beds. 

The City's Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department has been actively preparing for this transition, which is part of our Comprehensive Shelter Strategy. 

Our commitment to tackling homelessness remains steadfast. Together with your support, we are making significant strides towards a more compassionate San Diego where no one is left to suffer on our streets. 

Understanding the City's Shelter System 

The City of San Diego has contracts with various service providers to offer shelter options to people experiencing homelessness. At our shelters, people are connected to support services and ultimately put on a path toward permanent housing. 

The shelters listed below are City-funded (Note: There are additional shelters outside of this system that are operating within the City of San Diego.)  

• Alpha Project Bridge Shelter I  
• Alpha Project Bridge Shelter II  
• Barrio Logan Family Shelter  
• Community Harm Reduction Shelter  
• Community Harm Reduction Safe Haven  
• Father Joe’s Villages Bishop Maher Center  
• Father Joe’s Villages Paul Mirabile Center  
• Golden Hall  
• LGBT Center - LGBTQ+ Affirming TAY Shelter (Clairemont)  
• LGBT Center - LGBTQ+ Affirming TAY Shelter (Midway)  
• Old Central Library Alliance Shelter  
• PATH Connections Housing  
• Rachel’s Promise Women’s Shelter  
• Rosecrans Shelter  
• Safe Sleeping at 20th & B   
• Safe Sleeping at O Lot   
• Salvation Army Interim Family Shelter  
• San Diego Youth Services  
• Seniors Landing   
• San Diego Youth Services  
• Urban Street Angels Youth Shelter 

Revitalizing Affordable Housing for Seniors: Grand Re-Opening of Cathedral Plaza 

I had the honor of joining community leaders to celebrate the grand re-opening of Cathedral Plaza Apartments in downtown San Diego. 

Cathedral Plaza, a 16-story, 225-unit apartment community originally built in 1975 with support from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has long been a vital resource for seniors aged 62 and older. Thanks to a unique partnership between Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego and affordable housing developer RAHD Group, the partnership has successfully completed a $30 million investment to renovate and improve this landmark building. 

This project is the first of its kind in Southern California, highlighting the power of collaboration between a nonprofit and a private developer. The extensive renovations include critical upgrades to infrastructure, apartment units and community spaces, ensuring that Cathedral Plaza remains a safe and comfortable home for its residents for another 55 years. 

Beyond the physical improvements, this partnership has also brought new support services to the residents of Cathedral Plaza. Catholic Charities will now offer technology assistance, social events, educational presentations and access to resource advocates onsite, creating a more holistic approach to senior housing. 

As Mayor, I am deeply committed to addressing our City's housing crisis and ensuring that all San Diegans, especially our most vulnerable populations, have access to safe and affordable housing. While we still have much more housing to build, projects like Cathedral Plaza bring us one step closer to creating a San Diego where everyone has a roof over their heads at a price they can afford.   

Family Reunification Program: A Lifeline for Stability

In our ongoing efforts to address homelessness and housing instability in San Diego, I am proud to highlight the success of our Family Reunification Program through the inspiring story of Aimee Woodman. 

Our Family Reunification Program is operated by the Downtown San Diego Partnership and is a hybrid outreach, services and rehousing program. The program reconnects individuals experiencing homelessness with their families and loved ones willing to provide stable living environments, thereby helping participants build support systems and establish links to long-term housing. The program also monitors the participants’ progress to determine long-term success. 

Family Reunification is a crucial part of our overall strategy to address homelessness in San Diego from every possible angle, and it has been instrumental in helping people like Aimee find stability and rebuild their lives. 

Aimee came to San Diego to complete a drug and alcohol treatment program with her husband in hopes they would be able to end their addiction to fentanyl for good. The program worked for the couple, but after they graduated, they found themselves with nowhere to go. They were stranded on the streets of San Diego and on the brink of losing hope. 

Aimee’s situation was dire, as she also battled a panic disorder, compounding the stress of street homelessness. The Family Reunification Program, which is funded through the state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant, provided Aimee and her husband with a lifeline. 

The program facilitated the reconnection of Aimee and her husband with her mother in Oklahoma. Through this program, Aimee received not just a bus ticket home, but comprehensive support that included food vouchers for the journey and assurance that she would have a safe place to stay upon arrival. The program requires a family member to commit to providing support for at least six months, ensuring a stable transition. 

"I feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity that we did have because otherwise, we'd still be living on that beach. Or we'd be dead,” Aimee said.  

She said as recovering fentanyl addicts, she’s certain that left on the streets much longer, she and her husband surely would have fallen back into addiction.  

Aimee's story is one of resilience and hope. Upon returning to Oklahoma, she and her husband found stability. Aimee recently secured a job as a hairstylist, and her husband found employment in manufacturing. They now have their own apartment and are rebuilding their lives, step by step.  

The Family Reunification Program has been a crucial tool in our efforts to combat homelessness. It provides immediate relief and long-term stability, helping individuals and families get back on their feet. Aimee’s story is a testament to the program’s impact and the difference it can make in the lives of those who are struggling.