Courtesy of SPRUNG
SPRUNG Industrial Tent
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the San Diego Housing Commission recently unveiled an $80 million plan to address homelessness in San Diego, to much fanfare. The plan takes a “housing first” approach and aims to provide permanent housing for thousands of people while also bolstering homelessness prevention and outreach efforts.
But the mayor isn’t the only one with an ambitious plan. Local nonprofits, city councilmembers and key business leaders are just a few of the other groups who recently released their big ideas about how to reduce homelessness. Here are three of the proposed plans in the works.
SPRUNG Industrial Tents
The idea: Industrial tents, or SPRUNG structures, to house 250 people each. They have been used in San Diego as seasonal shelters, though this plan calls for the structures to be more permanent.
Peter Seidler, managing partner of the San Diego Padres, and Dan Shea, a partner at Paradigm Investment Group LLC, presented the plan at a press conference on July 20.
The cost: About $800,000 to purchase and erect the structures. Seidler and Shea have offered to pay for the first two.
What people are saying: Seidler emphasized that even if these industrial tents aren’t a perfect solution, it’s “a heck of a lot better than doing nothing.”
People living in the structures would also be offered support services through county and city entities. The pair said it would be up to the city and county to determine viable locations.
Between choosing locations and providing most of the accompanying services, the plan appears to rely heavily on action by city and county officials, none of whom have formally endorsed the plan.
When asked about officially proposing the plan to city council, Shea said “consider it proposed.” Someone clarified, asking Shea if there was no plan for an official proposal.
“Do you want us to write it down on a piece of paper and take it to City Hall?” Shea said. “I guess we could do that.”
Seidler and Shea say that they “believe the mayor is on board” and there’s “nobody on city council who doesn’t know about this plan.”
Councilmember Chris Cate made a brief reference to the plan at the Select Committee on Homelessness meeting, saying that the city should be open to developing creative partnerships.
Courtesy of LIHI
Tiny house
Tiny House Villages
The idea: Tiny-house villages. The idea has been successful in other cities, including Seattle, where the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) created six tiny-house villages for previously homeless individuals.
Sharon Lee, executive director of LIHI, explained how they were able to build and maintain these villages at a discussion called “Emergency Housing Solutions for Now and for Real” on June 28, hosted by local nonprofit Amikas. Following her presentation was a panel discussion on the possibility of tiny homes in San Diego.
The cost: In Seattle, each structure cost $2,200 in materials. The city provided $559,598 in funding for three of the villages, which included case management and operational expenses for approximately a year.
What people are saying: Amikas vice president and realty lawyer Shanna WelshLevin explained that while California has strict laws to legally define a “dwelling,” there are certain instances where an exception can be made.
She referred to California’s AB 932, which allows certain jurisdictions (including San Diego) to relax local approval procedures for the construction of homeless shelters. The bill is currently going through the California Senate. If it passes, then the San Diego City Council would basically have the option to redefine a “dwelling” to include tiny homes.
She said Amikas doesn’t have a particular location it’s pushing for, but East Village could be a good option. District 9 Councilmember Georgette Gomez said that she was learning a lot from Amikas and she believes that an interim housing solution could include construction of small homes.
Gomez will discuss this and other aspects of her Housing Action Plan Wednesday, July 26 at a meeting of the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee.
Jamie Ballard
Select Committee on Homelessness
Interim Bridge Housing
The idea: “Interim bridge housing,” at Golden Hall or the Qualcomm Stadium practice field. This would be housing for homeless individuals who have been matched to permanent housing through the Coordinated Entry System but are still waiting for said housing to become available. There is a 90 day limit for people living in interim bridge housing.
This idea is part of Councilmember Chris Ward’s multi-pronged “Recommendations for an Immediate, Initial Response to the City’s Unsheltered Crisis,” which was presented at a meeting of the Select Committee on Homelessness on July 24. The committee voted in favor of moving the plan forward.
The cost: Currently unknown. Ward’s office will be working with government and community partners to develop the plan, including approximate costs, and report back in September at the next meeting of the Select Committee on Homelessness.
What people are saying: “We know we have 3,200 unsheltered individuals. That’s a humanitarian crisis,” Ward said. “Immediate beds can provide safety and services.”
Ward’s director of communications, Lucas O’Connor said that the 90-day limit for people living in bridge housing is a “soft target.”
“We’ll be working on policy details, but in general the 90 days is intended as a soft target based on current turnaround times, not as a hard deadline where we’d potentially be putting people back on the streets,” O’Connor explained.
Many members of the public, along with Councilmembers Georgette Gomez and Chris Cate, were largely in support of Ward’s recommendations. Councilmember Lori Zapf was more hesitant, saying there are still many questions about the plan that need to be answered.
Local advocate Tasha Williamson also voiced opposition to the plan, because she doesn’t believe that the funding will reach people throughout the county—including herself. She said after losing her two jobs, she will be homeless by October.
“I would say I oppose your actions...When I look at the homelessness and I realize how much money is being spent, but am told that services can’t be provided for me and the many, many people besides myself who need it in Southeastern (County), it’s hard for me,” she said.