City Council again declares homeless shelter crisis

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The San Diego City Council decided to continue their Shelter Crisis Declaration, giving the governing body the ability to move more quickly to solve the intractable issues around finding housing for those out in the cold.

“I think in the past three years, this council has been one that has really taken action. The unsafe camping ordinances, the safe sleeping sites, the additional shelter, that’s all been good. Now I don’t want to see us slow down,” said Stephan Whitburn, a city councilmember.

There are 6,780 homeless people living in the city, according to the latest count from 2024. Residents say while the idea of urgency is appreciated, the original Shelter Crisis Declaration, started in 2017, and seven years on, the problem hasn’t gone away.

“I feel like they are working on a car while it’s driving down the freeway,” said Lori Saldana, a former assemblymember.

Now the governor has pledged fresh millions to assist in the behavioral health crisis and ordered state agencies to start removing homeless encampments after the supreme court ruling, giving cities far more latitude to handle their homelessness issues. But frustrated residents say they are still waiting for San Diego to come up with a comprehensive plan to curb homelessness.

“The most important thing is not an emergency declaration, it's a strategy and this city does not have a strategy,” said Paul Krueger a retired journalist and resident.

City councilmembers say they are not backing down from the homelessness crisis and they are seeing progress against San Diego’s most pressing issue.

San Diego has roughly 2,500 shelter beds spread across 20 locations.

“We need to have mental health and behavioral health services for people who need that treatment. Between housing, shelter and services people need, there is no reason we can’t solve homelessness in San Diego,” Whitburn said.