Report shows increasing number of homeless seniors in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The Regional Taskforce on Homelessness recently released its 2024 "Point-In-Time Count" of the homeless population in the San Diego region.

"What's going on in our city is a crisis,” said Donnie Dee, CEO of the San Diego Rescue Mission. "It’s a one-day snapshot of the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness."

According to the data, there was a 3% increase. This is significantly less that last year's increase of 20%.

“As long as there are this many people sleeping on the streets, we should be concerned. But I think we need to do a better job,” said Dee.

Dee did applaud the work being done, but he said the approach is not sustainable.

“The government funding is the elephant in the room, not that they shouldn’t be involved with government funding. Their approach is 'housing first'...and we're here to tell you at San Diego Rescue Mission, homelessness is a heart issue,” said Dee.

Mayor Todd Gloria, who has made the homeless crisis a focal point of his administration, issued a statement reading, "This year’s Point-In-Time Count results are indicators our efforts to increase shelter bed capacity and get people off the street is turning the tide of this crisis.

He went on to say, “It’s further proof that now is not the time to become stagnant in our efforts.”

The mayor also pointed to his latest plan to build a thousand-bed shelter near the airport, something Dee says he supports but also says is only a Band-Aid.

“We feel like that's not the best place for people to change their lives. It's just moving them from a small tent to a big tent,” he explained.

Some of the more disturbing trends, the report found, is an increasing number of seniors and those with disabilities experiencing homelessness for the first time.

Paul Downey, the president and executive director of ServeringSeniors.org, says prevention is the key and coming up with solutions before people are in their cars or on the streets.