Victims of domestic violence. Survivors of human trafficking. Formerly homeless.
More than 460 households in the city of San Diego – amounting to much more than 1,000 children and adults – should lose the rental help they receive from the federal government next summer, local officials said this week at a public hearing.
The program of emergency housing vouchers, launched during the pandemic, was due to last until the end of the decade.
“The objective was to target some of the most vulnerable people in our community,” said Lisa Jones, head of the San Diego housing committee. “The probability that these families will be able to survive in the accommodation without hire help at the end of this money is very low.”
And this is not the only bad news.
The San Diego municipal council listened to the often brutal testimonies of two agencies responsible for treating homelessness on Thursday on the way in which local deficits and rapidly evolving federal policies can upset the social security net. The city, the county and the state face budget deficits, and while the leaders discuss a range of stopgaps, there does not seem to be an easy solution at a time when the county of homeless continues to grow.
The combination of uncertainty is the fact that San Diego officials do not have a clear image of the American Department of Housing and Urban Development as various money pots could be dry. The emergency housing vouchers program seems to run out in the 12 months, but there is no piece of paper saying it definitively. And the San Diego housing committee has not yet been informed about the federal funds on which it can count for the current calendar year.
However, the Faille lines in the agency’s budget have been propagating for years.
The Commission is currently helping to cover the rent for around 17,000 households thanks to a variety of programs, all financed by the federal government. Five years ago, each family obtained on average $ 876 per month. This year, the total had reached more than $ 1,400, the result of the cost of life costs in what was already one of the most expensive cities in the country. Even Biden administration did not fully cover the San Diego tab, leaving the commission to plunge into its reserves.
Managers now believe that they will burn through these reservations within two years, which could potentially leave more than 900 households on the hook for their rent. Almost two thirds of this population, around 63%, are old or disabled.
Natalie Raschke, a mother of four who spoke publicly to become homeless during the pandemic, told members of the Council that her family was based on a good one. “Some people are still not back from Covid,” she said through tears during the public comments period.
Due to so many unknowns, the housing committee continues not to distribute new vouchers, even after families have left their programs.
The members of the Council also heard the Department of City Rackup Strategies and Solutions, which should soon be reinforced by income from measure C. that the new hotel tax is still challenged in court, although the city has nevertheless started to receive the costs.
At the same time, the agency provides several cuts. The homeless response center, an establishment in the city center where anyone can enter to request services, is moved to a smaller location or a virtual option only saves around $ 481,000. (The property is planned for a new development.) It is expected that $ 620,000 should be saved by paying the California Department of Transportation to lead to awareness on state land, Work The City thinks that it has been largely ineffective. (Caltrans did not respond to requests for comments.)
More controversial, San Diego still wants to close the Rosecrans refuge of 150 beds in the Midway district due to a county plan to demolish a nearby building, which, according to some officials, would transform the area into a de facto construction area. The leaders have already stopped accepting new additions to the establishment.
The mayor’s budget proposal would end funding this summer, although at least a member of the council seems to continue paying for the beds until the demolition of March 2026.
The homeless department does not plan to launch new shelters in the next fiscal year.
Although there are now enough beds for everyone asking – in recent months, only about 1 requests out of 10 for shelter have succeeded – new facilities for women, children and young adults as well as a parking for families with VRs are opening.
All together, the project of the mayor’s budget would reserve for around 56.2 million dollars of the general fund of the city for homelessness, a total which is not considerably lower than that of last year.
The members of the Council Henry Foster III and Vivian Moreno expressed deep discomfort as to the price. “This is a significant amount of general funds in a budget that offers major discounts to very basic basic city services such as parks, storm channels and libraries,” said Moreno.
Many of their colleagues seemed more hesitant to reduce the expenses of homelessness.
A revised budget proposal is expected later this month. The municipal council should approve a final budget in June.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
