A new workforce housing facility for Community Care Crew members who are experiencing homelessness will soon open in Pacific Beach.
Compass Commons, from Shoreline Community Services, offers sleeping spaces for the team members who work at the homeless resource center in Pacific Beach.
An open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the new unsheltered housing project is planned for Monday, June 23.
The event will provide community members, partners, donors, elected officials, and neighbors an opportunity to tour the site, learn more about the program, and celebrate the collaborative effort that brought Compass Commons to life.
Launched in 2023, the Community Care Crew is Shoreline’s employment social enterprise with crew members performing street cleaning, power washing, landscaping, graffiti removal, janitorial services, and event support throughout the area while receiving individualized case management, career counseling, and job placement support.
Since its inception, Community Care Crew members have worked more than 7,200 hours beautifying local neighborhoods, earned over $150,000 in wages, and generated more than $170,000 in program revenue while taking meaningful steps toward employment and housing stability.
Compass Commons represents the next step in Shoreline’s innovative approach to addressing homelessness through employment, support services, and now workforce housing, said Shoreline’s executive director, Caryn Blanton.
“One of the greatest barriers facing many people experiencing homelessness is the gap between employment and housing,” said Blanton. “Compass Commons helps bridge that gap by providing a safe place to rest, recover, and continue moving forward. We believe that people who are working hard to rebuild their lives deserve a stable place to call home.”
Located adjacent to The Compass Station, the new unsheltered housing community features individual sleeping cabins providing safe, secure, and dignified housing for Community Care Crew members actively working toward long-term stability and self-sufficiency.
Blanton said Compass Commons was made possible through partnerships with San Diego County, the Lucky Duck Foundation, Christ Lutheran Church, LPA Design Studios, and numerous community supporters who shared Shoreline’s vision of creating a pathway from employment to housing.
“We often talk about the importance of community solutions to homelessness,” said Blanton. “Compass Commons is what that looks like in action. This project exists because people came together around a common belief: that every person deserves dignity, opportunity, and the chance to build a better future.”
