More serious discussion took place in 2023 about proposed solutions to San Diego County’s homelessness crisis than ever before. For someone who has worked for nearly three decades with San Diego County’s older adults experiencing homelessness, the new attention to this problem has been a welcome development.
What we must now address in 2024 is making clear assessments of what programs and policies are working, and which ones are most effective and feasible moving forward.
This year’s annual Point In Time Count scheduled for Thursday, Jan.25, will provide critically needed information to help public officials and service providers make decisions on how best to continue addressing San Diego County’s population of people experiencing homelessness. Both morning and evening shifts are available throughout the county.
Please consider volunteering. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness still needs people in all areas. Participating for just a few hours makes a significant contribution toward finding effective solutions. Put together a group from your workplace or community. Find more information and sign up here.
In the most recent monthly count in December, the Downtown San Diego Partnership’s end-of-year count showed 846 people experiencing homelessness in downtown San Diego. This figure represents a 60% decrease from the previous figure of 2,104 from May.
But do these numbers represent people finding shelter, or simply moving to areas with less enforcement?
Volunteers are still needed to help create the most accurate information about the nature and scope of the problem. If people are moving from central areas of San Diego to outlying communities, we need a wide distribution of volunteers to assess those areas and allow resources to be deployed where they are most needed.
When I joined staff and volunteers with Serving Seniors to participate in the 2023 count one year ago, we observed shocking growth in the number of older adults on our streets, verified by the report. Similar to 2022, San Diego County residents over age 55 were a significant component of the region’s homeless population, approximately 30%.
Demographics are working against us. The number of homeless adults over age 55 is projected to triple over the next decade. It’s possible the impending 2024 Point In Time Count will verify that an increasing number of older San Diegans still need housing.
As their neighbors, we must take direct action. Writing letters to the editor about the need for more affordable housing — and then opposing projects in our own neighborhood such as the H Barracks proposal near the San Diego International Airport in Point Loma — simply is not good enough. San Diegans are better than that.
At the urging of Serving Seniors, both the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the San Diego City Council established pilot programs providing shallow rental subsidies to qualified older adults. Recently, a shared housing service has been proposed by Supervisor Joel Anderson.
In addition, the City of San Diego passed its Safe Camping ordinance. It established two safe sleeping sites, and it has also established several non-congregate shelters, including the Senior Landing Bridge Shelter. We now hope to learn from the Point In Time Count what programs are working, and what needs to be improved. We must make sure our limited resources are being used most effectively.
Consider the upcoming count an opportunity for you to look behind the numbers and the news reports. While it might make you uncomfortable at first, participating in the Point In Time Count allows you to talk with people experiencing homelessness and learn their stories. I have participated in the count for many years, and always learn something new.
Putting a human face on this problem instead of making assumptions will give you a valuable perspective on this issue. Perhaps it will motivate you to join the civic conversation and contribute toward finding new ways to help solve it.
We remain optimistic despite the severity of the numbers. Shallow rental subsidy programs, non-congregate shelter options, safe parking, and other resources targeting older adult homelessness can help people quickly, allowing us to focus other resources on those who need them most.
Paul Downey is CEO of Serving Seniors, a San Diego-based nonprofit that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.