On Monday the city of San Diego declared a homeless shelter crisis, even though a similar crisis declaration is already in place. Yesterday's 8-0 vote is meant to strengthen the existing legislation. Here to tell us what the city helps to accomplish declaring this new shelter crisis is Andrew Bolan. Welcome. If there a difference between the two crisis declarations?Legally, no. Both use the same government code. What is different about yesterday's declaration is only the statement of findings. It has new data from this year's homeless this point in time count, which found there is more street homeless this now. Also data on the hepatitis A outbreak. Despite that, there is no real authority the city has now that he did not have.With crisis shelter declaration, what is the legal authority?It allows the city to suspend certain health and safety code on properties that are owned, leased, or operated by the city government. Instead it can use alternative standards when establishing emergency shelters. Even without a crisis declaration the city could still convert it's all facilities into emergency homeless shelters, this just makes it a little easier.Was there discussion of exactly how many new shelter beds the city needs to accommodate the homeless population?I cannot recall councilmembers talking about specific numbers, but the latest point in time count that took place earlier this year found just over 5600 homeless people in the city of San Diego. The utilization of the existing shelters is fairly high, ranging from 80-100%. More than half of those homeless people are un-sheltered. Just to get the people off the streets that are currently living there the city with me more than 3000 new shelters. The city would need more than 3000 new shelter bath, that does not take into account the people who are living on the edge and maybe dangerously close to homelessness. He asks the mayor to comment on those things.Does the mayor support the updated crisis declaration?Yes. And he was there to voice his support. A little bit of background, calls for this crisis declaration came from David Alvarez. He heard the crisis and now we have to do something.What type of discussion took place over the hepatitis A outbreak?We heard a lot of frustration. The county has about $2 billion in reserves, some of that money is not all that easy to spend or appropriate, but a lot of it is. Several councilmembers says the county has to do more to help.People can put their garbage in, they were moved that? I don't know who made that decision. We have porta potty's all around. The city has only done what it needs to do, I think, to coil the rise of protest and people about this.Dennis, a lot of this documentary is promoted to promoting housing first. To try to get homeless people into permanent supportive housing. Here in San Diego the city shelters were close to get people into permanent housing before there was enough housing available, do you think that has contributed to the current hepatitis A outbreak?People living on the streets without access to showers and such certainly would. I asked the folks in Houston, there is an idea for an intake center and more shelters. In Houston you guys, what you think about that. Otherwise you are diverting resources. Therefore you are leaving people on the streets longer. It is more humane to get them the permanent housing as quickly as possible instead of diverting resources to shelters. I understand with the hepatitis A outbreak some shelters are necessary. May be more handwashing stations or showers.City leaders say temporary shelters will be opening up starting in December, what do you think?I think it is good and that I will probably take advantage of that. I am really fearful that will get homeless people out of the I got the general public and the general public will think the problem is solved and it won't be. It will just be intense and the problem will be hidden. Where we really need to focus our resources are on housing.
An emergency declaration over a lack of shelter space, which has exacerbated a deadly outbreak of hepatitis A among San Diego's homeless population, was approved Monday by the City Council.
The council action was taken on an 8-0 vote even though Mayor Kevin Faulconer, who supported the declaration, said all of the affordable shelter beds haven't been filled. Councilman Chris Cate was absent.
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The declaration strengthens an earlier version that was already in place.
"This is a really important policy tool that will allow us to be able to look at the reasonable suspension of regulatory statutes, regulations and ordinances that otherwise are providing a barrier for us to get services, programs and facilities up and running faster, said Councilman Chris Ward, who chairs the council's Select Committee on Homelessness.
The City Attorney's office said an updated declaration will also provide legal protections to certain projects meant to alleviate homelessness.
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The declaration comes amid an outbreak of hepatitis A, which has had a heavy impact on the homeless. County health officials said 461 people have become ill and 17 have died in the second-largest outbreak in the U.S. since a vaccine became available 22 years ago.
Councilman David Alvarez proposed the declaration last month, calling for immediate action because of the fatalities. Since then, city officials have been washing and disinfecting streets and began a pilot program to keep 14 public restrooms in Balboa Park open 24 hours a day. Additionally, the county has set up around 40 hand-washing stations — concentrated in areas where the homeless congregate.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer told the council members that homelessness was the No. 1 social service issue in the city.
"It's up to us throughout the county — particularly here in the city — to step up our efforts, which we have in cleaning sidewalks, offering shelter to individuals as an alternative to sleeping on our streets," Faulconer said. "I would also note that our existing shelters are still not at full capacity."
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He said safe camping zones, where the homeless can set up tents, should be open in a matter of days.
"We are all in this together, and the eyes of the nation are upon us," Faulconer said. "We are the last line of defense for many of our most vulnerable men and women."
In January's annual tally of the area's transient population, 5,619 homeless individuals were counted in the city of San Diego, a 10.3 percent increase from last year. Of those, 3,231 were living on the streets.
