The location of San Diego’s winter homeless shelter is still up in the air. The city council Tuesday failed to approve the recommended location.
The San Diego Housing Commission had recommended the shelter be located in the East Village neighborhood. It’s been in that area for the past several years. But council members Kevin Faulconer, Tony Young, Carl DeMaio and Ben Hueso voted against the recommendation, meaning it failed.
Faulconer represents the East Village. He said other areas of the city should be considered for the temporary shelter.
“I do not accept that this is the only area in the city of San Diego. I just don’t,” he said
Representatives from the Housing Commission said there are not a lot of places the shelter can go because of specific site requirements. Councilwoman Marti Emerald said the people who moved into the East Village knew there was a large homeless population already living there.
“Come on, you were stepping over the homeless when you moved in. You knew that the shelters were nearby; you knew that the services were nearby,” she said.
The Housing Commission had recommended locating the shelter at 13th and F Streets in downtown. A recent survey found there are more than 1,000 homeless people living in the downtown area. The council did not indicate if it will take up the issue again.
