MIDDLETOWN SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — City of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has scrapped Kettner & Vine as the location for his one-thousand-bed shelter.
Gloria is now looking at other locations as part of his plan to reduce street homelessness.
Kettner & Vine received pushback from neighbors near the area. Those neighbors said despite their efforts, they felt like they were never included in the planning process of the shelter.
In April 2024, Gloria announced the site of Kettner & Vine to be the potential one-thousand-bed shelter for the unhoused community.
A few months later, community members who lived and worked right up the street from Kettner & Vine voiced their opposition to the shelter and its proposed location.
Patty Doucey-Brooks was one community member, and in June of 2024, she said, "Many of us have actually worked in this industry, worked for the homeless, and worked in drug and rehab programs, so we do understand these issues, but we're not even being allowed to talk to our council members or our mayor. So that's why I'm here."
Doucey-Brooks said she heard the news of the Mayor dismissing this site location through ABC 10News on Friday.
"I have to say we're pleased with the decision," Doucey-Brooks said.
Doucey-Brooks is also a small business owner in Mission Hills, and believed the shelter's location was going to hurt many small businesses like hers.
"We also didn't want the taxpayers to be hit with the heavy burden of carrying that financial load," Doucey-Brooks said. "All of the businesses were very concerned because we've had a lot of homeless challenges in the last several years already, and the problem is that the businesses have to bear the burden of fixing the problem."
Gloria stated in 2024 that his one-thousand-bed shelter would cost taxpayers less.
Doucey-Brooks neighbor Dan Mullen has also raised concern over Kettner & Vine since the beginning.
In June of 2024, one concern Mullen raised was over the thought of 1,000 people fitting into what he called, 'A dilapidated building'.
Mullen even met with Team10 Investigative reporter Jim Avila at one point to talk about the impacts the neighborhood would feel from the shelter.
"Do we want to help the homeless? Yes. Do we want to help them where it's human? Yes. How do you do that? Smaller sites, dispersed sites," Mullen said.
Both Mullen and Doucey-Brooks said they've been trying to talk with Gloria and Whitburn, their Councilmember, about alternative solutions to the mega-shelter. They both helped build a website, trying to keep community members in the loop with the shelter's developments and said they've felt excluded by City officials for the past year.
On Friday, Doucey-Brooks and Mullen said they're still waiting to hear back from City officials they've asked to host a community forum meeting to discuss the location of the shelter.
ABC 10News heard back from Councilmember Whitburn's office, and they said there were opportunities for public comment during city council meetings in 2024, including one on July 22nd. They also said city staff engaged residents about the shelter's location at Kettner & Vine.
This Monday, February 10th, there will be a City Council meeting to discuss the other locations now being considered.
The public can attend.
