NATIONAL CITY (KGTV) — At first glance, it’s just a set of beds.
“When l first came to emergency shelter 20 years ago when I was homeless, we didn’t have beds. We slept on yoga mats in a big, large room. So, this is amazing that this is here,” Carla Vanegas, who was formerly homeless, said.
Vanegas is talking about the San Diego Rescue Mission’s new homeless shelter in National City, the South County Lighthouse.
Vanegas went from being homeless to being a Rescue Mission client and then to being the director of outreach for the non-profit.
She said the 162-bed facility for the unhoused would’ve done wonders 20 years ago.
“I’m so excited for the South County because we really didn’t have this down here. And this is my backyard, right? National City is actually my hometown. So, I’m super proud to be here, to be a part of this. This means everything to me, to be able to reach my own people,” Vanegas said.
Wednesday’s ribbon cutting for the shelter is the Rescue Mission’s latest after opening a similar site in Oceanside last August.
“So, we get to use that and lay that pattern down here,” Donnie Dee, President & CEO of San Diego Rescue Mission, said.
Dee told ABC 10News that the homelessness crisis is a regional problem.
“Well, sure, we need more beds. I don’t know that we can ultimately do what we want to do, which is to enforce that you can’t sleep on the streets. I’m in favor of that; that you don’t get to resist services. But, in order to do that, you have to increase the number of beds. That’s why I’m in favor of Mayor Gloria’s 1000-bed shelter,” Dee said.
Until that happens, the 2024 Point In Time Count, a snapshot of the region’s homelessness crisis, shows that 81% of the 3,900 emergency shelter beds are being used.
“Homelessness is complex. There’s not one solution for every person. If it was, we would’ve solved it already,” Vanegas said. “There’s just a wide variety of individuals that their needs are different. So, we definitely need more to come. But this is a great start.”
The non-profit will begin taking in clients at the new shelter on Thursday morning.
