SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Targeted, data-driven strategies may be the most effective, and cost-efficient, ways of reducing homelessness in San Diego County, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer announced.
At a news conference Thursday, she shared data after a year of the Homeless Diversion Program, which has helped 597 people exit homelessness.
"For too long, our homelessness response has been focused on managing the problem instead of solving it," said Lawson-Remer, acting chair of the Board of Supervisors. "We changed that by investing in a smarter approach — one that stops homelessness before it starts.
"Diversion works. It keeps people housed, saves taxpayers money and helps turn the tide on homelessness. The time to act is now."
Since the program launched in January 2024, it has helped those nearly 600 people, supporting 489 households at an average cost of just $3,150 per household — or about $1,660 per person, according to county data.
The program works by offering "rapid, one-time financial assistance" such as a security deposit, short term rental support, or a car repair.
Around 45% of the year's expenditures went to short term rental assistance, 35% for security deposits and 9% for short-term hotel stays. It was started with a $1.5 million funding pool — including $350,000 from the county.
"We made a smart investment in Homeless Diversion, and today, the data confirms that it's paying off," Lawson-Remer said. "This program is keeping people housed, delivering real results, and showing exactly how we can reduce homelessness in San Diego. Now, we need to expand it."
In December 2024, for the first time since March 2022, more San Diegans found housing than became homeless in November, marking a small but significant milestone in addressing the region's homelessness crisis. Lawson-Remer touted this improvement as partly in thanks to the diversion program, which accounted for 9% of all people who exited homelessness across the region during that month.
In November 2024, 894 people fell into homelessness and entered the system for the first time compared to 950 people who exited the system and were placed into housing, according to the Regional Task Force on Homelessness.
RTFH CEO Tamara Kohler offered caution optimism in December, but said the problem wasn't yet solved and more work was needed.
"The demand is still there, that hasn't changed," she said. "But we are housing more people and that's encouraging for a lot of reasons but mostly because we know housing solves homelessness.
"We obviously want to see these trend lines continue in 2025, but I'll say this again: We need more housing across the board, and we need a dedicated funding source to help our most vulnerable friends, neighbors, seniors, veterans and families."
The number of homeless in San Diego County increased by around 20% between 2022 and 2023, but a less dramatic increase in the city of San Diego around 4% was recorded in last year's count.
"For the first time in nearly three years, we saw more people housed than became homeless," Lawson-Remer said. "That's not luck — it's because we invested in a smarter way to keep people housed.
"Nearly 1 in 10 people who exited homelessness in December did so through Diversion. This isn't just a pilot program anymore — it's proof that we can move the needle when we invest in solutions that work."
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