SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The San Diego City Council on Tuesday voted 9-0 to pass a $5.8 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year.
The budget was previously set at a proposed $5.65 billion, but it increased after some city departments were asked to pull from reserves and state funding became available sooner than anticipated.
The proposed budget shows homeless services receiving more than $40 million if the plan is passed; that's $3 million more than originally allocated.
Some of the money will go towards two projects that have raised concerns for San Diegans -- the 1,000-bed shelter that would be located off of Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street, and the H Barracks Safe Sleeping site near San Diego International Airport.
For months, opponents have protested the H Barracks proposal, saying it's not the solution the city needs. Opponents have said they plan to sue the city if it moves forward with the plan.
"They're trying to spend money on projects benefiting San Diego. This project won't benefit. It's going to be tied up in legal proceedings and other things,” said Derek Faulconer of the nonprofit Point Loma CARES.
As for the proposed shelter off Kettner and Vine, residents think a 35-year lease term is too long. They also said it's not big enough for 1,000 people, doesn't benefit taxpayers, and could negatively impact tourism.
The extra funds in the proposed budget will fund other programs like Come Play Outside, SD Access for All, and No Shots Fired.
No Shots Fired, which started in 2021, gives known gang members a chance to leave the violence behind and create a life plan.
The $250,000 expected to go to the program will allow employees who do the life-changing work to keep getting paid, according to Bishop Cornelius Bowser, who runs the program.
Bowser, a former gang member, works with agencies like the police department and the city attorney's office to connect with gang members facing gun-related charges.
Many enter a year-and-a-half program to help them turn their lives around, using expressive writing, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy.
“I can come to an individual and see exactly what they need to do and say he this is what you need to do to change and do better but what it get them to see it for themselves," he said.
He says after finishing the program, 97 percent of participants have not been rearrested for crimes related to gang violence within six months.
He said he's grateful for the funding, but the work would've continued regardless of funding because it's fueled by love.
