SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Homelessness in San Diego County is an ongoing issue.
“We just didn’t plan for what we’re facing right now in our rental market. It’s brought our whole homeless system to gridlock. At the same time, we got more people coming into it than ever,” said John Brady, Executive Director of Lived Experience Advisers.
Many are trying to find solutions for it, including those at the county.
“We are actually looking for multiple organizations that want to be able to partner with us to bring sleeping cabins into across the county,” said Barbara Jimenez, Community Operations Officer for San Diego County’s Department of Homeless Solutions & Equitable Communities.
Those roughly 100 sleeping cabins, according to the county, are similar to what the City of Chula Vista has set up.
“It’s a 64-square-foot sleeping cabin. It has the beds in there. It has the electricity. It has your air and heat,” Jimenez said.
Starting Wednesday, the county’s taking grant applications from organizations to be a part of the $1.5 million sleeping cabin program. The grants would cover the cost of buying and building the cabin for groups that possibly have land or a parking lot to have on their property.
“We’re asking for organizations to commit a minimum of three years,” Jimenez said. “The organizations would provide the ongoing operations and cost for these pallet shelters.”
The county said they’d also need to have “the funding and infrastructure for setup, zoning, permitting, and ongoing facilities and services to maintain the site.”
“We need to explore all these options. I’m just disappointed the county did not provide the infrastructure costs, which far exceeds the time and effort necessary to assemble the actual units,” Brady said.
Brady said also sits on a board of another organization that’s done similar cabins in El Cajon
Despite those issued being raised, Brady told ABC 10News exploring some options is better than explore no options.
“At this point, we need to put everything on the table that we can to create housing temporary or otherwise to the folks that are on our streets,” Brady said.
“Any time we can expand, you know, housing options and especially emergency housing options; it’s a great opportunity to move the needle,” Jimenez said.
