SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Construction began Tuesday on a new homeless shelter in San Diego’s Midway District.
The shelter in the 3800 block of Rosecrans Street will serve up to 150 people, according to county and city officials.
Some of the shelter’s services will be provided by the San Diego Housing Commission and the Lucky Duck Foundation.
In a news release, officials stated: “The Lucky Duck Foundation has donated the use of the tent, the County has provided the land adjacent to its psychiatric hospital and will provide behavioral health and sufficiency services, while the City of San Diego and San Diego Housing Commission are providing the shelter operations and other services.”
Supervisor Nathan Fletcher says, "Guests will be provided meals, showers, restrooms, laundry, storage for their belongings. Mental health and addiction treatment."
The construction of this tent shelter comes as City crews visited this neighborhood several times to try and clean up and clear some of the encampments while reaching out to those individuals, offering them a place to stay.
ABC 10News stopped by that area Tuesday morning and saw a noticeable decrease in the number of tents.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria says the numbers reflect that as the city's shelters are at 90% capacity.
But, it doesn't just end there. He says nearly 350 people living in those shelters have transitioned to permanent housing.
Gloria adds, "We bring more people off the streets into care, and we ultimately get them housed. Outreach, shelter, housing. that's the pathway forward."
