NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) – 30 days. That's the countdown until National City's homeless encampment ban is official the law.
According to the 2024 Point In Time Count on how homelessness is National City, there's 174 people on the streets there.
"We have to wait by state law 30 days for the enactment of it,” National City Mayor Ron Morrison said. "It's going to cover a whole lot of different issues."
ABC 10News has spoken to him multiple times about the ban and why he believes the city needs it.
Morrison said the City's encampment ban is on public property areas. As we’ve reported, the ban on encampments is also within two blocks from schools, waterways and trolley stops or transit hubs.
"Resources will be provided. We're doing that even now. And so, we have our homeless outreach team and it's out providing these resources to people,”
In June, the City opened a new shelter run by the San Diego Rescue Mission.
It will act as one of those resources for the unhoused community -- if there's space.
Paul Armstrong, San Diego Rescue Mission 00;02;24
"So for us, since we are already at capacity, we'll continue to do what we are doing,” Paul Armstrong, who is the Vice President of Programs for the Rescue Mission, said.
While the current 75 beds are full right now, he said the plan is to ramp up capacity.
"On October 1st, we will be expanding to 125,” Armstrong said.
The overall goal is a total of 162 beds.
Armstrong says the ramp up is needed to work out any kinks in the shelter's operation as they add staff and watch their funding.
"We'll be looking at funding opportunities. If we feel like we can add on more beds sooner, we will,” Armstrong said. “But, we want to make sure we add them on well Because that's not going to be helpful; is if we just rush people into shelter but they're falling out of shelter because we're not able to provide the quality services there."
The City of Chula Vista also approved the first reading of it's ordinance related to a homeless encampment ban. The second reading will be on September 24th according to Mayor John McCann.
