SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Recent remedies aimed at reducing San Diego's homeless crisis have not been enough, according to a scientific 10News/San Diego Union-Tribune poll.
The poll of 800 San Diego adults showed sentiments about addressing homelessness are not positive. When asked if they believed if homelessness was getting better, worse, or staying the same in San Diego, only 11 percent said it was getting better. About 60 percent said it's getting worse.
Many believe that blame lies at the top of local government. When asked who is most responsible for reducing homelessness, 53 percent said elected officials and 18 percent pointed to the homeless and their families.
RELATED: Housing crunch: San Diego needs 171,000 new homes by 2029
So what's led to San Diego's homelessness? Of those surveyed, 33 percent believe housing costs have contributed most to the homeless crisis, 22 percent said substance abuse, and 20 percent said mental health issues.
Recently, San Diego officials opened three temporary tent shelters to try and transition some of the city's homeless population into housing. When asked if they thought the tents helped, 51 percent said yes, 20 percent said no, and 29 percent were not sure.
A report by the San Diego Housing Commission shows from December 2017 to March 2018, 946 people have exited the three tents. Out of that, only 94 people have been placed into permanent housing.
RELATED: City falling short on goal to bridge homeless into permanent housing
Here are the full results of the survey on homelessness:
(Results continued below)
Who is most responsible for reducing homelessness? (Credibility interval ± 4.5%)
- 53%- Elected Officials
- 9% - Service Providers
- 3% - Business Leaders
- 18% - Homeless And Their Families
- 4% - Someone Or Something Else
- 13% - Not Sure
How much longer would you support the tents being open? (Credibility interval ± 4.5%)
- 7% - No More Time
- 14% - About One More Year
- 9% - Two More Years
- 5% - Five More Years
- 47% - Indefinitely
- 18% - Not Sure
More than 60 percent of San Diego County's homeless people are in the city of San Diego. Would you support or oppose placing assistance facilities in other parts of the county so that the homeless people aren't as concentrated in one area? (Credibility interval ± 4.1%)
- 72% - Support
- 15% - Oppose
- 13% - Not Sure
Who should receive housing priority among the homeless? (Credibility interval ± 4.2%)
- 68% - Families With Children
- 13% - Veterans
- 3% - Chronically Homeless
- 8% - Homeless Youth
- 9% - Not Sure
Do you support subsidized housing for helping the homeless? (Credibility interval ± 4.4%)
- 60% - Yes
- 40% - No
Do you support free meals for helping the homeless? (Credibility interval ± 4.1%)
- 71% - Yes
- 29% - No
Do you support one-way bus rides out of town to reunify with family and friends? (Credibility interval ± 4.5%)
- 47% - Yes
- 53% - No
Local officials recently completed an annual count of the homeless, which includes sending out volunteers to tally people living in tents, parks, and cars. How accurate do you think such a count is? (Credibility interval ± 4.5%)
- 6% - Very Accurate
- 51% - Somewhat Accurate
- 31% - Not Very Accurate
- 5% - Not Accurate At All
- 6% - Not Sure
Where do you think most people who are homeless in the San Diego area first became that way? (Credibility interval ± 4.5%)
- 46% - San Diego Area
- 37% - Outside San Diego
- 16% - Not Sure
