SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — I first interviewed Mercedes Ortega in July 2023. She was the last person living on National Avenue and 16th Street when the city’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance went into effect. Police gave her a ticket and towed her car.
I caught up with Mercedes again; she was still living in her car nearby.
"Now I have $1,000 worth of tickets because everywhere I go, I get a ticket," she said.
Mercedes also has another battle: She has leukemia. She says she gets radiation and chemotherapy every week.
"Sometimes you are halfway dead when you get back. You have no strength. On top of that, you have to move. It is hard. I get through it. I don’t show my weakness to nobody," she said.
Mercedes says she lived in the O Lot, one of San Diego's safe sleeping sites. But she says she got kicked out after a few months because she had too much stuff.
Mercedes relies on local food pantries for food and cooks in front of her car. She is trying to find long-term housing but is just trying to survive in the meantime.
“I should be in the hospital as we speak, getting blood transfusions. I don’t have time. I pray every day," she said.
ABC 10News reached out to the city to see what her housing options are.
This is the statement it provided:
"The City does not comment on former/current clients’ personal information or circumstances. That said, a client would not be removed from the program simply because they have not found housing yet.
"Each participant has a case manager who works with them to connect to housing and others resources for long-term stability, which could include a connection to counseling services.
"For individuals experiencing homelessness with a vehicle the City operates a Safe Parking Program [sandiego.gov] with wraparound services."
