San Diego City Council on March 1 unanimously approved the 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative, a citywide effort to house veterans through landlord incentives, rapid rehousing vouchers and supportive services. Councilman Todd Gloria, who chairs the Regional Continuum of Care Council, the regional planning body for ending homelessness, brought the initiative to council.
The action approved $4 million in proceeds from the ground lease on San Diego Square Apartments and funds from the pending sale of the Hotel Metro to implement the program. The entire initiative will commit $12.5 million toward homeless veteran assistance from city, federal and Housing Commission resources.
“No one who served our nation in uniform should be homeless,” said Gloria. “The 1,000 Homeless Veterans Initiative provides a path towards ending veteran homelessness in San Diego.
The initiative consists of four major components to implement its goals: landlord outreach, rapid rehousing assistance, federal Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers and federal vouchers and services for homeless veterans that do not qualify for VASH vouchers. These components incentivize landlord participation through providing rent payments, security deposit and utility assistance and contingency funds.
The initiative will be administered by the San Diego Housing Commission as part of Housing First San Diego, the city’s three-year Homelessness Action Plan launched in 2014.