![\"Homeless](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/web-MAIN-Panelists.jpg\")
The 2017 Point-in-Time Count of the region\u2019s homeless population, conducted by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, is a somber reminder that despite all the earnest efforts to solve the problem, things are not getting any better.<\/p>\n
District 3 Councilmember Chris Ward, who serves as vice chair of the task force, has made homelessness one of the key issues he wants to work on. Ward participated April 26 in a Quality of Life Forum sponsored by the North Park Community Association at the Lafayette Hotel.<\/p>\n
Other panelists included San Diego Police Sgt. Brandie Sorbie, a member of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT); Lara Easton, chief deputy city attorney; Amy Gonyeau, chief operating officer for the Alpha Project San Diego; and Angela Landsberg, executive director of North Park Main Street.<\/p>\n
Several dozen people attended the forum, which was moderated by Joseph Balestrieri. Audience members were not allowed to ask questions of the panelists.<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, Ward dominated the conversation due to his involvement in the task force. He represents a district that includes both Uptown and Downtown, two areas where the homeless population is very visible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a regional problem, not just a Downtown problem,\u201d Ward said. He noted that the homeless population grew 20 percent Downtown, particularly in East Village where a number of homeless shelters and services are located.<\/p>\n
Ward said there has been an uptick in homelessness in the Uptown area as well as in Mission Valley, especially along the San Diego River.<\/p>\n
The count results showed that 77 percent of the unsheltered people became homeless while living in San Diego County. This helps dispel the popular notion that other California cities and counties and other states are giving homeless people a one-way bus ticket to San Diego.<\/p>\n
Ward is particularly dismayed by the 58 percent increase in homeless youth. Of the 1,150 homeless youth who are sheltered or unsheltered, the count showed their sleep history:<\/p>\n
- \n
- 19 percent slept on the street or sidewalk.<\/li>\n
- 17 percent \u201ccouch surfed.\u201d<\/li>\n
- 16 percent had transitional housing.<\/li>\n
- 15 percent slept in a vehicle.<\/li>\n
- 11 percent slept in a tent or hand-built structure.<\/li>\n
- 3 percent were in emergency shelter.<\/li>\n
- 1 percent were in motel\/hotel.<\/li>\n
- 1 percent were in jail or a treatment program.<\/li>\n
- 1 percent in a safe haven.<\/li>\n
- 1 percent in unstable situations.<\/li>\n
- 15 percent were unsheltered in other circumstances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t help them early, then they will become chronically homeless,\u201d Ward warned.<\/p>\n
Despite all the negative news, Ward suggested that things likely will get better. The task force is a recent merger of various service providers and organizations devoted to solving the homeless problem, so Ward seems this as a positive development.<\/p>\n
The task force\u2019s vision is simple: \u201cAn end to homelessness in the San Diego region.\u201d And its mission is clear: \u201cTo provide comprehensive data and trusted analysis that empowers the entire community to identify, implement, and support efforts to prevent and alleviate homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the big problems is that the San Diego region does not get its fair share of federal dollars devoted to the homeless \u2014 even though the region ranks among the top three cities for the number of unsheltered people. About $18 million in federal homelessness funding comes back to the San Diego region.<\/p>\n
The federal government has also demanded that more of its dollars be focused on providing housing opportunities for the homeless, so local officials have tried to comply. That has resulted in the loss of almost 700 beds in temporary housing in shelters.<\/p>\n
Despite the grim figures, there is one bright spot. \u201cOne area we\u2019re seeing significant decline is in homeless veterans,\u201d Ward said, citing the city\u2019s efforts to care for those who served our country.<\/p>\n
Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced the \u201cHousing Our Heroes\u201d program during his State of the City address in 2016 with the goal of placing 1,000 homeless veterans into housing. Ward said the city is close to meeting that goal.<\/p>\n
Ward also lauded the family reunification program, which tries to reunite homeless individuals with their long-lost families.<\/p>\n
The task force is expected to release a comprehensive plan on combatting homelessness in June, Ward said. It is also in the recruiting stage, searching the nation to find an executive director who has a proven track record in reducing homelessness.<\/p>\n
Landsberg talked about how the homeless problem has a negative impact on small businesses on Main Street as well as on local residents and visitors to North Park. She talked about the legal challenges of removing homeless people and their belongings from near businesses and homes.<\/p>\n
Sgt. Sorbie explained the difference between encroachment, such as tents or structures, and illegal lodging.<\/p>\n
HOT, she said, consisted of six officers, working on two shifts, who deal exclusively to homeless issues citywide.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t typically do enforcement,\u201d Sorbie said, \u201cbut we can if we need to. We go out on a daily basis and contact anyone who is homeless and let them know that we are there to help them \u2026 if they want our help. It\u2019s not a crime to be homeless.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can tell folks that they can\u2019t have tents or structures and that they cannot block sidewalks or entrances,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Gonyeau said Alpha Project has noticed that \u201ctent city\u201d is up 104 percent Downtown.<\/p>\n
Other statistics show that 69 percent of the homeless are men, 29 percent are women, and 2 percent identify as transgender. Veterans total 8 percent of the homeless population. Also, 39 percent self-reported that they had mental health issues and 20 percent said they had substance abuse problems.<\/p>\n
Task force, HOT and Alpha Project officials all work together to connect people with mental health and\/or substance abuse issues with services that are available.<\/p>\n
Ward said he expected the homeless situation would improve in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe might be a little late getting into the game,\u201d he said, \u201cbut we are getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think real changes are coming as a result of the [task force] merger,\u201d Landsberg added.<\/p>\n
Representing 700 businesses in \u201cdowntown\u201d North Park, Landsberg urged business and property owners who feel hassled by the homeless to issue a \u201cletter of authorization\u201d to the Police Department to allow officers to remove the homeless from alcoves, porches or their property. \u201cThey cannot block doors and sidewalks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As far as whether to call 911 or the Police Department\u2019s non-emergency number, Ward said \u201cuse your own judgment. You know when a situation is dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sobie said HOT has a phone number for non-emergencies: 619-446-1010. \u201cWe only check our messages once a day,\u201d she said, adding that their email address is homelessoutreachteam@pd.sd.gov<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n
Landsberg advised people not to feed the homeless, despite all good intentions. \u201cGiving food or money to the homeless is not going to solve the problem,\u201d she said. \u201cGive money to the folks who are providing the services.\u201d<\/p>\n
Learn more about the Regional Task Force on the Homeless at rtfhsd.org<\/em><\/a>. Learn more about the North Park Community Association at northparksd.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u2014Ken Williams es editor de Uptown News y puede ser contactado en <\/em>ken@sdcnn.com<\/em><\/a> o al 619-961-1952. S\u00edguelo en Twitter en @KenSanDiego<\/a>, Instagram en @KenSD<\/a> o Facebook en KenWilliamsSanDiego<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Por Ken Williams | Editor<\/p>","protected":false},"author":846,"featured_media":251546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Homeless problems get worse","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11550,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-top-stories","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/846"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}