Nonprofit Shoreline Community Services in Pacific Beach was among those organizations citywide that participated in the point-in-time count of homeless done in the central beach area on Feb. 24.
Though results of the homeless counts won’t be known for weeks, early returns indicate homelessness is on the rise, as evidenced by more tent shelters being created and expanding citywide.
Volunteers like Cristal Vera participated in the PB homeless count. Counters mustered at 4 a.m. on Feb. 24 at United Methodist Church at 1561 Thomas Ave. before heading out to tally the number of unsheltered they found out on the streets.
A legal support assistant with the San Diego County Counsel Department, Vera said she got involved doing the count because “my spouse suffers from mental illness and drug addiction, and he was on the streets but is now incarcerated. I felt that, if I can’t help him, then I will be able to (at least) help others that are suffering on the streets. I also take into account the ‘What ifs,’ (noting) that could be me. Not everyone can seek out their own help or answers. Some need a guide. And what better way to help?”
Vera enjoyed “every moment” doing her homeless count.
“I came across genuine people,” she said. “I went around and introduced myself to each individual so I could make them comfortable, and to get to know each one on a personal basis and understand their stories.”
Added Vera, “To be honest, what really surprised me was how upfront – and open – they were about the mental illness they were suffering, and how far many (of them) have journeyed to get to San Diego or end up in San Diego. Some were veterans. Some came out to help a friend and went down a different path. The majority had no family to turn to. They were in their late 40s to 60s.”
Asked what she came away with from counting homeless, Vera said: “What I took from this experience is not to assume that they will all be angry. They all find a way to still be happy. Most are very grateful to find resources. Now I’ve joined a San Diego community so I can continue to assist. We have come together to help each other.”
In the early 2000s, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development began requiring annual point-in-time counts of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in a given community. The counts collect vital data on individual communities. It is a powerful tool that allows people experiencing homelessness to express their specific needs and housing status.
HUD requires unsheltered counts every other year. However, many communities conduct annual counts as a way to gather more accurate data and provide better services. Such is the case with PB-based Shoreline Community Services.
Caryn Blanton of Shoreline Community Services said the nonprofit was a site coordinator for this year’s homeless count. “We pulled everyone together, gave them breakfast, then sent them out with flashlights and maps,” she said. “This year we had 40 people doing the count.”
Noting homeless counts figure prominently in determining funding and programming, Blanton said the counts are also valuable in showing trends within the homeless population.
“We’re seeing an aging population of homeless men and women that are age 55 and over,” said Blanton suggesting the reason might be that “people of retirement age are on a fixed income, which is not enough to get a place to live, so a lot of people end up living in their cars. That flat out is a big trend right now.”
Blanton was threatened with the prospect of homelessness earlier in her life when she was a single mother. “I didn’t end up homeless because I had a lot of resources and a lot of relationships with good people who helped,” she said adding, “Change only happens in relationships.”
Blanton said homeless counts can also sometimes reveal commonly held misconceptions about homelessness.
“One of those is that most of the homeless people in San Diego come from somewhere else,” she said. “We found that wasn’t true, as 86% of the people we surveyed said they were from San Diego.”
Blanton had some good news to report about Shoreline Community Services finding a new brick-and-mortar spot to operate out of, God’s Garage at 4811 Cass St.
“We’re remodeling that building, which Christ Lutheran Church owns,” she said. “Shoreline will be running the programming there and it will be a drop-in, day-care center. We’ll have service providers onsite, so people can come to an actual building and get what they need. This is the beginning of an amazing beautiful collaboration.”
