Morning Report: City Clears Freeway Encampments, Then People Move Back
EM - News Moderator 
Our City Hall Reporter Mariana Martínez Barba watched dozens of workers clean homeless encampment trash from a downtown freeway.
Homeless people sleeping there watched too, and waited. When the workers finished, the men moved their stuff back to the exact same spot.
The city inked a deal with the state to get reimbursed for clean-ups of the growing makeshift homeless communities along freeways. But two months into the deal, it’s clear the problem won’t be fixed until there are enough places for everyone to go, said Franklin Coopersmith, the deputy director of the city’s Environmental Services Department.
People without homes are camping more often along harder-to-reach areas like freeways after the city banned sleeping on city streets.
This grand revolving door along San Diego freeways is the latest wrinkle in the city’s quest to handle its homelessness crisis. There aren’t enough shelters. And, even if there were, some don’t want to go there.
Mayor Todd Gloria said at a recent homelessness summit that the city doesn’t have the resources the county does to address the problem. Gloria has blamed the county and other city leaders for the crisis he’s inherited.
Father Joe’s Villages Delivers New Detox Beds
San Diego County has long grappled with a shortage of detox beds. For years, the city of San Diego lacked any beds for Medi-Cal patients beginning the recovery process.
On Tuesday, Father Joe’s Villages opened a 44-bed facility at its East Village campus to provide an option for homeless San Diegans seeking to start the recovery process who might otherwise wait weeks for a bed.
The Union-Tribune has more details on the program and facility, which was previously home to a 350-bed city-funded shelter.
The past few years, our Lisa Halverstadt has been spotlighting the shortage of treatment beds for low-income San Diegans struggling with addiction as the region also battles a fentanyl overdose crisis. As of early 2023, the region had only about 70 county-contracted detox beds. Now the county contracts with providers across the region to supply 100 detox beds and Father Joe’s is offering a new option in downtown San Diego for people with Medi-Cal insurance.
Newly Homeless Once Again Outpace Newly Housed
The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County continued to outpace the number moving into homes in August.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reports that 1,086 people became homeless for the first time and 948 exited homelessness.
Your monthly reminder: For most of the last few years, local efforts to house homeless residents haven’t kept up with the flood of people losing their homes. That equation must change to dramatically reduce homelessness.
Politifest Is 10 Days Away!
Your favorite public affairs summit is back and only 10 days away. That’s right Politifest is happening on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the University of San Diego.
This year, we’ve challenged our speakers to present different solutions to San Diego’s greatest issues and debate them on stage. Our journalists and partners will moderate the discussions, and you will get to vote on your favorite solution.
Here are some of the topics we’re hosting:
- How will we solve the cross-border sewage crisis?
- How can we make water and electricity more affordable?
- What do we do about street homelessness?
- How do we build more housing people can afford?
- How do we get the City we want?
See the full schedule here.
Tickets to Politifest are selling fast, so grab yours today.
In Other News
- Winter is predicted to be dry and warm because of La Niña and Pacific Ocean conditions, reports CBS 8. Storms can still occur but there will likely be dry stretches in between.
- The city of Chula Vista has two plans drafted for the remodeling of Rohr Park in Bonita, inewsource reports. The public can weigh in on whether they prefer improving park amenities or building additional recreation options by completing a survey from the city before Sept. 26. (inewsource)
- Property owners in the city of San Diego eligible for trash service have to create an account with the city by Sept. 30. (City of San Diego)
- San Diego International Airport’s new terminal officially opened on Sept. 23. ABC 10 reports that the project was a $3.8 billion investment meant to update infrastructure and improve passenger and traffic flow.
- The newly opened “Lost Neighborhoods” exhibit in Balboa Park spotlights the overlooked histories of Black residents in San Diego. (ABC 10)
- San Diego Water Authority General Manager Dan Denham joined the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors. Last month, Denham said that he was selected because of his knowledge of the Los Angeles-based water wholesaler that provides water to Southern California. (Voice of San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by MacKenzie Elmer, Lisa Halverstadt and Jenna Ramiscal. It was edited by Andrea Sanchez-Villafaña.
The post Morning Report: City Clears Freeway Encampments, Then People Move Back appeared first on Voice of San Diego.
