Homelessness in San Diego is one of the most widespread issues throughout the County, and confronting the issue has led to massive use of resources and money. San Diego County has the fourth-highest number of homeless people of any county in the United States, which only highlights its severity.
However, numerous forms of housing have been built and revitalized to support people looking to leave the streets and find more permanent housing. The disparity of this issue remains, along with the question of how much the government should be involved with providing housing to homeless people and low-income families.
In San Diego, there are three primary forms of housing for homeless people, with the last—affordable housing—also used as a means of supporting low-income families. The first form of housing is temporary shelters that are essentially large tents with beds and resources inside of them. People are only expected to use the shelters for only a few months, before transitioning into permanent housing.
The second form of housing is the temporary housing that is both more spacious and comfortable, simulating an independent living space. This extended form of temporary housing is meant to house people for a few months or even a few years. After getting used to this environment, the hope is that these people will be moved into permanent housing.
The third and final form of housing is the permanent supportive housing, which is essentially a typical apartment complex with some of the same support offered in the previous two forms of housing. Aimed at being very affordable and easily accessible to homeless people and low-income families, this housing brings forth questions about the level of control that the government has over these forms of housing.
Republicans continue to push forth and work towards alleviating the homelessness crisis in San Diego, intending to have the least amount of government involvement and tackling this issue that is clearly at the forefront of county politics.
Photo By Nick Fewings
