Plan For City's Largest Homeless Shelter Unveiled By San Diego Mayor

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Thursday unveiled a plan to get hundreds of houseless people off the streets and on the road to permanent shelter.

Pending approval by the City Council, the project would transform a 60,000-square-foot Middletown warehouse into the city's largest long-term shelter, equipped to provide meals, security, showers and social services for up to 1,000 people.

"We have been acting with urgency to bring people into safety from encampments on our streets and sidewalks, rivers and canyons," Gloria said Thursday. "Substantially increasing our shelter capacity will have an immediate impact as we work on the other aspects of our comprehensive approach to ending homelessness, including prevention and the creation of affordable housing."

City staffers will formally present the proposal for the Kettner and Vine shelter to the City Council on April 18. The mayor's office said the building's owner has agreed to lease the warehouse to the city for 35 years, with two five-year renewal options. Funding for the facility would tap local, state and federal coffers, with some help from local donors.

"The planned size and floorplan of the Kettner and Vine facility give the city flexibility to potentially serve multiple populations — including families, youth and single women or men," said Sarah Jarman, director of the Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department. "The long-term lease also enables the city to upgrade the facility based on the changing needs of unsheltered residents. This shelter would operate similarly to others with the ultimate goal of connecting San Diegans experiencing homelessness to permanent housing."

If council members sign off on the shelter plan, Mayor Gloria's office said the city can focus on expanding the Safe Parking Program at H Barracks, starting with adding approximately 200 spaces.