Those blessed enough to live in a home in San Diego have many nice things to say about the city. Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone in San Diego. Despite its many amazing things to offer both inhabitants and visitors, there is one issue that people continue to suffer with: the large homeless population. Over 8,000 people are currently homeless or looking for family shelters in San Diego, CA, making the city home to the fourth-largest homeless population in the country. However, what can the locals do with so many people experiencing homelessness?
How Much Does the City Spend on Assisting the Homeless?
San Diego has made major investments to address the homeless issue, but there’s still a lot of progress left to achieve. California has spent $13 billion on tackling the homelessness epidemic, and a recent investigation showed that the city invested $630 million in it in two years. As such, San Diego has contributed more than fifty percent of the cash, with the Housing Commission contributing the other fifty percent and individual cities providing approximately 2%.
Almost 85 percent of these funds have gone to housing schemes, and most of it was used for rental assistance, with the remaining going to transitional housing, tents, emergency shelters, permanent housing, and family shelters in San Diego, CA. Like training and education, other homeless services received 15% of the funds, while nearly half of the $100 million was allocated to psychological care, with the remaining 40% going to rehabilitation programs for alcohol and drug abuse. Overall, this is a decent chunk of funds and resources focused on the city’s homeless people, but more is required.
How Many Shelters Are There in San Diego?
San Diego now has 2,040 accessible shelters for its homeless population. San Diego maintains seven of those shelters, totaling 1,297 beds for the homeless population. And four of these seven shelters are used as emergency shelters, with the remaining three serving as “bridge” shelters (aptly named as they’re meant to act as a bridge to permanent residences).
How Can You Assist the Homeless?
With certain San Diego County districts implementing legislation making it unlawful to feed the homeless, it may appear difficult to do your bit in supporting them at first. Nonetheless, the desire to assist them is respectable and honorable, and all attempts are often well-received and appreciated. Thankfully, there are several things you could do to assist homeless people, such as:
Donate: Donating garments to the local shelters is one of the ways you can assist the homeless population. They constantly need clothing, particularly underwear and socks.
Volunteer: There’s always a necessity for volunteers, regardless of your skillset. So whether you dedicate a day to family shelters in San Diego, CA, or offer to take a homeless individual to an interview, your efforts will be gratefully received.
Talk: If you invest time speaking to them, several of the homeless will tell you what they need. Sometimes, just being able to talk can benefit them. And if they exhibit an interest in receiving assistance, you can acquaint them with nearby lodgings and other appropriate services.
Hire: If you’re looking for new employment, why not consider a homeless individual? Most are physically capable and keen to work.
As the homeless situation varies, so should the response. And by taking some important steps to support the homeless community, you may help to better their lives. Working together, people can begin to shape San Diego into a happier and healthier community for everybody.
