The Rosecrans Shelter in the Midway District serves as a lifeline for 150 San Diegans facing homelessness and severe behavioral health challenges— and now its future is at risk. 

I removed funding for the Rosecrans Shelter from my draft budget because the County has announced its plan to demolish the building right next door. The demolition is planned for March 2026, which will cut off water, sewer, fire, and electrical connections. The County has indicated it believes shelter operations can continue during demolition of this building, which is just 16 feet away from the facility housing people with severe mental illness. In reality, maintaining shelter operations during the County’s demolition would require relocating these vulnerable residents and reestablishing utilities—causing significant disruption and millions in added expenses. 

This is a sink-or-swim moment for the County. 

Rather than assume financial responsibility for the costs created by this unnecessary demolition, the County expects the City to cover the cost of utility reconstruction, relocation, and continued operations. 

That’s not right. 

The population served at Rosecrans is the County’s legal responsibility — not the City’s. If we keep doing their job of providing for those suffering from mental illness, they’ll never step up. These residents need behavioral health care, not chaos — and the County continues to put them at risk.  

The City has funded this facility to the tune of $4.7 million annually and stepped up again and again to expand shelter capacity, including recently opening new facilities for transition-aged youth and women, with more on the way. But we cannot and should not be expected to do the County’s job for them — especially not when their decisions are driving up costs and putting vulnerable residents at risk. 

If the County is serious about behavioral health and homelessness, it must take full responsibility for this facility, stop pushing the bill to the City, and stop making it harder to care for those who need help the most. 

We’ve opened the new Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children in Downtown San Diego. Immediately, it can accommodate 50 people and will soon grow to provide 210 beds and wraparound services designed specifically for women and children experiencing homelessness. 

This new site replaces a smaller, 40-bed facility and represents the kind of public-private partnership we need more of — where a necessary closure becomes an opportunity to create something bigger and better. 

With support from Catholic Charities, private property owners, and the San Diego Housing Commission, we’re delivering a safe, stable place for women and children to sleep, access care, and begin their path to permanent housing. This site is a great example of a public-private collaboration. Property owners Dene Oliver and Jim McMillan have worked closely with Catholic Charities to plan the site design and tenant improvements needed to expand the program’s shelter capacity and create semi-congregate and non-congregate shelter space for women and children. They also donated furniture and equipment at the former office site for Catholic Charities to use. 

Women and children are a rapidly growing demographic in our homeless population, and a shelter like this, designed around their unique needs, will help us respond with the urgency and care they deserve. 

The City is investing approximately $1.6 million to support start-up and operations in the first few months, and I’ve included funding in next year’s budget to continue supporting this vital program. 

Homelessness is the greatest humanitarian challenge we face, and I remain committed to building more housing and delivering the supportive services that help people get off the streets for good. Housing with services ends homelessness, and that’s exactly what we’re providing at Rachel’s Promise. 

Alongside our partners at the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), we’ve opened a new shelter space in Downtown that doubles the capacity of our Safe Shelter for Transition-Age Youth (Safe STAY) program for young San Diegans between the ages of 18 and 24 who are experiencing homelessness and need support to build a better future. 

Too many of these young people are aging out of care or leaving unstable home environments with no place to go.  

What makes this site especially meaningful is that SDHC transformed underused office space in their own building into the shelter, turning existing space into life-changing housing. With this new permanent shelter site, we’re increasing the number of beds available to this critical population from 21 to 43 and providing wraparound services that include case management, behavioral health care, job readiness, and more. 

This program is about more than just beds; it’s about providing safety, stability, and opportunity. Youth who have experienced homelessness helped design the shelter space, which includes semi-congregate accommodations that offer privacy and dignity, along with shared spaces like restrooms, laundry, a kitchen, and staff offices. Their voices helped shape an environment that truly feels welcoming. 

The Safe STAY program is a partnership between the City, SDHC, The San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego Youth Services, and the YMCA. It reflects our belief that housing with services ends homelessness, and it’s one more way we’re delivering for a population that’s often overlooked. 

We’re making real progress: expanding shelters, investing in outreach, and building more permanent housing.  

The final countdown is on for the opening of a new Safe Parking lot to provide more space and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and living in their vehicles! This latest location, known as H Barracks, is near the San Diego International Airport and will nearly double the capacity of the City’s existing 200-space Safe Parking Program. The crumbling military barracks that were off Harbor Drive are long gone. In their place, contractors have graded and paved the area. Electrical work and lighting upgrades are wrapping up. The H Barracks site will be open for overnight use only. 

The City’s Safe Parking Program currently includes four existing sites, each operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS). Data shows many of those enrolled are experiencing homelessness for the first time, with some type of income through employment or benefits, who need a safe place to get back on their feet. This is a different population than what we often see at shelters or in our Safe Sleeping program. We’re proud to be able to prevent them from falling further into homelessness. 

The Safe Parking Program provides individuals, seniors, and families a secure place to stay while accessing services and pursuing permanent housing. Participants work with case managers to create individual housing goals, and the site includes restrooms, housing navigation, mental health services and job training as some of the program's features. 

According to the most recently available data, the number of San Diegans sleeping in their cars across the county increased by 44% compared to the previous year – underscoring the need for additional overnight safe parking options. 

The San Diego City Council will soon take up our proposal for JFS to continue operating the Safe Parking Program, including this new H Barracks location. We look forward to opening this spring and can’t wait to share more details about this life-saving program. 

The City of San Diego has contracts with various service providers to offer shelter options to people experiencing homelessness. At our shelters, people are connected to support services and ultimately put on a path toward permanent housing.    

The shelters listed below are City-funded (Note: There are additional shelters outside of this system that are operating within the City of San Diego.)   

• Alcohol Use Disorder Shelter (TURN Behavioral Health Services)  

• Alpha Project Bridge Shelter I    

• Alpha Project Bridge Shelter II    

• Barrio Logan Family Shelter   

• Community Harm Reduction Shelter    

• Community Harm Reduction Safe Haven   

• Father Joe’s Villages Bishop Maher Center    

• PATH Connections Housing    

• NEW Safe Shelter for Transition-Age Youth (Safe STAY) 

• NEW Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Families 

• Rosecrans Shelter    

• Safe Sleeping at 20th & B    

• Safe Sleeping at O Lot    

• Salvation Army Interim Family Shelter   

• San Diego Youth Services South County Lighthouse (San Diego Rescue Mission)  

• Urban Street Angels Youth Shelter   

• Veterans Village of San Diego (Point Loma Campus)