By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — City Councilman Raul Campillo told a forum sponsored by the Tifereth Israel Synagogue Men’s Club that dealing with the problem of homelessness in San Diego requires not only money, but an understanding that there are different sub-classes of homeless people, whose needs are different.
“There are veterans suffering from PTSD; mothers escaping domestic violence with their children; people who have lost their jobs; senior citizens who became homeless during the pandemic who were merely $300 away from being housed — that was how much they needed to make their last rent bill — and of course there ware former incarcerated individuals who have significant mental health or drug issues.”
Wearing a mask as is required indoors by the Conservative synagogue serving the San Carlos and Del Cerro areas of San Diego, Campillo noted during his Sunday, Oct. 10, presentation that an organization called “Serving Seniors” advocates subsidizing the incomes of seniors so they will be able to afford their rents.
“Then there are individuals who need really long-term help and this is the really expensive solution, but it is the solution that has the most permanence. Essentially, it is buying a hotel that has studio-style rooms with kitchens; or it could be building housing that may not always be rent-free, but perhaps offer highly-reduced rent of $300 to $500 per month.” Such housing should be surrounded by mental health workers, a pharmacist, and “a wardrobe where you can try on professional dress so you can get the job you want to get.”
“You have all these services tied together; dentistry is a huge one,” the councilman added. “How many individuals on the street don’t have teeth You’ve got to dedicate those resources.”
Campillo reported that San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Nathan Fletcher, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, both shepherded budgets that went into effect July 1st that contained substantial money to assist homeless people in cooperation with various service providers.
“One I love working with is called PATH for ‘People Assisting The Homeless’, which is all over California and is really strong in San Diego, both the city and the county. Service providers “went into downtown where it was really bad — where there were people screaming throughout the night, and you had tents and people who had really lost it during the pandemic — and did the outreach to them. My understanding is that over 500 people in downtown were housed in two months, due to that outreach.”
Not every homeless person accepted help; some were distrustful of outsiders. “It is really hard and frustrating at some times but you have to try to meet the homeless persons where they are and you have to understand their stories as best as possible,” Campillo said.
As residents of his district know, homelessness is not confined to downtown nor to the Beach area. Some homeless camps have been established along the San Diego River, where it divides San Carlos and Grantville from Tierrasanta. Campillo said he appealed to Mayor Gloria and Supervisor Fletcher to focus on this area as well.
“If you go along the an Diego River; they don’t have public restrooms,” the councilman said. Homeless people who camp under peppercorn trees by the river’s edge “think they are better off going out in the wilderness.”
“This is a health problem.” Campillo declared. “As soon as there is a flood, it will flood people out and maybe spread human waste, trash, and these sort of things.” He said about the constituents in his 7th Councilmanic District: “It is not that they want the homeless people gone; they want them helped.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com