FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022

CONTACT: MayorPress@sandiego.gov

SAN DIEGO As the latest step in his comprehensive strategy to address homelessness in San Diego, Mayor Todd Gloria today announced that the City has taken possession of a 34-room hotel on Pacific Highway that will be transformed into a non-congregate shelter for seniors experiencing homelessness.

We are using every tool at our disposal to connect unsheltered San Diegans to housing, shelter and supportive services, and today, we are focused on vulnerable seniors in our community, Mayor Todd Gloria said. Soon we will begin welcoming dozens of seniors into this new shelter that provide private rooms, intensive case management and a path to a permanent home.

The City is leasing the hotel through June 2023, with two one-year renewal options. The Citys Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department will administer the contract.

Non-congregate shelters like these are a dignified and proven way to help homeless seniors find permanent housing, said City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. Thank you to Mayor Gloria and his staff for providing access to facilities that lead to long-term solutions.

The City continues to add shelter and take critical steps to address homelessness, added Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents District 3, where the facility is located. We need to keep adding shelter and housing as quickly as we can, because more people are becoming homeless due to the high cost of housing. San Diego is a wonderful home and we are working to make sure theres a home for all of us.

In September 2021, Serving Seniors released a Needs Assessment focused older adults at-risk of or currently experiencing homelessness.

The Serving Seniors Needs Assessment identified the need and made a recommendation for the development of shelters for older adults experiencing homelessness like this one, said Melinda Forstey, chief operating officer of Serving Seniors. We're heartened by todays news from Mayor Todd Gloria and see it as one of many steps necessary to comprehensively address the homelessness crisis for San Diegos older adult population.

Todays announcement comes on the heels of several successes in the Mayors comprehensive approach to homelessness, including the opening of the 150-bed Rosecrans Shelter; expansion to 24-hour operation at one of the Safe Parking Program lots; support for Governor Newsoms CARE Court initiative, which was signed into law last week; and the announcement of Round 2 of the Citys Bridge to Home initiative that funds low-income and permanent supportive housing projects.

These developments are indicative of the Mayors commitment to doing everything possible to get people off the streets and on a path to housing.

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