Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Desmond hopes to expand supportive housing in North County, not tent shelters

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors and county staff are working to find solutions for homelessness in unincorporated areas, which could include supportive housing in North County, although Supervisor Jim Desmond stressed this would not include new homeless shelters.

Desmond, whose district covers North County and Fallbrook, said he and Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who represents much of East County, met with county staff in January to put together “an aggressive strategy focusing on homelessness in the unincorporated area.”

County staff went before the entire board of supervisors Feb. 25 with options, including seven potential locations for temporary shelters in Fallbrook and eight more locations in East County, but Desmond said that wasn’t quite what he was looking for.

While Jacob expressed a need for shelters in her district, Desmond said he did not think that would be appropriate for North County.

“In North County, what I asked for was an inventory of the entire district of potential properties for permanent supportive housing, not shelters, not parking lots, but permanent supportive housing,” Desmond said via telephone March 10.

Desmond said that he thinks housing with social support and work programs is the best way to serve homeless needs in North County. He also said that any housing programs that do go into Fallbrook would first be brought before the Fallbrook Community Planning Group and discussed with community organizations like the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce and the Fallbrook Revitalization Committee.

The supervisor also explained that permanent supportive housing involves permanent structures; no tent shelters are planned to be coming to Fallbrook.

“Sometimes we can find apartments, but it’s modular-type houses and things like that, that are permanent structures where we offer people to come, and give them programs that help them get back on their feet,” Desmond said. “A tent shelter is not on our list of things we want, quite frankly, in District 5.”

Desmond also said he would like these supportive housing problems scattered throughout District 5, not just in Fallbrook or in any other one particular community.

“Fallbrook has 40 or 50 homeless people, but Oceanside has a few hundred … it’s going to vary case by case,” Desmond said.

The board of supervisors took no immediate action on the proposals county staff presented at the Feb. 25 meeting, and the staff are expected to return to the board in a few weeks to present alternative plans, Desmond said.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 02/27/2024 18:54