7/6/2022

In the name of increasing citywide housing options, Spokane lawmakers recently instituted code changes to add more flexibility to the city’s rules on accessory dwelling units.

An accessory dwelling unit is an attached or detached structure that serves as an additional living unit on a property with its own facilities, such as a kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms.

Legislation passed by the City Council last week removed some restrictions related to ADUs, including a requirement for a property owner to occupy at least one of the dwellings on a particular site. Owner occupancy is still required on sites with ADUs if there is a short-term rental, which – per the city’s code – is a rental to overnight guests for fewer than 30 days.

The new ordinance also increases the maximum size of detached ADUs from 600 to 975 square feet or 75% of the size of the house (whichever is greater), removes the minimum lot size requirement, eases up on parking requirements and allows for ADUs on properties with any principal structure, such as a duplex or a triplex.

“The creation of more housing units, even in the form of ADUs, is only going to help,” Councilman Michael Cathcart said last week.

Loosening ADU regulations was one of the priorities set forth with the city’s Housing Action Plan adopted last year by the council as well as the housing emergency declared by Mayor Nadine Woodward.

The changes passed by the City Council last week were largely recommended by the Spokane Plan Commission.

Removing the minimum lot size requirement was done to encourage owners of small properties to pursue ADUs, Amanda Beck, an assistant city planner, told the City Council last week. The previous minimum lot size was 5,000 square feet.

With the parking change, the rule was relaxed as to no longer require an off-street parking space for studio or one-bedroom ADUs.

In addition to the increase in allowable square footage, the roof height allowance for ADUs also went up from 17 to 25 feet.

“The logic behind that would be an office shell plan for an ADU, just a typical one that you can find online, you should be able to accommodate a two-bedroom/two-bathroom with a full kitchen in that size,” Beck said of the size increases.

Ditching the owner- occupancy requirement was a point of discussion for the council, as Councilwoman Lori Kinnear pushed to require owners of properties with ADUs to have to live on-site for three years.

“I still believe we should have owner occupancy because it is a mechanism whereby we can perhaps guarantee to some extent that there won’t be … out-of-state folks coming in and buying and converting and displacing people,” Kinnearsaid. The owner occupancy requirement has been a barrier for ADUs in the city, said Council President Breean Beggs. Councilman Zack Zappone said he plans to draft a resolution requiring annual reports about the city’s ADUs to help determine whether the code changes are working.

“Frankly, units in our city are already being used for Airbnbs,” said Councilman Jonathan Bingle. “So for us to just be making more units, even if that does result in more Airbnbs, it also results in more rentals or ownership opportunities or things like that throughout the community.”

Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson added, “I don’t know how we could legislate people’s lives for three years.”

Greg Mason can be reached at (509) 459-5047 or gregm@ spokesman. com.

‘TAKING UP THE CAUSE’

New Spokane housing organization to be helmed by realtor Chauncey Jones

By Amber D. Dodd

COMMUNITY JOURNALISM FUND

Spokane realtor Chauncey Jones understands that, as an advocate for equitable housing access, he must rest on the legacy of others.

His grandmother, his Calvary Baptist Church mother, Hannah Jones, and his fatherin- law, Williams Sterling, “had that sense of serving the community” and giving back, Jones said.

It is the same ancestral strength that the East Central Community Organization leans into, as they honor their founding members like Lee Wade and Eileen Thomas and their mission to be community advocates.

Chauncey Jones, left, talks Friday about housing in East Central along with Chris Venne, center, and the Rev. Betsy Williams at Friendship Gardens.

PHOTOS BY KATHY PLONKA/ THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Chris Venne talks about housing in East Central in front of The Rose apartments on Friday.

“We stand on the shoulders of so much legacy,” said Betsy Williams, one of ECCO’s founding members who is still active in East Central. “As African Americans, we bring things to each other and we forget who came to the table with you and before you, then we lose our perspective. I can’t forget those ladies, because they were tough and strict on being in service to this community.”

Forty years later, with housing one of Spokane‘s most pressing concerns, ECCO wanted to modernize their mission. After months of community deliberation, ECCO has partnered with Jones to merge into a new organization, Take Up the Cause, which looks to provide equitable housing options in the East Central area.

“I was really, really happy when they accepted to be part of this too,” Jones said. “We have to continue in the direction that they’ve set forth. We’re missing that a lot in our community.”

The East Central Community Organization began as a multipurpose community service entity in 1982 but soon found the need to disperse financial benefits to the community. ECCO became a nonprofit that strengthened their ability to serve the area.

Chris Venne and Williams said some of ECCO’s board wanted to revamp their connection to the community to become more effective. They’ve been part of ECCO since its inception.

“A lot of our board was looking to retire, slow down or do something different, so we said, ‘Well, what we should do is see if we can pass this housing ... onto another organization,’ ” Venne said. “We put out a request for proposals, Chauncey put in his proposal.”

So, after months of deliberation, and originally declining his offer, they decided Jones was the best fit to lead Take Up the Cause.

“The more we talked to him, the more it seemed like Take Up the Cause reminded us of what ECCO looked like in its earlier years: a group of people who were intent on helping the neighborhood, had lots of energy and a good spirit, someone who could put together lots of resources,” Venne said. “It just seemed like a good fit.”

Take Up the Cause is rooted in the Bible verse Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do right; seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

Jones interprets the verse as a call to action for overlooked community members. Today, the housing crisis is a prominent issues that affects underserved communities in Spokane.

“One of the things we talked about was the bridging of the gap and passing of the torch to be a natural thing,” Jones said. “For that to happen, it doesn’t happen if I just take over something. It’s not taking over the cause, it’s taking up the cause.”

Anna Franklin, a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist, and Jerrall Haynes, who serves as the City of Spokane’s first Civil Rights Coordinator, sit on ECCO’s original board and are still assisting Jones as he enters a new space.

“Everyone part of our board is in the trenches,” Jones said. “Even (Venne and Williams) were part of that mission, and they’re going to continue to be part of Take Up the Cause moving forward.”

Haynes lives in East Central and sees Take Up the Cause as a way to bridge the equity disparity.

“When one community organization is willing to pass the torch onto another, especially by a Black man and a board that is majority of color, it’s powerful,” Haynes said. “Chauncey doing this work in Take Up the Cause honors the work of ECCO and honors the work of that legacy, and I think that’s beautiful.”

Take Up the Cause acquired all of ECCO’s assets, including the three East Central properties, a fitting acquisition for Jones, who provides real- estate experience.

The first building is the seniors-only subsidized housing built in 2005. It consists of a 24 one-bedroom units for low-income residents. An incentive from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development pays part of the rent.

“It’s kind of the gold standard of affordable housing,” Venne said. “It’s very rare for new units to get that kind of subsidy.”

Take Up the Cause is also acquiring the straw bale houses that were built by the Spokane Neighborhood Action Program to ensure low-income housing was available in the ’ 90s.

Built in 1910, the Rose Building is one of Spokane’s historic houses. The building was moved from Third Avenue to Fourth Avenue to avoid demolition for the proposed North Spokane Corridor.

The Rose Building is now repurposed for equitable living with eight 450 square-foot rooms.

Jones said he is thrilled that Take Up the Cause has an opportunity to lead the East Central community into a new equitable housing landscape, especially during the national housing crisis.

“I know what this can mean to this community,” Jones said. “This is just the beginning, and it’s going to take all of us. (ECCO’s) legacy will continue on, and we will not fail something that was started in 1982, especially for what it meant to this community.”

Amber D. Dodd, who can be reached at amberd@spokesman.com, is the Carl Maxey Racial and Social Inequity reporter for Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Her reporting primarily appears in both The Spokesman-Review and The Black Lens newspaper, and is funded in part by the Michael Conley Charitable Fund, the Smith-Barbieri Progressive Fund, the Innovia Foundation and other local donors from across our community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper’s managing editor.

Jerrall Haynes talks about housing at the Rose Apartments on Friday.

KATHY PLONKA/ THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Rent increased? Lease renewal more than you thought? Here are your rights as a Washington tenant

By Alyse Messmer-Smith Bellingham Herald

Rental prices are increasing since there are no longer pandemic restrictions on raising rates.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an eviction moratorium did not allow landlords in Washington state to raise rent prices, but this restriction was lifted in June 2021. Since then, rental prices have continued to rise across Washington state.

Knowing your rights as a tenant is extremely important to avoid costly situations or paying higher rent than you legally should. Cities in Washington may have varying laws than Washington state’s, so tenants can visit their city’s website for more information.

The Northwest Justice Project has created Washington-LawHelp.org to help Washington citizens better understand laws, but also to help tenants and landlords alike know their legal rights and obligations of renting.

State tenant rights

• Your landlord is allowed to raise your rent, but only if they send you a notice at least 60 days before the increase. The notice must be written on paper and cannot be an email, text or call. If a rent increase warning comes less than 60 days before the increase, talk to a lawyer immediately.

• Your landlord cannot raise your rent during a rental contract. They can only raise the rent after the contract is up, but are still required to give a notice of rent increase 60 days before.

• There is no rent control in Washington state, so landlords can raise your rent at their discretion.

• If your landlord increased your rent but you cannot afford it, there are a few things you can do. You can ask your landlord to change the date your rent is due. If you believe your landlord is increasing your rent to force you to move out, you can talk to a lawyer.

• A landlord can change terms in the tenancy, but only after giving written notice of the change 30 days in advance.

• Your landlord is not allowed to enter your apartment without at least one day’s notice, lock you out of your apartment, or take your personal belongings.

• Your landlord can only shut off your utilities to make repairs.

• If your landlord is selling the property you are renting and needs you to move out, they must give you a 90-day written notice.

• Your landlord cannot retaliate against you , such as increasing rent prices or reducing services. If you believe your landlord is retaliating against a complaint or stating your rights, talk to a lawyer.

• After you move out, your landlord must give your deposit back within 21 days, or a letter stating why they are keeping any of it.

• A landlord must have a “good” and “legal” reason to ask you to move out or end a rental agreement.

Large scale apartment complexes are under construction along the 16600 block of East Broadway Avenue in Spokane Valley in 2021.

JESSE TINSLEY/ THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

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KXLY

Mayor Woodward to discuss camping ordinances on Wednesday

Posted: July 5, 2022 5:01 PM by Vincent Saglimbeni

SPOKANE, Wash. — Mayor Nadine Woodward will be proposing new revisions to Spokane’s illegal camping and sit and lie ordinances on Wednesday.

Woodward will be discussing changes to ordinances that affect the protection of public lands, properties, and sidewalks in the city. Spokane City Councilmembers have presented different versions of revisions in recent weeks, and the hope for tomorrow is a compromise between the different councilmembers.

Woodward will be at the Intermodal Center parking lot on West First Avenue at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Spokane City Council proposes two different ordinances to address homelessness

Posted: June 27, 2022 4:25 PM Updated: June 27, 2022 6:24 PM by Vincent Saglimbeni

SPOKANE, Wash.— Spokane City Council members are proposing two different ordinances to clear campers from the streets.

As a result of Martin v. Boise, Spokane has not been able to enforce laws relating to illegal camping and other sit/lie activities.

Spokane City Councilmembers Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart proposed an ordinance to address this.

“This proposal has been modified, edited, and collaborated on with City Legal, for the past several months,” Cathcart said.

The proposal resumes enforcement in downtown Spokane within buffered areas of the Spokane River. Enforcement is also allowed along City property and within one half mile of all shelters.

The proposal also allows for enforcement “within clearly identified business districts that consider the time of day and provides law enforcement with the tools to enforce when life, health and safety are at risk.”

“If approved by a majority of the City Council, this proposed ordinance creates the power to once again de-incentivize activities that endanger our vulnerable,

unhoused populations,” Cathcart says. “It will also ensure safe passage for individuals of all abilities on our public sidewalks, paths, trails, and roadways. These measures will enact much needed safeguards in the face of a converging public health and public safety crisis in our community while increasing the quality of life for all.”

“The community has been demanding this for years,” Bingle said. “It’s time we pass an ordinance that allows for strong and reasonable action that addresses the challenges presented in Martin v Boise.”

Spokane City Council President Breenan Beggs and Councilmember Lori Kinnear have presented a discussion draft on a different ordinance for the city’s need for shelter space, as part of the Spokane Municipal Code of illegal camping in public areas.

“Since Martin v. City of Boise, which was the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in 2019 that has prohibited enforcement of the camping prohibition on City-owned property subject to the availability of shelter beds, the City of Spokane has not updated its illegal camping ordinance,” Beggs said. “This updated draft language is meant to be a starting point for discussions among Council Members and is being released publicly to get community feedback on the best way to move forward to bring City code into better alignment with the Martin v. City of Boise ruling.”

The draft goes over three levels of enforcement.

First, camping would be prohibited on all City-owned properties. This is subject to the availability of shelter beds required by Martin v. City of Boise.

Secondly, camping is prohibited at all times under any Downtown railroad viaduct and within 100 feet of one, any park or park facility owned by Spokane and anywhere within 35 feet of the Spokane River of Latah Creek.

Finally, camping is prohibited in areas of danger for the community, such as a right of way where there are a lot of people or where activity poses health or safety risks for people.

“Our ultimate goal in this draft ordinance is to not move the problem of illegal camping from place to place, but to actually get people referred to a safer location, which could include a designated area for campers who do not utilize shelters for a variety of reasons, or when sufficient shelter space is not available,” Kinnear said. “I look forward to hearing community feedback on this draft so we can work to improve our attempt to identify community priorities for illegal camping enforcement.”

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The Center Square

Spokane's homeless say housing costs too high

A homeless camp is shown under a roadway overpass in Spokane. Community members are invited to learn more about the 2022 Point in Time count of sheltered and unsheltered people at a special presentation from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13 at the central branch of the Spokane Library District.

Photo courtesy of Sheldon Jackson

(The Center Square) – The high cost of housing in Spokane County is a major contributor to a growing homeless population, according to a new study.

The median sales price of a home has jumped from $172,000 in 2017 to more than $400,000 in today’s market, which has priced many lower-income families out of the market, explained Matthew Anderson, an associate professor at Eastern Washington University.

People who can no longer afford to buy a home remain in rentals, lowering the available supply and that demand drives up costs, he said.

The online real estate site Zillow listed only one dwelling in the county on June 14 that was affordable to a renter earning minimum wage, he said.

“In Spokane County, the average housing sales and rent have both nearly doubled over the last 10 years,” he told Commissioners Mary Kuney, Josh Kerns and Al French during a June 27 preview of the 2022 Point in Time report on homelessness.

Community members are invited to learn more Wednesday, July 13, about the findings of the sheltered and unsheltered count in 2022. Results of the study will be revealed from 3 to 5 p.m. at the new central branch, 906 W. Main Ave., of the Spokane County Library District.

Each year the state and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development require a count of all persons living in shelters, vehicles, on the streets or in encampments. Those numbers are used to determine service provision and grant awards.

Daniel Ramos, who works in the city of Spokane’s Community Housing & Human Services Department, joined Anderson at last week’s briefing about the results of the six-day survey that began on Feb. 24.

Ramos said 100-150 volunteers joined the effort that was conducted in partnership with organizations that provide services or temporary housing to the homeless.

The names of people included in the survey were kept confidential, he said.

A total of 1,757 persons over the age of 18 were counted, with 823 of those individuals unsheltered, he said.

He said that number was up significantly from counts before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the annual process.

The one “bright spot,” said Ramos, was that the number of displaced veterans had declined. He said veterans make up 11 to 12% of the county’s population, but only 6% of homeless numbers, down from prior years.

“I want to thank everyone working in the veteran system for that work,” he said.

The reason that 523 people gave for preferring the streets to a shelter was a fear of violence, followed by the lack of privacy and the setting causing a higher level of anxiety, he said.

Seventy-four percent of people participating in the count were from Spokane County and most had lived in the area for 10 or more years, said Ramos. The vast majority had family members living somewhere in Washington state.

Anderson said there were many reasons that people became homeless, including domestic violence, a job loss, divorce or other crisis.

In addition, 31% of those living unsheltered had mental illness and 23% struggled with drug or alcohol addiction.

“We know this is a complex issue with many factors that make on at risk,” he said. “If you don’t have a good support system of family and friends – people willing to take you in – the streets might be all that’s left.”

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The Seattle Times

How many homeless people are in King County? Depends who you ask

July 04, 2022

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority counted 13,368 homeless people in its first Point-In-Time count since 2020 using a new method of counting.

Seattle Times staff reporter

Since the data-driven Marc Dones was hired to lead the new King County Regional Homelessness Authority, one of their main priorities has been to get an accurate count of the homeless population.

"You have to understand the scope and scale of the problem in order to design solutions to meet the need,” Dones said.

Now, Dones and the Authority have two different counts: 13,368 and 40,800. Both are larger than the previous estimate of the homeless population conducted in 2020.

They didn't want to have two counts. But the federal government mandates one of them, and the Authority says the other is more accurate.

The different methods used to arrive at the two counts also situate Seattle in a national conversation about whether more accurate surveys lead to finer-tuned responses to people's needs.

Whether or not the Authority will have to continue to do two counts, officials say they are creating models the rest of the country could look to.

A pivot that led to innovation

The Authority had originally announced in November it would skip the 2022 Point-In-Time Count , a biannual homeless census mandated by the federal government, saying it undercounts and provides an inaccurate picture of homelessness. King County has conducted a Point-In-Time Count every year for decades, an effort that used to rely partially on volunteers walking around the county on a single day in January, literally trying to count each homeless person they saw.

Dones has moved to using a count that tracks every homeless person who uses services like shelter, medical and behavioral health throughout an entire year, which the Authority says captures a more holistic count of homelessness in the county. This is the one that produced the 40,800 figure.

"Knowing that over 40,000 people are experiencing homelessness in King County means that we have to reset expectations and examine resources," Dones said.

But the federal government disagrees with de-emphasizing the Point-In-Time Count.

The Point-In-Time Count is the "only data-collection effort that systematically counts people in unsheltered locations," said Vanessa Krueger, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD requires a Point-In-Time Count at least every two years to receive certain federal funds for homelessness services.

The Authority agrees that relying only on data that tracks people who use services could miss unsheltered homeless people who don't use any.

Spokesperson Anne Martens said the Authority's announcement that it would skip the 2022 Point-In-Time Count was based on miscommunication. She said the Authority thought it wasn't required since 2021's count was waived by the federal government due to the pandemic, and the count is required only every two years.

Once the Authority learned that a count in 2022 was required, it had to pivot quickly. The typical way to count unsheltered homeless people, by walking around the entire county, is labor- and time-intensive. Zack Almquist, a sociology professor at the University of Washington, said he suggested to the Authority a new way to conduct this year's Point-In-Time Count called "respondent-driven sampling."

The idea, Almquist said, is to find the ratio of sheltered to unsheltered homeless people in King County. Then, from the total number of sheltered homeless people in the county, which is already tracked, they could extrapolate the unsheltered population.

Authority staff and partners, many who have experience living outside, went to outdoor locations they knew people lived in and provided bus tickets for people to go to hubs to be interviewed. Interviewers asked them whether they were sheltered or unsheltered and the ratio of homeless people they know who are sheltered versus unsheltered. They also gave survey participants $25 gift cards and asked them to recruit other people they know who are homeless.

The survey reached more than 500 people spread throughout nine areas in the county.

"Because this method relies on using people’s personal networks, it tends to do a very good job finding people that would otherwise be hard to reach using more typical survey methods," Almquist said.

Almquist said this method can be more accurate than the way Point-In-Time Counts have been conducted in the past, which can miss people because they're hard to see or are in rural areas that are difficult to access for staff or volunteers.

They counted 13,368 homeless people, a 14% increase from 2020. The estimate of people in tents, vehicles or other places unfit for human habitation grew even more, 38%.

Almquist and the Authority say the increase between the 2020 and 2022 Point-In-Time Counts likely reflects both an increase in the homeless population and the change in methodology.

The Authority received a special exception in 2022 to do the Point-In-Time Count in this way, but CEO Marc Dones said the new methodology could spark conversation about changing how Point-In-Time Counts are done at the federal level.

Limitations and criticisms

Some homelessness data experts say the Authority's new method of counting is not necessarily better or worse than the old way. Marisa Zapata, Director of Portland State University's Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, said that while traditional Point-In-Time Counts may miss people because surveyors can't see them, there may be people who don't want to come in and be interviewed.

"I am concerned about how expectations of going to a place would depress turnout for people who are immigrants, undocumented community members, and people with warrants or significant criminal justice interactions," Zapata said.

In the Authority's March governing committee meeting, some committee members expressed similar concerns.

"I’m really curious about bringing people to a hub, what kind of disruption that creates rather than if you’re going out to find people, asking these questions where they live," said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney.

Authority leaders and partners say that using people with lived experience of homelessness who conduct interviews in a trauma-informed way, and using people’s own networks, helped mitigate those concerns.

"I think that trying alternative approaches like respondent-driven sampling is worth trying. No method is precise, and all have flaws," said Dennis Culhane, a homelessness expert at the University of Pennsylvania.

While the Authority was conducting the required 2022 Point-In-Time Count, it was working simultaneously on another project, a series of in-depth conversations asking people in the region questions such as how they became homeless, what that experience has been like and what services they need. The Authority says this will provide additional insight into the unsheltered homeless population, some of whom don't currently access any services.

"People have not been asked to really tell us this: 'What is your story? What is missing?' And they’re really excited about that opportunity," said Regional Homelessness Authority CEO Dones in a March governing committee meeting.

The Authority is analyzing over 500 oral histories, which it plans to present later this summer.

Another way to count homelessness

Other communities around the country have also been moving to de-emphasize the Point-In-Time Count, or at least supplement it.

One approach, led by a national homelessness advocacy group called Community Solutions, uses "by-name data," which enumerates each homeless person by name combined with their homeless history, health records and housing needs, updated in real time or every month. About 110 cities and counties around the U.S. have partnered with the organization to move toward using by-name data.

Community Solutions says by-name data can more accurately show changes in homeless populations, and also provide deeper understanding of the inflows and outflows of homelessness.

Mecklenburg County, which contains Charlotte, North Carolina, adopted the by-name data approach three years ago. Courtney LaCaria, Mecklenburg County's housing and homelessness research coordinator, says homelessness staff can also use it to triage services for specific individuals.

"They’re seeing, 'OK, who’s next up for housing? How do we make sure we’ve got the right slot?'" LaCaria said. "When you look at it by name, you are able to be more accurate with how you’re allocating services."

LaCaria says Mecklenburg County still does the Point-In-Time Count as well "because you have the dollars attached to it," and says it's also a way for community members who help conduct the count to connect with homeless people.

HUD says by-name lists can be useful, but it has no plans to get rid of the Point-In-Time count because "by-name lists rarely cover a community's entire unsheltered population."

King County and Seattle have used by-name lists at high-profile encampments like Woodland Park to identify everyone staying there and their needs, in order to find them housing before clearing the encampment. The Authority said it's building a technology platform that would allow it to manage by-name data on a larger scale, and that it could be another useful way to count its homeless population.

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The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego launches website on homelessness

Resources, data about the city’s efforts are online in one place

SAN DIEGO — A newly launched website gives visitors updates on the city of San Diego's response to homelessness while also connecting people experiencing homelessness with resources.

The website was launched Friday by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria's office and the city's Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department.

“This website gives the public insight into how the city collaborates with our partners to create facilities, programs and services to help people end their homelessness,” said HSSD Director Hafsa Kaka. “While this crisis is daunting, it’s important for San Diegans to know there are effective approaches to getting folks off the street and into housing, and our team is pursuing them.”

The "Get Assistance" section of the site contains links to the city's 2-1-1 site for information on shelters and contact information for the Mobile Crisis Response Team. The site also explains how to report encampments through the city's Get It Done app.

In a "By the numbers" section, the site gives updates on the city's homeless population and number of people being served.

The site reports as of Friday, 2,955 people had accepted outreach services in the city since Jan. 31, and 1,510 were in city-funded shelter beds as of June 6. Between July 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022, 1,267 people have been placed in housing.

The site also shows the annual count of homeless people this year found 2,307 people in shelters and 2,494 people living without shelter in the city.

A section on data and reports contains links to the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, Downtown San Diego Partnership's monthly count of homeless people and the San Diego Housing Commission's list of housing programs, shelters and outreach efforts.

“Homelessness is the top priority of my administration and I believe it’s imperative that the city provide to the public information on all that we are doing to address it,” Gloria said. “The city has never before had a single repository for information on the various programs and services that are funded by taxpayer dollars. This new website puts that information at their fingertips.”

The City’s Communications Department and Department of Information Technology Web Team collaborated with HSSD to develop the new site.

The website's address is https://www.sandiego.gov/homelessness-strategies-and-solutions.

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invisiblePeople

Shelters Aren't Right For Everyone

And People Who Choose Not to Use Them Aren’t Stupid or Irrational

A common refrain flies out of the mouths of “concerned citizens” everywhere whenever they see people sleeping on sidewalks, in tents, or in any other public place. It’s as out-of-touch as it is illogical, but that doesn’t make it any less ubiquitous. Maybe you’ve even thought it yourself. It goes a little something like this:

“Why don’t they just go to a shelter?”

For bonus paternalism points, it may even be followed up with some version of, “don’t they know what’s good for them?”

And to that, the answer is yes.

Politicians, talking heads, and social media commenters would do well to remember that everyone’s needs are unique, and the only person qualified to judge what’s best in any situation is the person going through it. Not the people furiously typing away judgmental, one-size-fits-all solutions from their couches during commercial breaks.

And if you can’t trust the word and lived experience of thousands of unhoused people, here’s a shiny new scientific study to prove it.

Staying in Shelters Comes with Risks

People who’ve never spent the night in a homeless shelter tend to think of them as a solution with all pros and no cons. From this viewpoint, they can’t understand why anyone would logically prefer to sleep out on the streets or in an encampment rather than indoors in a shelter.

Rather than investigate why that may be, many people don’t give it a second thought, concluding that the people who do this must be irrational, uninformed, or just lacking the ability to make good decisions for themselves.

The reality is much different.

There are plenty of reasons why a logical, informed person without housing would choose not to stay in a shelter, even assuming that one is available. We’ve talked about this before, but here’s a quick rundown of common reasons people choose to avoid shelters:

Congregate housing options put the people who use them at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 Shelters often have strict rules that infringe upon autonomy and can prevent families, people with pets, or people with jobs that run past curfew from using them Many shelters are religious and require varying levels of participation in services in exchange for a bed Incidents of theft and violence can be more concentrated in shelters

Shelters aren’t always clean and can be breeding grounds for bedbugs, lice, cockroaches, rodents, mold, and even diseases like MRSA, tuberculosis, or typhus Sexual harassment and assault are common for women who stay in shelters, either from other guests or from staff members

Now, with just that brief glimpse into the reality of life in many homeless shelters, you can see why a reasonable person might choose to avoid them, right?

Shelters Are the Problem, Not the People Who Avoid Them

It’s interesting that the first impulse so many of us have when faced with the knowledge that some homeless people prefer to sleep outside than in a shelter is to blame the homeless person. But how many of us would make the same decision when faced with similar circumstances?

Knowing the truth about homeless shelters shows that the problem is not with the so-called shelter-resistant people who refuse to stay in them. The problem is that the shelters are subpar, dangerous, and not equipped to serve the people they’re supposed to serve. In the words of the ACLU, many “fail to conform to standards set forth by international human rights law, which establish the minimum standard of living adequate for health and well-being.”

THAT is the problem.

It’s a perfectly logical choice not to subject yourself or your family to conditions like that, and when the only other option available is sleeping rough in public places, well, that’s what you’ll have to do.

Some Shelters Are Better than Others

While perhaps the majority of homeless shelters offer unclean, unsafe, undesirable dorm-style shelters, an increasing number of temporary accommodations are trying to solve these problems. Simple changes like improved cleanliness, heating and cooling, and privacy can go a long way.

Even simpler things like having enough bathroom and shower facilities to accommodate the number of people staying there on any given day can go an even longer way. Staff members that treat guests with kindness and respect rather than preying on vulnerable people may go the farthest of all.

How Can We Help?

As always, the thing that would help the most is access to affordable, permanent housing. You can pressure your representatives to make that a reality. But until that happens, improving living conditions at your local homeless shelter is an excellent first step. See how you can get involved at a homeless shelter near you. Talk to some people staying there, and see what the living conditions are really like. Chances are good that there’s room for improvement in at least a few categories.

Most homeless shelters have been allowed to operate without scrutiny for far too long. Most people’s image of clean, reasonably comfortable, hostel-like accommodations is entirely out of touch with reality. Far too many shelters are rundown, unsanitary places where people are poorly treated. And they’ve been allowed to get away with all this because no one is speaking up about it- at least, no one they thought mattered.

It’s time for all community members to listen to and uplift the voices of our homeless neighbors. They have been talking about this for ages, and it’s time for us to join in, echo their demands, and push for changes. It’s easy for homeless service organizations to ignore the people they supposedly serve. But if donors, volunteers, and neighbors join together to demand better, they won’t be able to easily ignore that.