In an encouraging turn for San Diego's long-standing battle with homelessness, the tide appears to be shifting. Fox 5 San Diego reported that, in November, the number of people who exited homelessness and secured housing reached 950, surpassing the 894 individuals who entered the homelessness system for the first time. This news marks a notable reversal of a nearly three-year trend of new homelessness cases outpacing housing placements that have plagued the region since March 2022.
Last month's breakthrough, even outdoing the previous increase reported by Voice of San Diego, which saw a nearly 30% year-over-year spike in people transitioning from homelessness to permanent homes, the recent data is cause for cautious celebration. Local leaders believe these figures are initial signals that the interventions to address homelessness are starting to bear fruit.
At the helm of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, CEO Tamara Kohler expressed that while the latest figures are promising, the urgent need for more housing and a dedicated funding source remains critical to sustaining the progress. Kohler said, "The demand is still there, that hasn’t changed," and added, "But we are housing more people and that’s encouraging for a lot of reasons but mostly because we know housing solves homelessness." This statement was obtained by Fox 5 San Diego as part of their report on the issue.
As volunteers with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness prepare for the annual point-in-time count set for January 30, crucial in quantifying the region’s unhoused population, the call for more action does not wane. Serving a staggering count of 28,946 active clients countywide, the Task Force's efforts to transition people into secure living situations are far from done. Kohler underscored the necessity of this ongoing work, telling Voice of San Diego, "We obviously want to see these trend lines continue in 2025, but I’ll say this again: we need more housing across the board, and we need a dedicated funding source to help our most vulnerable friends, neighbors, seniors, veterans, and families," echoing her earlier statements on the pressing need for comprehensive housing solutions.
