San Diego’s primary domestic-violence shelter for women and families just got a crucial stay of execution: San Diego County has pledged $1.5 million to keep Casa Mariposa operating, and Mayor Todd Gloria says he will ask the City Council to match that amount. Providers and advocates are calling the move a critical lifeline for survivors who might otherwise face a grim choice between staying with an abuser or becoming homeless.
According to agenda materials from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Casa Mariposa was launched with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, and running the site has required substantial monthly resources. County records estimate operating costs at roughly $200,000 per month and recommend extending earlier ARPA support to cover the shortfall. The Board has moved to extend those homelessness commitments while city and county staff look for longer-term funding options.
On X, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote that “No one should have to choose between living with abuse or living on the street,” and said he would ask the City Council to match the county’s $1.5 million commitment in the city’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget. His post, which links to the city’s announcement, frames the money as part of a coordinated city-county effort to protect survivors; the mayor’s office did not offer additional implementation details beyond the budget pledge.
No one should have to choose between living with abuse or living on the street. I’m grateful that @SanDiegoCounty is committing $1.5 million to keep Casa Mariposa – our domestic violence shelter – open, and I will ask the City Council to match it.
— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) March 4, 2026
Read: https://t.co/lx27YVK2s7
What Casa Mariposa Provides
Opened in 2024 and operated by SBCS (formerly South Bay Community Services), Casa Mariposa offers private units and on-site services that include intensive case management, counseling, court accompaniment, emergency support, childcare and legal help, with staff on duty 24 hours a day. SBCS and local coverage describe the shelter as trauma-informed and family-focused, taking referrals from the city’s Your Safe Place and the county’s One Safe Place Family Justice Centers. Operators have stressed that the program is designed to keep survivors and their children together and, when possible, to accommodate pets so people do not have to leave loved ones behind in order to escape violence. SBCS and the City of San Diego note Casa Mariposa’s role in the broader family-justice network.
Officials And Providers Praise The Move
City Attorney Heather Ferbert called Casa Mariposa a critical part of services provided to survivors at the San Diego Family Justice Center, and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said the joint county-city funding stands with survivors and safeguards those most at risk, according to the city’s announcement. SBCS CEO Kathryn Lembo said continuing the investment prioritizes a lifeline for women and children, and District Attorney Summer Stephan said the shelter has provided lifesaving refuge to hundreds since it opened.
How The Money Will Be Used
County documents state that the original ARPA subrecipient agreement covered capital costs and up to two years of operations when Casa Mariposa launched, and officials have proposed extending that grant term through June 30, 2026, to complete the two-year commitment. The same agenda materials put total projected operating costs at roughly $4.7 million and list about $1.2 million in remaining ARPA dollars after the initial commitment. The new $1.5 million from the county is intended to fill the immediate gap while the city and county continue to work on a longer-term plan. San Diego County Board of Supervisors materials provide the budget context.
If City Council members follow the mayor’s lead and include a matching amount in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, shelter operators say the combined city-county funding would preserve Casa Mariposa’s operations while agencies continue connecting survivors to services and housing navigation. Officials have stressed that the decision is aimed at preventing survivors from falling into homelessness when they try to leave abusive households.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the county’s One Safe Place Family Justice Centers at 888-440-HOPE (4673) or the city’s Your Safe Place at 619-533-6000 for immediate assistance. In an emergency, call 911.
