YES: AFFORDABLE HOUSING WILL HELP HOMELESSNESS
Being homelesswas a nightmare, moving around fromplace to place. That’s how one resident offather Joe’s Villages’ Benson Place, an affordable community for people overcoming homelessness and struggling with disability and mental illness, described his life. Hecalled housing a godsend.
After a devastating fall, this male resident broke his back and became confined to awheelchair. His comfortable life as a computer engineer— his home, car and security— disappeared in an instant.
As a resident of Benson Place, thismannot only overcame homelessness, he also nowhas access to the supportive services he needs to stay housed for good.
Thisman’s story is inspiring and illustrative of the impact of permanent supportive housing, which combines affordable homes with social services like drug and alcohol treatment, healthcare and job placement.
Permanent supportive housing has been shownto be the most effective method for permanently ending someone’s homelessness.
Dr. Margotkushel atucsan Francisco’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative says. “It improves people’s lives. It keeps people housed. It ends homelessness. Full stop.”
This upcoming election, we have an opportunity to create thousands of stories just like our resident’s story above.
If approved by voters in the city of San Diego, Measureawould create approximately 2,800 permanent and supportive homes for San Diegans experiencing chronic homelessness.
Anadditional 4,700 affordable homes would be created for families, seniors, people living with disabilities and other lower incomesan Diegans to prevent these neighbors of ours fromsliding into homelessness.
Put simply, Measureawill help end chronic street homelessness in San Diego.
As of the latest count, there are 2,283 unsheltered residents in the city of San Diego. Nearly 60% of the unsheltered population live with a disability. Over a quarter are 55 years old or older. Nearly 1,000 veterans in the county don’t have a place to call their own.
Unanimously accepted by the City Council in October 2019, the city’scommunity Action Plan on Homelessness lays out how to house these San Diegans. Most significantly, the plan calls for approximately 2,800 supportive homes to permanently house the chronically homeless, including veterans and youth. Measureawas designed specifically to implement this plan to help end homelessness on our streets.
Beside ending and preventing homelessness, Measureawould bring about many other positive outcomes. Chief among them is a major economic impact. According to one estimate, building 1,000 apartments generates 1,160 jobs and $55million in wages. Measureawould then lead to almost 9,000 newjobs and nearly $413 million in localwages at a time when our local economyneeds a boost the most.
San Diegans can also stop subsidizing affordable housing development in other, more expensive metropolitan areas in California.
Los Angeles and several Bay Area jurisdictions have passed identical measures in recent years.
This allows them to receive housing and homelessness funds fromthe state and federal governments, which of course San Diegans pay into but lose out on due to our lack of local matching funds. Measurea would allowus to keep our tax dollars at home and use them for our benefit.
To ensure these taxpayer dollars are used for what matters most— preventing, reducing and ending homelessness— taxpayers protections have been built intomeasure A.
Independent and external audits will be required, as will annual plans and reports. Acitizens oversight committee will also be established.
It is for these reasons Measureareceived the coveted endorsement of the San Diego Countytaxpayers Association.
Most importantly, just as permanent supportive housing benefits those who need it most, it also benefits us all.
For years, people have been sleeping on sidewalks, in business doorways, and in parks and canyons. But the past does not have to be prologue. Withmeasurea, those who slept in storefronts can becomeemployees at those very businesses and customers at others, and sidewalks and parks can be kept clear of trash and safe for recreation. Withmeasurea, dignity can be restored to both unhoused and housed San Diegans.
Thisnovember, we have a chance to achieve a long-sought civic goal— ending homelessness— and an opportunity to act on our community value thatwe’re all in this together as San Diegans. That chance and opportunity are represented by a yes on Measurea.
Dignity can be restored to unhoused and housed San Diegans.
Russell
Vargas