North County service providers tackle homelessness.
By Melanie Slone
There was a woman who “lived alone in Escondido. Got breast cancer, couldn’t work. Received medical treatment, lost her housing, became homeless,” Daniel Sturman, a management analyst with the Housing and Homeless Services Division of the City of Vista, tells North County Informador. Hers is just one of the many faces of homelessness in North County San Diego.
The 2024 Area Median Income (AMI) for San Diego County is $119,500. With these numbers, it’s no wonder the unhoused population has jumped in the last 10 years. “We’re seeing a huge uptick in seniors and families,” says Marylynn McCorkle, the collaboration manager at Alliance for Regional Solutions. “Fifty percent of people in our shelters are working or have some sort of income,” she adds. They just can’t afford to find a place.”
That’s where the regional housing programs step in.
Housing Programs
The Alliance for Regional Solutions brings together providers of short-term solutions, case management, and services in the North County, with the goal of giving people a pathway to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
The Alliance started in 2006, as a Winter Shelter Network, then expanded across the region. Today, The Bridge to Housing Committee is one of seven collaborative working groups.
“Collaboration works,” says McCorkle. “North County is fantastic at collaboration.” They have created a Regional Task Force on Homelessness, with Interfaith Community Services as the fiscal sponsor.
Each city gives a certain amount to the Alliance, which is divided between the different North County shelters. “It’s a collaboration of the cities and the shelters,” says McCorkle. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of beds,” she adds, and there are only four year-round shelters. Plus, this year the City of Escondido pulled its money out of the Alliance. “They feel that the more resources they have in Escondido, it draws people to them,” she says. But “that’s why the resources are there, because they have more people experiencing homelessness.”
The Alliance’s Bridge to Housing group offers trainings, collaborations, and committees that work to bring resources to people.
There are also shelters outside the Alliance that collaborate, such as Buena Creek Navigation Center, which opened in Vista in March as a low-barrier shelter. “We want to have a place where anybody in any position barring very few conditions can go,” says Sturman.
This shelter even allows pets and couples to stay together. “Couples and pets are some of the best support networks you can have,” Sturman tells us. There are rules, including no substance use on the premises, but he says in the end they are “trying to make it as easy for people in a difficult situation to get service.” Vista also has overnight lodging as an emergency shelter.
The goal is to serve as a bridge to get people into steady housing, so people are required to work with a case manager as they receive services. Says Sturman, they are “figuring out goals,” which include getting an ID, getting a job, saving money, and working on building credit.
The Faces of Homelessness
When you’re experiencing homelessness, you get ignored, says Sturman. “That gets to you emotionally; you’re not wanted, you’re not loved, nobody cares about you.” But he reminds us, “There are very good people who by no fault of their own are living on the street. It can be a vicious cycle.”
McCorkle remembers seeing desperate families with small children. “They’re so afraid of losing their children. There’s a whole group out there that we don’t even know about, living in their cars…or they’re couch surfing.”
There has also been a surge in seniors needing emergency housing. “That’s really heartbreaking,” says McCorkle. “If you’re on a fixed income and you’re not really capable of getting a job, you’re 80 years old and have disabilities, what are you supposed to do?”
The increase in homelessness has been overall. And people are staying longer in shelters than they did 10 years ago, she says.
Looking for Creative Solutions
“Last year, for every 10 people we were able to house, 13 brand new people fell into homelessness,” McCorkle tells us. That’s why it’s so difficult to get a handle on the situation even though many people are being helped.
A long-term solution would focus on housing, she adds. “We don’t need more million-dollar condos. What we need is affordable housing. It doesn’t even have to be low-income. It just needs to be affordable…two working class people who want a place to live.”
Meanwhile, she says, the “realistic situation is that a lot of people are going to have to be roommates.”
Sturman also talked about shared housing. “We know there are not enough studios and one-bedrooms to house every single person experiencing homelessness in San Diego County,” he says. One program would allow tenants to rent rooms together but not be held financially responsible if the other person or people left. There is also talk of an App for finding these types of roommates. And Vista is working to find landlords willing to rent to people in this situation.
Elderhelp is a program that connects older people in large houses with people of all ages who need to rent rooms. Another possible path is master leasing, where the city leases a series of units and acts as a buffer between landlords and renters.
If You Need Help
Sturman and McCorkle offer some tips for people who may be facing homelessness.
- Get help right away. Don’t wait until you’re being evicted to ask for help.
- Check county and city low-income housing lists and call to ask what population of area mean income (AMI) they support.
- Ask if a waitlist is open, how to get on it, and how to stay on it.
- Talk to an organization like Interfaith, Community Resource Center (CRC), MAAC.
- Get yourself an advocate and a case manager to help you get your paperwork in line. It’s much easier to keep someone in a home than to find them a home once they’re out.
- Get food relief through CalFresh to help with expenses. San Diego County Food Bank has a map of services.
- According to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), you cannot be discriminated in housing because of your gender, race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or immigration status.
Bridge to Housing Shelters / Albergues con Bridge to Housing
| Shelter / Albergue | Address / Dirección | Phone Number / Teléfono | Email / Website / Sitio web | Offers / Ofrece | Requirements | Requisitos |
| Interfaith Shelter Network North Coastal Shelter | 650 Second Street, Encinitas | (760) 230-8821 | -Pre-screened men, women and families for up to 8 weeks -Required to be gainfully employed or working actively toward being employed. | -Hombres, mujeres y familias previamente aprobados por hasta 8 semanas. – Se requiere que tengan empleo estable o que estén activamente buscando empleo | ||
| Interfaith Community Services Haven House | 555 Centre City Pkwy, Escondido | 760-644-4644 (760) 489-6380, ext. 276 | havenhouse@interfaithservices.org | Open year round. | Men & women | Hombres y mujeres |
| Operation Hope North County | 859 East Vista Way, Vista | 760-536-3880 | www.operationhopeshelter.org | -Year Round -Educational and enrichment programs | Families and women | Familias y mujeres |
| Catholic Charities La Posada De Guadalupe | 2476 Impala Drive, Carlsbad | 760-929-2322 | -Year-round, short-term shelter for farmworkers and men. -Case management, showers, breakfast, bagged lunches, and supper. | Men only | Solo hombres |
Other North County Shelters / Otros albergues en el norte del condado
| Shelter /Albergue | Address / Dirección | Phone Number /Teléfono | Offers / Ofrecce | Requirements | Requisitos | |
| Vista Safe Parking | (858) 637-3373 | -6:00pm–7:00am, 7 days a week -Supportive services, restrooms, case managers | Appointments Required, • Participation in JFS’s Case Management Services • Functioning vehicle (no oversized vehicles or RVs) • Cannot be a registered sex offender or have any active warrants | Se requiere cita -Participación en Servicios de manejo de casos -Vehículo que funciona (no se permiten vehículos de mucho tamaño de RV) -No se permiten a personas registradas como delincuentes sexuales ni que tengan órdenes de arresto | ||
| YMCA Transitional Youth Overnight Lodging | (760) 908-9373 | taysupports@ymcasd.org | Once-a-week safe place to stay overnight for youth ages 18–24. Meals, showers, case management | Check 4-6 pm. at TAY Drop-In Center | Llegar entre 4 y 6 p.m. en el Centro TAY | |
| Oceanside Navigation Center | OPDHOT@oceansideca.org. | -For men, women, families in Oceanside. -Pets allowed. | Identity verified. Referral from Oceanside Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team | Se verifica la identidad Remisión del Equipo para Personas sin Hogar del Departamento de Policía de Oceanside | ||
| Buena Creek Navigation Center | -Low-barrier shelter for Vista and Encinitas. -Shared bedroom. -3 meals daily, showers, laundry, case management, peer support, healthcare through Vista Community Clinic -Pets allowed -Couples allowed | Referrals through outreach programs in the 2 cities. | Remisiones mediante programas en ambas ciudades. |
Other Housing Services / Otros servicios de vivienda
| Service / Servicio | Name / Nombre | Address / Dirección | Phone Number / Teléfono | Website / Sitio web |
| Rent Assistance / Asistencia on la renta | Housing and Community Development Services / Servicios de Vivienda y Desarrollo comunitario | 3989 Ruffin Rd., San Diego, 92123 | (858) 694-4801 or Toll free (877) 478-LIST (5478) | www.sdhcd-renters.sdcounty.ca.gov |
| Affordable Housing / Vivienda asequible | County of San Diego Housing and Community Development Services Rental Assistance and Affordable Housing Directory / Directorio de vivienda asequible | https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/sdhcd/docs/rental-assistance/housing-resource-2020-rev.pdf | ||
| Vista Affordable Housing | https://www.cityofvista.com/home/showpublisheddocument/26940/638089541052300000 | |||
| Carlsbad Affordable Housing | https://www.carlsbadca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/17497/638524993774070000 | |||
| North County Affordable Housing | https://www.ci.oceanside.ca.us/home/showpublisheddocument/8644/637974699432530000 | |||
| Area Median Income (AMI) Chart/ Tabla de ingreso medio (AMI) | Income Limits AMI Chart | https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/sdhcd/rental-assistance/income-limits-ami.html | ||
| CalWORKS Housing Support Program / Programa de vivienda de CalWorks | EQUUS Workforce Eviction prevention (prevención de desalojo)Bridge Housing (Vivienda temporal)Permanent Housing (Vivienda permanente)Rental Assistance (Asistencia con la renta)Other housing fees (otros gastos de vivivenda) | -613 W. Valley Parkway Escondido -3708 Ocean Ranch Blvd., Oceanside | -(760) 871-1900 -(760) 696-9600 | https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/cdss-programs/housing-programs/calworks-housing-support-program |
