SAN DIEGO–Father Joe’s Villages said today that it supports Interim Mayor Todd Gloria’s plan to utilize the City of San Diego’s limited resources to end homelessness.
At his press conference earlier in the day, Interim Mayor Gloria recommended allocating the same level of general funds for homeless services in the Fiscal Year 15 budget and directing those funds toward outcomes-focused services and critical program enhancements that result in the most effective use of resources and a coordinated system.
According to Father Joe’s Villages Interim CEO Diane Stumph, the City’s budget priorities recognize the multiple interventions required to end homelessness. She says his approach includes emergency shelters as a critical resource to the homeless during the winter months, but it also looks for ways to ensure City resources have a longer-term impact.
“On any given night, nearly 9,000 people are homeless in the region. We have the 4th-largest homeless population in the nation among major cities,” said Stumph. “The City’s leadership acknowledges that numerous forms of support for the homeless must cohesively solve this problem, help our neighbors and, ultimately, save the City money.”
Father Joe’s Villages, Southern California’s largest residential homeless services provider, says the funding priorities help the organization continue its support of the serial inebriate program, which allows participants to engage in treatment and sober living environments as an alternative to incarceration. Stumph says this nationally recognized effort has positively impacted the number of chronically homeless, substance-dependent people caught in the cycle of homelessness at great cost to the police department, jails, healthcare providers and the community. Currently, Father Joe’s Villages’ St. Village Family Health Center acts as the medical home of this effort in San Diego.
Critical to the success of this program, is the police department’s “Homeless Outreach Team,” the City’s initial point of contact with both chronic homeless and chronic inebriates living on the streets. The interim mayor’s funding strategy will ensure this crucial element continues to combine police, mental health technicians and nonprofit homeless service providers, including Father Joe’s Villages, to increase outreach and engagement services throughout the city.
Today’s announcement also included Interim Mayor Gloria continuing the City’s support of the Regional Continuum of Care Council, a countywide community group including 18 cities, homelessness organizations and other interested parties addressing gaps in homeless services, establishing funding priorities and pursuing a systematic approach to solving homelessness.
Additionally, smaller efforts like the Transitional Storage Center, which provides storage for street homeless individuals so they can have access to employment related clothing, receive funding within the mayor’s initiative. Father Joe’s Villages has provided a temporary home for the Center for 16 months.
The mayor’s initiative, says Stumph, points to the important interconnectedness of countywide services to solve the region’s homelessness problems. With over 850 beds dedicated to ending homelessness, Father Joe’s Villages is pleased to be a key player in the community effort.
