Opinion |

Creativity up to bat in fight against homelessness

When slugger Juan Soto joined the San Diego Padres in August, it signaled a commitment to winning by team owners. And win they did: This weekend, the Padres are playing a post-season series against the New York Mets after clinching one of three National League wild-card spots.

Soto’s celebrated signing had an unintended consequence. While boosting attendance at games, it also increased awareness of homelessness in San Diego — a particular problem in East Village, where Petco Park is located. The unsheltered population in the area has nearly doubled in size this year.

There are blocks and blocks of tent encampments. Sidewalks are littered with garbage, feces, drug paraphernalia and more — a shocking sight for occasional East Village visitors.

My wife was among them. She recently attended an event at the Central Library, near Petco Park. The library entrance was clogged with people who appeared to be living right there. She felt sad that they had nowhere else to go.

NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, a San Diego resident, has a different feeling about homelessness here. Walton is angry. In a heated news conference last month, Walton blamed inaction by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria for the worsening situation. He spoke about being harassed, chased and attacked while riding his bike in Balboa Park, near a homeless encampment.

Walton called for the mayor’s resignation, saying he is heartbroken to think that the “greatest place on earth” (San Diego) is now “paradise lost.”

Gloria’s director of communications responded, saying that the mayor is frustrated, too — but that he is taking decisive, sustained action to improve conditions. She added, “To say that he has done nothing on homelessness is objectively false.”

Following Walton’s outburst, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and San Diego City Council approved a resolution to construct 10,000 units of affordable housing on government-owned land by 2030 — a response to our region’s critical housing shortage. Last month, supervisors declared homelessness a public health crisis, calling attention to a different need: the mental and physical health of the unsheltered.

These actions are meaningful, to be sure. But building houses takes time. And right now, we have nearly 9,000 people living on our streets, in cars and in shelters, according to the latest official count.

One idea gaining traction is the “safe village,” which repurposes parking lots or vacant land for transitional living. Residents live in tents (or other types of temporary housing); on-site hygiene facilities and basic resources like counseling and health care are provided.

It brings to mind a recent column in which I wrote that “out of sight, out of mind” is not the best policy for dealing with migrants. I have the same feeling when it comes to unsheltered people, although I recognize the benefits of a safe village for those who are living inside and outside its perimeter.

But there is no path forward without addressing the root causes of homelessness. We need to broaden the discussion to prevent the loss of housing in the first place. And given the differences in individual circumstances, there is no single — or easy — solution.

But for many people, it’s a matter of money — especially in an expensive city like ours.

That’s precisely what local nonprofit Serving Seniors found out, after conducting a needs assessment of older adults at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. Their study described an urgent situation, with this population projected to triple over the next decade. Already, 1 in 4 homeless adults in San Diego is over the age of 55.

Serving Seniors learned that many older adults become homeless after suffering catastrophic events with dire financial consequences. Lacking a safety net, they may take actions that compromise their health and safety, just to make ends meet.

More than half (56 percent) of the people interviewed reported that an additional $300 or less of monthly income could make a difference, increasing their ability to pay rent. According to research published in Housing Policy Debate, the average monthly cost of a shelter bed for single adults was $1,333 in 2015. And, as Serving Seniors found, some older adults avoid shelters because of concerns for their personal safety.

According to Paul Downey, president of Serving Seniors, the idea of a “shallow subsidy” for seniors has taken hold. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of a pilot program that will pay $500 per month directly to landlords, with the goal of preventing homelessness.

It’s a creative approach to a complicated problem. If it works, Padres fans will have another reason to cheer. And San Diego will be better for it.

Dinkin is president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. To learn about NCRC’s programming, visit ncrconline.com