Opinion: Reclaiming America’s Finest City Requires a Compassionate Approach to Homelessness

San Diego proudly promotes itself as “America’s Finest City,” and on the surface, it is. However, when it comes to addressing homelessness, the city’s policies fall short of its slogan.

Regulations like San Diego’s Unsafe Camping Ordinance frame the displacement and isolation of unhoused populations as a way to get people off the streets, address community needs and solve local public health crises. Such initiatives do not recognize unhoused populations as community members and facilitate the idea that people experiencing homelessness are the problem.

Unhoused residents are often forced into temporary shelters, which offers immediate relief but reduces the population’s visibility and increases dependency on temporary solutions.

Earlier this year, I briefly worked downtown for the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. I witnessed daily human suffering and pressure from law enforcement to move from public spaces. I wonder if more people would see what is really happening, if compassion would compel them to vote for better solutions for our unhoused neighbors?

As a concerned San Diego resident and Master of Social Work student, I know that the solution does not reside in treating unhoused people as a problematic eyesore or threat that must be cleaned off the streets. Every person is a valuable human with dignity and should be treated as such.

Our city must look beyond getting people off the streets and offer our neighbors experiencing homelessness connections and community. Programs like Miracle Friends and Miracle Money offer a sustainable, community-centered approach to reducing homelessness.

Miracle Friends is a program that pairs unhoused individuals with a community member who extends friendship. The friends are not caseworkers, therapists, or resource coordinators but local people there to talk and create meaningful relationships. The emotional support and sense of community created through these friendships can help overcome feelings of loneliness and significantly improve mental health, motivation, and access to available resources. Participants receive financial support in addition to social connections through Miracle Money.

This program respects an individual’s right to self-determination. A recent study led by Dr. Ben Henwood, the director of Homelessness Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern California, measured the effectiveness of Miracle Friends and Miracle Money. Program participants reported improved mental and physical health, stability and access to permanent housing. The initiative requires program transparency, which is something our city needs to embrace.

In April 2024, the California State Auditor reported that San Diego spent hundreds of millions of dollars on programs to end homelessness but did not report how or where the money went, and initiatives are not adequately evaluated. The lack of transparency and accountability is a significant barrier to effectively addressing homelessness.

Miracle Friends and Miracle Money could resolve San Diego’s shortfalls because the program’s transparency and measurable solutions that treat each participant as a valued member of our city. Giving money to unhoused individuals has met with resistance in the past, but reduced expenditures on homelessness-associated emergency services, hospitalization and medical treatment, and incarceration could offset the cost.

San Diego must rise to the challenge of addressing homelessness with compassion, transparency, and community-centered solutions. By embracing programs like Miracle Friends and Miracle Money, we can shift from viewing unhoused individuals as problems to valuable members of our community worthy of dignity and support. This approach champions genuine human connections and emotional well-being and promotes financial stability and access to permanent housing.

It is time for San Diego policymakers to use proven human-centered strategies and implement comprehensive solutions that demonstrate a commitment to all members of our community. We need to move beyond temporary solutions and work toward a future where everyone can live with stability and dignity.

As we strive to live up to our city’s proud slogan, let us commit to innovative and humane policies that reflect our shared values and build a brighter future for all San Diegans. Together, we can transform our city’s response to homelessness and truly embody the spirit of “America’s Finest City.”

Daniella E. Kennedy is a San Diego resident who is pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Southern California.