Latest monthly figures on homeless crisis released

SAN DIEGO (KGTV)—Many in San Diego County and across the state are experiencing the homelessness crisis.

“It’s stressful. Because I never pictured myself living out of my car,” a woman who 10News is referring to as Tara said. “It’s like I’m doing what I have to do, and it’s still not enough.”

The woman asked us not to show her face or her real name because of her job in the medical industry and the nature of her becoming unhoused.

Tara has been living out of her car since around January after losing her La Mesa apartment.

“Like, thank God that I have a car, but, you know, it would be better if I had a house or a home to go to,” she said.

Tara is one of the many in our region that are in similar shoes.

“This is the 27th month in San Diego as a region - the entire county - that we saw more people experiencing homelessness for the first time than were housed,” Tamera Kohler, CEO of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, said.

She told ABC 10News that their latest monthly numbers, released on Wednesday, are starting to show a balance between fewer people falling into homelessness and more people getting housed.

"We're starting to see less people every month. There were some months we were seeing 1400, 1500 people experiencing homelessness for the first time and low housing numbers under the 700 a month,” Kohler said.

She also said it highlights what’s being done and the continued need to address the crisis.

“Every investment that we do in shallow subsidies for seniors and rental assistance, short-term and permanent housing, are the solutions. And we’re seeing those really working. We are also seeing that the market may be starting to match what the needs are,” Kohler said.

But there’s a constant demand on the resources needed by the unhoused to reach that balance Kohler mentioned.

“One thing that can set us back is the budget challenges that we’re seeing and what that may reduce: the level of places to be and housing resources to get people out,” Kohler said.

Kohler also said that we are seeing more cities dedicate more resources to getting people connected and back into housing and addressing the homelessness crisis.