An Op-Ed
by Charles Michaud
As the homelessness crisis intensifies in the United States, coastal cities bear the brunt, especially those offering services like methadone clinics, transitional housing, and detox facilities. Despite increased spending by state and local governments, both the number of unhoused people and overdose deaths continue to rise. Overdoses are now the leading cause of death for people aged 18-40 in the U.S., a fact that, as a young adult, I’ve observed anecdotally, but hearing it confirmed by the DEA is deeply distressing.
What I find even more difficult to comprehend is how, despite these rising statistics, funding for homeless services has skyrocketed without clear accountability. This raises concerns about how the money is allocated, whether there are metrics for success, and who profits. Since much of this funding comes from taxpayers, it’s alarming that city leaders continue to support organizations failing to deliver real solutions.
This cycle of inefficiency, known as the “homeless industrial complex,” is prevalent in many West Coast cities. The more homeless people a city has, the more funding it receives to “combat” the issue—resulting in economic rents and high salaries for nonprofit organizations. In San Diego, I’ve seen people use housing and detox facilities only to be discharged within weeks, without access to proper support like job training, sobriety programs, or counseling, all essential for long-term rehabilitation.
The solutions proposed by the City of San Diego, particularly Mayor Todd Gloria’s office, have been inadequate. For example, the proposed mega-shelter offering 1,000 beds would provide only 65 square feet per person—10 square feet less than the minimum space required in U.S. prisons. It seems the mayor expects the public to accept this without question, as long as they hear the headline “1,000-bed shelter”. However, for too long, city leaders have underestimated the public’s ability to engage meaningfully, especially those most affected by homelessness.
It is disturbing that San Diego’s leadership reduces homelessness to a mere housing issue. While expensive housing is part of the problem, placing people in hotels to lower the point-in-time count is not a real solution. This kind of treatment fosters distrust in the system, as many in the homeless community have experienced this firsthand.
To truly address this crisis, San Diego’s leadership must prioritize transparent, targeted, and accountable solutions. Without public and third-party oversight, organizations will continue to profit from the perpetual homelessness crisis, while more people die on our streets.
Todd Glorias’ Megashelter plan (65 square feet per person):
There are many things wrong with this but a specific sentence jumped out. “While expensive housing is part of the problem, placing people in hotels to lower the point-in-time count is not a real solution.” The point in time count counts people experiencing both sheltered (in a shelter, hotel, emergency housing) and unsheltered (in a tent, on the street) homelessness so this is brazenly incorrect. Also the high cost of housing is, far and away, the biggest barrier to ending homelessness. The link titled “Housing first study” is actually a link to the largest survey of Californians experiencing homelessness done in years and states “The cost of housing in California is a leading cause to homelessness statewide, according to a study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness (CASPEH), released by the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, is the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s.”
I’m slightly curious how a legislative intern for a Republican assemblymember who barely represents San Diego County (and none of the city of San Diego) got the OB Rag to publish this. I’m assuming it’s because he attacks the Ketter/Vine project (which I also do not support either as it goes against almost every best practice on homelessness out there) but letting him publish this, including a “homeless industrial complex” reference, which is a staple Fox News talking point, makes me wonder how “progressive” this website is if they’re willing to let this conservative incoherence be published without any editing or fact checking as long as it takes a shot at Todd.
It would be helpful to have the name of the assembly member so everyone can fact check.
Hey, he does work for a moderate Republican, raises issues many others across the spectrum have raised and uses his real name.
Is the use of his real name more important than the misinformation he’s spreading?
Ok PLMM, which are you? OB Sam? Or Carol Anne or PL Middle Man? These are the commenter names you’ve used in the recent past, so obviously you’re violating our comment policy — yet you keep returning and improving our stats.
You didn’t mind spreading misinformation when you were advocating for the “ADUs” on Point Loma Ave.