For decades, the County looked the other way as the number of people experiencing homelessness started to rise. When Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer joined the Board in 2021, she made helping the homeless her top priority. It is immoral that anyone is sleeping on the streets in San Diego County.
She is working on enacting proven strategies, meaningful investments and innovative solutions to help prevent more people from becoming homeless. The Supervisor co-authored and passed a Senior Shallow Rent Subsidy Program to help nearly 400 seniors at risk of becoming homeless stay housed and the County has partnered with MIT to measure the program's effectiveness. She voted to implement an initiative to move 300 people from San Diego riverbed encampments to shelters, and championed the first-ever LGBTQ+ affirming program for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Supervisor Lawson-Remer brought partners from philanthropy, homeless service providers and the County together to expand a successful Homelessness Diversion program to keep 800 San Diegans stably housed. The Midway Bridge Shelter- located in the Supervisor's district- is now open on County land, providing wrap-around services and putting people on a path to get into permanent housing.
Prior to Supervisor Lawson-Remer taking office, the County was not investing in the production of new shelters. Since she took office in 2021, the County through regional collabrative efforts has helped catalyze the opening and ongoing production of nearly 900 new shelter beds and safe parking spaces county wide.
Progress has been made using innovative strategies and prioritizing prevention, and Supervisor Lawson-Remer is committed to continuing to do more to help people get off the streets and into better living situations.
