On Tuesday, I chaired a Board of Supervisors meeting where we got the type of update I’ve been waiting years to hear: San Diego is transforming how we respond to mental illness, addiction, and homelessness, and it’s happening faster than anyone thought possible.

In March, we set one of the boldest goals in County history: nearly doubling our treatment system by 2030, so people get help before it becomes a 911 call or a night on the street.

Just five months later, the results are already breaking expectations.

Residential treatment — the 24/7 care that saves lives in a crisis — has expanded by nearly 2,000 slots since the March update, bringing us to 6,956 total and already 79% of the way to our 2030 goal. That means shorter waitlists, fewer people falling through the cracks, and more families getting help before it’s too late. Since 2021, we’ve more than tripled residential capacity — and we’re not slowing down.

Outpatient care — getting treatment and then going home — is also expanding. Our region has now secured funding through Proposition 1 for more than 2,000 new outpatient treatment slots over the next three years — the single largest expansion San Diego has ever undertaken. On top of that, we’re continuing to grow capacity step by step: this year alone, we opened 506 new withdrawal management slots (tripling capacity), added 4 new medication-assisted treatment providers, and partnered with the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians to expand opioid treatment by 100 slots.

Housing tied to recovery is coming online too. Already this year, more than 3,100 people have been connected to recovery residences, and $6 million is planned for 121 new short-term bridge housing beds for people leaving crisis care.

These accomplishments are precisely what I outlined in my State of the County: transforming bold goals into tangible, measurable progress.

Every new treatment bed, every housing unit, every partnership is another step toward a County where no one gets left behind, and care comes before crisis.

And it only happened because our community demanded it. Just a few years ago, people with serious mental illness or addiction were left waiting, often until it was too late. Today, thousands are getting help who once would have had nothing. That’s the difference a real system makes.

I hope you’ll take a moment to share this update. The more people see what’s possible, the stronger we are to keep building until every San Diegan has care before crisis.

[Share the Update]

Thank you for believing in this vision — and for helping make it real.