“We need the type of scale that says that this is an emergency,” Faulconer said.
Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently criticized Mayor Todd Gloria’s state of the city speech, noting it lacked plans for immediate action to get people off the streets.
“There was a missed opportunity to talk about some bold and immediate action that we need because the unfortunate reality is [homelessness is] getting worse month over month over month,” Faulconer told KUSI.
“I think what San Diegans really want to see…is action now to get folks off the street. Yes, we need more housing in San Diego, a lot of us have spent a lot of time on that, but we need immediate action now to get [homeless] off the street.”
Mayor Todd Gloria gave his third State of the City address at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Jan. 11.
The mayor outlined a number of issues facing the city, one of them being the rise in homelessness in San Diego. While he did indicate that beds were being added to the shelter system in upcoming years, nothing appeared to be getting done immediately to clear tents lining streets.
Faulconer pointed to bridge housing like the ones put up by the Lucky Duck Foundation. “I think they are exactly the right approach. We need not just a shelter that’s going to help 20 or 25 people. We need the type of scale that says that this is an emergency,” Faulconer stated.
“We put up those types of bridge shelters while I was mayor. They work. We need more of them,” he added.
Faulconer believes bridge shelters provide the option that the homeless need today because it’s effective and goes beyond just a roof over your head.
“It’s a bridge. It’s not the final spot, but it’s something that says we need to get folks off the street until they can get that permanent place of their own. The bridge services provide those services. It’s not just a bed. It’s the mental health counseling that is so important, it’s the job training, it’s matching you with your housing vouchers. Bridge shelters work. I’m a huge proponent of them.”
“This is the time for big action to bring everybody to the table and to say what’s happening on the streets is not good enough. We care enough about you enough to intervene,”the former mayor said.
