Mayor Todd Gloria has bragged on his policies to fight homelessness, but some wonder why the issue continues.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria spent early February organizing and cleaning up a homeless encampment along Sports Arena Boulevard. The clean up comes weeks after Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Gloria visited homeless encampments to boast their goals and accomplishments to solve homelessness.
San Diego’s homelessness issue has become a topic many politicians have attempted to solve. Many solutions have consisted of throwing millions of dollars at temporary fixes, programs, and services that leave little impact in the long run.
Mayor Gloria has been called out for not implementing lasting solutions for homelessness despite having made it a top priority of his office.
Gloria says the recent clean up was crucial to “protect public health and safety for both the residents of the encampment and the surrounding community.”
“The situation on Sports Arena Boulevard in the Midway community is wholly unacceptable,” Gloria said. “The potential for an outbreak of disease and the threat to public safety compels us to act now.”
Gloria said it was important to take “decisive action” while offering those living in the encampment different options.
“As we continue to provide shelter and a wide array of supportive services to unsheltered people living in the neighborhood, we cannot wait for something terrible to happen before we take decisive action,” Gloria said.
The People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) organization led the outreach effort to those living in the encampment. PATH discovered that 183 people were living on Sports Arena Boulevard between Rosecrans Street and Pacific Highway.
