Nearly half of all Americans who are unhoused live in California, and these numbers are rising faster than in any other state. In 2023, San Diego alone saw a 22% increase in homelessness as compared to 2022. 

Currently, San Diego leaders are pushing for a proposal that would make living in a tent illegal virtually everywhere within city limits as long as there is space available in shelters. This proposal would accomplish little to nothing. San Diego doesn’t have enough land to build shelters for its more than 10,000 homeless people. Plus, current shelter capacities are at 97%.

Instead of allocating their resources and energy to housing, city and county officials should  instead address much-needed health services for the homeless.

More  than 40 percent of homeless people in San Diego County are believed to have a mental illness. Furthermore, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 38% of homeless people are dependent on alcohol, and 26% are dependent on other addictive drugs. San Diego’s current public health programs just  aren’t up to par. 

Many of these crucial health care districts are seeing financial decline and neglect from the county. Palomar Health, for one, saw a decrease in funds from the San Diego county from $42 million in 2022 to $9 million in 2023. This just makes it impossible for these health centers to continue serving underprivileged areas.

Furthermore, the Escondido City Council decided in early August to no longer contribute anything toward the only homeless shelter in its city, meaning a drastic decrease of funds when the number of homeless is only rising. 

Although there is no definite solution to end homelessness, San Diego would benefit greatly from putting more money into health care and drug rehabilitation services. Common illnesses of homeless people such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and diabetes are often intensified by their circumstances, and a focus on healthcare has already proved successful in many other large cities such as New York and Boston. 

The St. Paul’s Center in New York aimed to provide quality care when addressing the psychiatric needs of people who suffered from a chronic serious mental illness. There have been various successes with this program,  such as the fact that 96% of homeless patients who received psychiatric care later ended up obtaining sustained housing. This success clearly shows that when people with serious mental illnesses receive the treatment they need, they are able to lead stable lives. With the aid of medical programs like these, New York has only 5% of its homeless unsheltered compared to San Diego’s 70%. This program should serve as a template for San Diego and other cities to take on. 

Another success story San Diego should gain inspiration from is Boston, which has one of the lowest rates of unsheltered homelessness in the country. Boston’s Health Care for the Homeless program serves all its patients regardless of their ability to pay and insurance status. In recent years, with the aid of programs such as this, Boston’s homeless population has seen a 30% decrease in 2022. 

Illness is exacerbated by homelessness, and homelessness is exacerbated by illness. As such, San Diego cities have to make a bigger effort to invest in healthcare programs for the homeless.  Constructing more homeless shelters will only give us temporary solace to a problem that will last as long as our cities stand. But, giving the homeless the health care they need will be one crucial step towards permanent housing for all.