homeless

MILLIONS POURING INTO EAST COUNTY TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS

 

Next meeting set for Sept. 6 in Lakeside as community seeks solutions to its growing homelessness problem

By Ana Nita

View video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOWE1HAQS7c&feature=youtu.be

August 29, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- Eric J. Lund, Director of the East County Homeless Task Force and CEO of the East County Chamber of Commerce, announced last week that East County will receive $2 million out of the $18.8 million in state funding for San Diego County to solve the homelessness problem.


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NEW PROGRAM FOR HOMELESS WHO FREQUENTLY USE ERS

 

June 11, 2018 (San Diego) - The County is looking for 1,049 chronically homeless people who frequently use emergency rooms for medical treatment, resulting in high Medi-Cal costs.

These people, identified in 2016, are being sought to be a part of Whole Person Wellness, a County program that will help them find a home and give them access to behavioral and physical health services, saving millions in Medi-Cal costs.


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12.7% OF COUNTY’S HOMELESS ARE IN EAST COUNTY, WHERE MOST REMAIN UNSHELTERED

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 21, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) – The 2018 Point in Time “We All Count” report on homelessness in our region reveals that 12.7% of San Diego County’s homeless population is in East County.  While El Cajon has made progress toward sheltering its homeless people, no such progress has been made in the unincorporated areas or most East County cities.


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HOMELESS COUNT FINDS 6 PERCENT DROP REGIONWIDE

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 17, 2018 (San Diego) --The number of homeless people in San Diego County dropped by 6 percent from last year, according to the 2018 Point-in-Time Count.  The number of homeless who are unsheltered fell even further, dropping 11 percent.


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SALVATION ARMY GETS $50 MILLION RADY DONATION TO HELP SAN DIEGO HOMELESS

 

By Chris Jennewein, credit to Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Network

Photo:  Ernest and Evelyn Rady at the Salvation Army’s Door of Hope in Linda Vista. Photo by Chris Jennewein

January 29, 2018 (San Diego) - Philanthropists Ernest and Evelyn Rady announced Monday an unprecedented $50 million donation to The Salvation Army to help homeless individuals and families in San Diego.


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PAW IT FORWARD: DONATE COATS, SWEATERS FOR PETS OF THE HOMELESS

 

Get an extra pet sweater or coat, or donate an old one to County Animal Services’ “Paw It Forward” campaign. These “creature comforts” will go to pets of people experiencing homelessness.


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PROTESTS, PETITION SEEK TO OVERTURN EL CAJON’S BAN ON FEEDING HOMELESS IN PARKS

 

Update: Hear our interview with Dash McTavish from Food Not Bombs, a group planning to feed the homeless Nov. 25 in defiance of  El Cajon's ban.  Click the audio link to hear the interviewed originally aired on KNSJ.

By Miriam Raftery

November 12, 2017 (El Cajon) – Protest rallies on November 19th and 25th are being organized to oppose the El Cajon City Council’s unanimous decision to outlaw feeding the homeless and other city-owned properties, after previously banning camping in parks, sleeping on sidewalks and panhandling.  An online petition also calls on Mayor Bill Wells and the City Council to overturn the ban.  

Audio: 

Interview with Dash McTavish, Food Not Bombs

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THANKSGIVING TURKEYS NEEDED FOR HOMELESS IN EL CAJON

 

Source:  ECTLC

November 13, 2017 (El Cajon) -- The East County Transitional Living Center is in need of fresh or frozen turkeys to feed its more than 400 residents on Thanksgiving Day.  The residents are recovering from homelessness or addiction.


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KALASHO OBJECTS TO CITIZEN CALLING FOR HIS RESIGNATION; EL CAJON COUNCIL BANS FEEDING OF HOMELESS IN PARKS OVER HEPATITS CONCERNS

 

By Paul Kruze

November 1, 2017 (El Cajon) -- El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to ban feeding of the homeless in public places due to hepatitis concerns, fill a vacancy on its veterans’ commission, and approve a residential housing development. But the most contentious moments came during an impassioned plea from a citizen calling for Councilmember Ben Kalasho to resign, over objections of Kalasho, who sought to silence the resident from speaking out.


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BROWN SIGNS BILL TO LET SAN DIEGO WAIVE BUILDING CODES FOR THREE YEARS TO PROVIDE SHELTER FOR HOMELESS

 

By Miriam Raftery

October 19, 2017 (San Diego) – Governor Jerry Brown has signed Assembly Bill 932 authorizing suspension of state and local building standards for three years upon declaration of a shelter crisis in specified areas, including the City of San Diego, in order to create homeless shelters on an emergency basis.


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HOMELESS SAN DIEGANS FILE CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST CITY OF SAN DIEGO

 

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 18, 2017 (San Diego) – Ten homeless San Diegans have filed a class action against the city of San Diego, challenging citations targeting the homeless as unconstitutional.

Homelessness in the city spiked 10% over the past year, according to the January 2017 Point in Time homeless count. Most of those—5,612—were unsheltered. There are not enough beds and local shelters have long waits. San Diego is also the fourth least affordable city in the nation for housing, making the situation even more bleak for homeless people here.


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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: EAST COUNTY REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON HOMELESS CHAIR ERIC LUND

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 15, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Recently, we sat down with Eric Lund, chair of the East County Regional Task Force on the Homeless  and president of the San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce, for an interview that originally aired on KNSJ radio. 

He shared details about the Task Force's vision and proposals for a compassion approach to helping the homeless obtain housing and services, while also keeping communities clean and safe for residents and businesses.

Listen now by clicking the audio link.

Audio: 


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EL CAJON CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES HOMELESS AID PROJECT; KALASHO AGAIN SPARKS CONTROVERSY OVER DISPUTED COMMENTS TO LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP

 

By Paul Kruze

July 7, 2017 (El Cajon) -- In a unanimous 4-0 vote (with Councilmember Bob McClellan absent), the El Cajon City Council has approved a major measure to address homelessness in El Cajon as part of an initiative developed by the East County Homeless Task Force (ECHTF.org). The measure includes an expenditure of $168,000 by the city.


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COMMUNITY FORUM WITH EL CAJON MAYOR WELLS AND POLICE CHIEF DAVIS ADDRESSES CITIZENS’ CONCERNS ON HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS

 

Hear audio of the meeting: 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/vf31iozwi183wxj/ElCajonHomelessForum1.mp3

By Paul Kruze

June 30, 2017 (El Cajon) -- Spurred on by a mentally ill homeless woman who made her street home in front of a shuttered El Cajon motel on East Main Street earlier this month and numerous homeless individuals settling in central El Cajon, some 50 El Cajon residents gathered in the Community Room at the El Cajon Police Department for a town hall meeting last Monday night hosted by El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and Chief of Police Jeff Davis.


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SUPERVISORS TO CONSIDER THREE IDEAS TO HELP THE HOMELESS

 

By Miriam Raftery

June 13, 2017 (San Diego) -- The Board of Supervisors will look at ideas next week designed to help get the homeless into homes.  County Supervisors Ron Roberts and Dianne Jacob unveiled the three initiatives to spur the building, renovation and acquisition of affordable housing and stem the growing tide of homelessness.


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COUNTY OFFERS INCENTIVES TO LANDLORDS WHO RENT TO HOMELESS

 

East County News Service

June 4, 2017 (San Diego) – If you’re a landlord looking for tenants, the County is offering bonuses of up to $500 if you’ll rent to a homeless family, veteran or other homeless person who has a rental assistance subsidy from the County of San Diego Housing Authority. 


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TRUMP BUDGET LEAVES HOMELESS, INCLUDING VETS, OUT IN THE COLD

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 4, 2017 (San Diego) – One of the harshest cuts in President Donald Trump’s budget is his proposal to completely eliminate the U.S. interagency Council on Homelessness.  The Council helps all homeless people, but has been particularly effective helping homeless veterans. It has been successful in ending homelessness among veterans in three states and cutting veterans’ homeless nationwide by 47 percent. Associated Press reports.


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BLANKET AND LINENS DRIVE FOR HOMELESS IN EL CAJON

 

East County News Service

December 5, 2016 (El Cajon) - The East County Transitional Living Center is holding a blanket and linen drive for the center’s formerly homeless residents.  Donations of new twin or full linens or blankets can be brought to  Cal Fire Fire stations at several East County locations by December 15 (See flyer below)  or you can drop them off at the ECTLC,  located at 1527 East Main Street in El Cajon.


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EAST COUNTY CREATES REGIONAL HOMELESS TASK FORCE

 

East County News Service

November 27, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – The newly created San Diego East County Regional Homeless Task Force held its first meeting in mid-November at the El Cajon Police Department. 

The effort is being spear-headed by the San Diego-East County Chamber of Commerce with support from civic leaders, educators, religious and other nonprofit organizations, social service providers and law enforcement. City managers from La Mesa, El Cajon and Lemon Grove and about 100 others attended the inaugural meeting.


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PUBLIC COMMENTS NEEDED BY SEPT. 23 TO HELP SAN DIEGO GET MORE FEDERAL FUNDS FOR HOMELESS

 

By Kim Cooney

August 29, 2016 (San Diego) - On August 10, 2016, Congressman Scott Peters (D-San Diego), along with city and county officials, met to discuss the issue of homelessness in San Diego.  The key question is how funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) can be updated so that San Diego gets its fair share of money each year.  A recent Voice of San Diego report found that despite having the nation’s third largest homeless population, San Diego gets less than many other cities with fewer homeless people.


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LANDLORDS NEEDED TO HELP HOMELESS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

 

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

August 17, 2016 (San Diego) --San Diego area landlords: homeless people need your help.

The County of San Diego and its many partners are looking for landlords who are willing to rent apartments to help house 130 people who are currently homeless.


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CITIZENS OVERSIGHT OBJECTS TO EL CAJON FUNDING HOMELESS PROGRAMS OVERSEEN BY RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION

 

By Miriam Raftery

July 25, 2016 (El Cajon) — Citizens Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog group, has sent a letter to the City of El Cajon objecting to future grants to the East County Transitional Living Center—and calling for the center to reimburse the city for grants that Citizens Oversight claims were “improperly applied to religious purposes.”  The group has asked that its letter and documents be distributed to Council members for the upcoming Council meeting Wednesday that includes community block grants.


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NEW PROGRAM TO HELP PEOPLE OFF STREETS

 

By Jose A. Alvarez,

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors today accepted the Project One for All implementation plan that will provide people who are homeless and have serious mental illness access to a coordinated range of services, including housing and health care.


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EL CAJON POLICE PARTNERING WITH EAST COUNTY AGENCIES TO HELP REDUCE HOMELESSNESS

 

East County News Service

June 18, 2016 (El Cajon) -- During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis addressed the City Council to make them aware of the police department’s new partnership with other East County agencies for a homeless outreach program. The actions come after the County Grand Jury issued a report recommending East County cities take actions to improve help for the homeless, as ECM reported earlier this week.


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ROCKY ROAD FOR HOMELESS: CITY INSTALLS SHARP STONES BENEATH OVERPASS WHERE HOMELESS TOOK SHELTER DURING STORMS

 

By Miriam Raftery

April 27, 2016 (San Diego) — Mayor Kevin Faulconer is being rocked by criticism after a homeless advocacy group posted photos on Facebook of sharp, jagged rocks installed by the city of San Diego beneath an overpass where homeless people had been sleeping and taking shelter during storms. San Diego has no year-round homeless shelter and has also been conducting sweeps to confiscate belongings of homeless individuals.


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DISABLED WOMAN COULD BE HOMELESS FRIDAY

 

By Miriam Raftery

May 29, 2013 (Lakeside) – Clad in pajamas, Karen Goodman broke down in tears as she told me her story  today. 

We met with her at the request of Walter Choate, an advocate for the homeless who told us that without immediate help, this bedridden woman who relies on a caregiver to survive could be homeless by Friday--and lose all of her belongings as well.


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HOMELESS WOMAN IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER FIRE BURNS HOMELESS CAMP, MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES IN LAKESIDE

 

 

Ordeal shines spotlight on East County’s failure to offer shelter for the homeless

“We are too late. We the community of East County have let our homeless vets down again.”  --a reader's post on Fox News story about the fire

 

By Nadin Abbott and Miriam Raftery; photos by Billy Ortiz and Nadin Abbott

May 12, 2013 (Lakeside) – It was a grim Mother’s Day for families displaced by a fire that ravaged mobile homes in Lakeside today, and for a homeless woman veteran who is hospitalized with serious burns.


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THEATRE OR REALITY? HOW A HOMELESS MAN BECAME AN ACCOMPLICE

 

How exactly do an East Country actor and a San Diego homeless man become friends? Theatre, of course.

Story and photo by Ron Logan

April 22, 2013 (Little Italy, San Diego) – Jerry is homeless. He likes movies and the arts. As a younger man he enjoyed watching the filmmaking students at Long Beach State University as they created their films near his home. As it turns out, he also has a knack for theatre.

Jerry is one of the estimated 10,000 homeless in San Diego County. He is a pleasant man. A San Diego native; intelligent, well-spoken and polite. Nearly 56 years young, he has been on the streets for about seven years now.

When I first heard about Jerry I assumed he might have fallen on hard times and wasn't very happy – that he didn't have control of his situation. I was wrong.


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HOMELESS MAN FOUND DEAD IN EL CAJON

 

April 11,2013 (El Cajon) – A man found dead along the I-8 off ramp at Mollison in El Cajon was a transient, according to El Cajon spokesperson Monica Zech. 

"They like to live in the bushes, and many don't want to leave the streets,” she said.The man is not believed to have been struck by a vehicle and cause of death is not yet known pending an autopsy.


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HOMELESS ADVOCATE TO SPEAK IN EL CAJON MARCH 21

 

March 20, 2013 (El Cajon) – Amikas is a San Diego-based nonprofit that seeks to create housing and help for homeless families and individuals, as well as prevent those living below the poverty level from becoming homeless by offering educational, employment and support programs.  The group encourages citizen involvement to assure that others have food, shelter and other necessities.

On March 21, the Executive Director of Amikas, Jeeni Criscenzo del Rio, will speak at the East County Democratic Club meeting in El Cajon. The event is free and open to the public.


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