By Kendra Sitton

September 19, 2020 (El Cajon) - The Crisis House is urgently fundraising in its biggest campaign ever so that it can purchase a new building before the City of El Cajon ends Crisis House’s lease and forces it to move out by December 31, 2020. 

By Miriam Raftery

“It’s very likely that we won’t be able to provide the same level of service that we do today….The County has no walk-in services for the homeless, and pretty soon that’s going to be the way it will be in El Cajon.” – Mary Case, Executive Director at Crisis House (photo, left)

June 25, 2020 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve an early lease termination agreement to oust Crisis House from city-owned property at 1034 Magnolia Ave. For the past 26 years, the city has leased the property to Crisis House for a dollar a year, recognizing the value to the community of the services provided by Crisis House, which has a mission to “break the cycle of poverty, domestic violence and homelessness and strengthen families and individuals so that they can thrive and transform their lives.”

The city wants Crisis House gone from is current location near the new Hampton Inn hotel.  So the Council-approved measure offers Crisis House $700,000 if it vacates the property by September 30^th. That amount diminishes to just $350,000 by year’s end and $150,000 by March 31, or zero if Crisis house remains until the lease expires on June 30, 2021.

But Mary Case, Executive Director of Crisis House, says that’s not enough time to find an affordable space, adding that the action will almost certainly mean major cuts in services.

Money Will Fund 29 Projects Throughout County

More than $4.7 million is going to local programs that help homeless individuals and families who deal with challenges such as mental illness, disabilities and domestic violence. In East County, projects funded include Crisis House and Kurdish Human Rights Watch.

The County of San Diego Department of Housing and Community Development applied for funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Supportive Housing Program on behalf of community organizations.

By Miriam Raftery
 

December 3, 2010 (San Diego) – A new program is proving effective at helping chronically homeless people in San Diego County find permanent homes, get medical care and other support services needed to rebuild their lives.

Facilitated by United Way of San Diego County, the San Diego County Plan to End Chronic Homelessness (PTECH) has found permanent homes for 177 chronically homeless San Diegans in the past 17 months, including people in East County--and actually saved taxpayers money.