SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced Tuesday that the city has taken possession of a 34-room hotel that will be transformed into a non-congregate shelter for seniors experiencing homelessness.
The hotel is located on Pacific Highway across the street from the county administration building.
A news conference was held at the site Tuesday morning.
Council President Sean Elo-Rivera told reporters he experienced homelessness 11 years ago. He said he lived in his car for five weeks. He said he'll never forget the day a friend helped him pay for a hotel room.
"I will never forget the feeling of opening that door, seeing that bed and knowing at least for one night I would have a room of my own, a bed of my own," he said. "These rooms are going to offer that to seniors who so very much need it."
"I will not rest until we get this situation under control," said Mayor Gloria. "And that we match the expectations of San Diegans, many of whom are extremely frustrated, as am I. We can get this done. It gets done by doing more things like converting this hotel into housing for our seniors who are homeless."
The city will clean up the rooms and furnish them. According to the mayor, the shelter is expected to open within a month or two.
The mayor also pointed to other ways the city is addressing homelessness, including the opening of the 150-bed Rosecrans Shelter, expansion of the Safe Parking Program to 24 hours at one lot, Governor Newsom’s signing his CARE Court initiative into law and the announcement of Round 2 of the city’s “Bridge to Home” initiative.
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