The tented cold-weather homeless shelters sponsored by the city of San Diego closed Wednesday for what might be the final time, with 102 residents moving into a facility run by St. Vincent de Paul.
The veterans tent in the Midway District and the one in Barrio Logan for single adults were funded through the end of March.
According to the San Diego Housing Commission, which runs homeless services for the city, more than 1,100 San Diegans were served since the tents opened in November. Of those who moved into St. Vincent de Paul, 53 were from the veterans shelter and 49 from Barrio Logan.
City officials have for several years now been looking for an alternative to the tent system, which the city has been funding for almost 30 years.
Opportunity arose when a change to federal funding formulas opened up beds at St. Vincent de Paul's Paul Mirabile Center in the East Village.
Last week, the City Council approved a plan to establish a permanent, year-round, 350-bed shelter at the Mirabile Center. While only a little over 100 beds became available this week, the rest of the 250 should be ready by July 1.
Up to 40 percent will be offered to homeless veterans.
Of those served in the tents this year, 100 were placed in permanent housing and another 63 went into a transitional housing program, according to the Housing Commission.
