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Housing Commission Votes To Keep Funding Temporary Homeless Shelters In San Diego

An inside view of the homeless tent shelter at 16th Street and Newton Avenue in downtown San Diego, Dec. 1, 2017.
Matt Hoffman / KPBS
An inside view of the homeless tent shelter at 16th Street and Newton Avenue in downtown San Diego, Dec. 1, 2017.

The San Diego Housing Commission voted Thursday to renew operating agreements with nonprofits Alpha Project for the Homeless, Veterans Village of San Diego and Father Joe’s Villages for three temporary homeless shelters.

The tents were opened last December as a way to transition people into housing. But a report presented to the commission Thursday said that 75 percent of those who went through the shelters did not find housing.

RELATED: Report: City’s Expectations Going Into Bridge Shelter Program Were Off The Mark

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Keeping the temporary shelters open through next June would cost $8.4 million. That’s nearly $1 million over earlier projections.

According to the commission, additional money will go toward expanding the number of beds and services provided at the shelters.

Target goals for transitioning people into housing would also be lowered from 65 percent to 30 percent.

The San Diego City Council will vote on the updated shelter contracts Tuesday.

Housing Commission Votes To Keep Funding Temporary Homeless Shelters In San Diego
New operating agreements would mean the city of San Diego’s three bridge shelters for people who are homeless could soon get funding to stay open through next June.