The San Diego Rescue Mission brought together 13 mayors and other city leaders Monday for its fourth annual Mayors Symposium to coordinate a regional response to homelessness.
The two-hour meeting at the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club in Solana Beach featured discussions on what practices have worked in the county's 18 cities and identifying gaps in service where people can fall through the cracks.
The mayors, county supervisor and council members also signed a declaration "renewing their commitment to advance a regional strategy to address homelessness," following a similar declaration in 2024 which launched a regional task force.
"This symposium demonstrates what's possible when we treat homelessness as the regional crisis it truly is," said Donnie Dee, president and CEO of San Diego Rescue Mission. "For the first time, representatives from every single city in San Diego County, including 13 mayors, are actively participating in this year's annual symposium.
"We're seeing real momentum building across our region, with cities working together in ways we haven't seen before."
Since last year's symposium, the San Diego Rescue Mission expanded outreach efforts by deploying workers in San Diego's Little Italy, Vista, Oceanside and has plans to expand to El Cajon.
According to the SDRM, the timing of this year's gathering coincided with several developments in addressing homelessness across the region. Last month, the nonprofit partnered with another homelessness-serving organization — the Lucky Duck Foundation — and the city of Vista to announce a $1.5 million "performance-based investment" intended to expand emergency shelter beds in North County.
Additionally, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan recently unveiled the "Shelter-Ready" app, a tool showing available shelter beds throughout the region in real time. The San Diego Rescue Mission's North County Lighthouse served as the pilot site for this innovative technology.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said the collaborative efforts was vital to solving the problem of people living on the streets.
"Homelessness doesn't recognize city boundaries, and neither should our response to it," he said. "This symposium brings together the leadership we need to create real change and regional solutions."
The number of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County dropped by 7% over the past year, and dropped by about 14% in the city of San Diego, according to data released in May by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness.
The data was collected in January during the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, when more than 1,700 volunteers, including site coordinators, trained outreach workers and county staff hit the streets to speak to those living without stable housing.
The annual count is a one-day snapshot of the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the region. The volunteers found no fewer than 9,905 people experiencing homelessness throughout the county, down from 10,605 a year ago. This year's data include 5,714 unsheltered San Diegans and 4,191 individuals in shelters and transitional housing.
Representatives from the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, the event's sponsor, also participated in the discussion Monday.
