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Candidates say more staffed transitional housing, shelters and prevention needed to move people off streets in District 5
Summary
Candidates at a District 5 forum repeatedly linked homelessness to public-safety and health problems, called for more transitional and permanent housing, and proposed prevention strategies and partnerships with nonprofit and private actors.
At the forum, candidates identified shelter capacity gaps, the need for staffed transitional housing, and prevention measures as central to reducing unhoused encampments across District 5.
Former councilmember Deborah Juarez said the city’s approach has evolved from unsanctioned encampments to a mix of tiny‑home villages, sanctioned encampments and transitional housing, and she argued the key is “meeting people where they're at” with staffed facilities and case management. “We have to build more transitional housing that are staffed with social workers to connect people with the services they need,” she said.
Why it matters: Candidates connected persistent encampments, visible homelessness and public complaints to the scarcity of shelter beds and long waits for services, and said prevention — short‑term financial assistance and diversion — costs less than long-term emergency responses.
Details and proposals • Juarez: Increase staffed transitional housing and on‑ramps to services; noted past city investments and the need for stronger off‑ramps for people not ready for shelters. • Rob Wilson: Pointed to creative civic‑private partnerships such as repurposing hotel space and praised Mary’s Place and county health‑through‑housing programs as examples. • Katie Imo and others: Emphasized a continuum of responses — emergency shelters and tiny homes for short term, permanent supportive housing for long term — and highlighted the funding and land‑cost constraints that complicate delivery. • Jim Voorhe and other candidates urged public‑private partnerships and philanthropic leverage to increase capacity quickly.
Gaps and uncertainties • Candidates described successful nonprofit models but did not provide firm commitments for new bed counts or exact funding sources during the forum. • Candidates noted that many people in encampments decline offers of shelter; Juarez said in one example only 11 of about 100 people wanted services, underscoring the limits of supply alone.
The discussion framed homelessness in District 5 as an issue that requires immediate shelter capacity plus longer‑term investment in permanent housing and services, and candidates stressed prevention and partnerships rather than single‑tool responses.
