San Diego council reviews short‑term shelter plan as Golden Hall and other beds face closure

San Diego city staff on Tuesday presented a short‑term action plan to replace shelter capacity the city expects to lose later this year and asked the council to prioritize which options to fund and quickly operationalize.

The Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department (HSSD) and the San Diego Housing Commission told council members they anticipate up to 654 shelter beds will come offline as several temporary sites wind down, and the update outlined five strategies to replace between 468 and 688 beds. Staff said the FY25 budget includes $4.2 million to identify new shelter locations and that additional budget requests will be needed to operate many options.

City officials and service providers emphasized shorter routes to housing and expanded diversion supports. "Diversion strategies utilize flexible financial assistance, shared housing strategies and targeted case management can result in positive outcomes for shelter resources," said Casey Snell, senior vice president for homeless and housing innovations at the San Diego Housing Commission.

Why it matters: The city faces a narrow window to prevent people from being displaced back onto the street as temporary shelters such as Golden Hall and other facilities reach end dates for their permits. The plan couples immediate, lower‑cost options — like expanding safe‑sleeping and safe‑parking — with negotiations for hotel/motel blocks, partner beds and potential conversions of underused city property.

What staff proposed and the evidence: HSSD and SDHC said they ran seven listening sessions with people with lived experience and frontline staff; top site priorities were privacy (small, non‑congregate options), proximity to transit and ADA accessibility, while top program priorities were on‑site supportive services including medical and mental health care. Staff noted that some shelters with on‑site clinical supports show higher housing exit rates: they reported one non‑congregate site with county‑partnered services ending FY24 with roughly a 29–32 percent successful exit rate compared with a 23 percent system average.

Public reaction split along use and neighborhood lines. Speakers from senior‑serving nonprofits urged shelters designed for older adults with higher staffing ratios, recuperative beds and in‑place caregivers. "There is a clear need for a dedicated older adult shelter or shelters," Paul Downey, president and CEO of Serving Seniors, told the council.

Thousands of residents and regular users of Balboa Park rallied against using the Balboa Park Activity Center (BPAC) as shelter space. "BPAC is definitely not underused. It must not be used as a homeless shelter," Patty Riddle, chair of the Balboa Park and Morley Field Community Recreation Council, said, citing daily sports leagues, youth programs and regional tournaments that use the facility.

Council response and next steps: Several councilmembers urged a two‑track approach: accelerate diversion and flexible financial assistance to move people quickly into housing while also pursuing non‑congregate hotel options for seniors and families. Councilmember Von Wilpert asked the county to be a fuller partner on on‑site behavioral health and substance‑use services, noting new state funding opportunities for behavioral health facilities.

Staff told councilmembers they would launch case‑conferencing processes within about four to six weeks to identify households most likely to benefit from diversion and flexible assistance and return an action item with prioritized options, detailed budgets and updated bed counts. The council president’s office and staff are also exploring whether a local state of emergency declaration could speed procurement and contracting for short‑term sites.