Ending Homelessness

Homelessness in San Diego has become a crisis that can not continue. I’m raising a young family during a time when the future is uncertain, and I want to create a San Diego that our children can be proud to call home.

Homelessness is the most complex issue facing San Diego, and I am committed to solving this crisis immediately.

While it is not unique to our City, it is our responsibility to address its impact on our region. Homelessness creates legitimate health, humanitarian, and safety concerns for everyone in our community, which is why I will work hard to find solutions to this crisis.

But this is not a problem we can simply solve on our own. Big challenges such as homelessness require big action and collaboration. I have spent the past fifteen years building broad coalitions to tackle tough challenges, and I am ready to take a stand on behalf of our communities and deliver results.

Homelessness is not a one-size-fits-all problem. On City Council, I will expand our partnership with public and philanthropic providers, and ensure we secure the vital regional, state, and federal resources we need to tackle this issue.

I’m confident that together, we can bring all the essential partners to the table to solve this problem.

-Kent Lee

In response to the crisis, Kent believes in:

  • Ensuring A Clean and Safe City For All

  • Expanding and Diversifying Temporary and Long-Term Housing

  • Strengthening Regional Partnerships for a Strategic Response

  • Taking Action to Prevent Homelessness Before It Begins

Ensuring A Clean and Safe City For All

Addressing homelessness requires that we develop a responsive system that effectively connects those who are unhoused with the services they need, through effective outreach that builds long-term trust, while addressing criminal activity, and working in partnership with our local communities on identifying and enacting proven solutions.

On City Council, I am committed on:

  • Expanding outreach capacity to transition people from the streets to housing and services

  • Expanding mental and behavioral health services as well as addiction and substance abuse treatment

  • Addressing criminal activity to protect health and safety for our unhoused neighbors and the public

  • Streamlining hiring at the City to improve Get-It-Done response times

  • Collaborating with neighborhood and community leaders on available tools and resources for residents

Expanding and Diversifying Temporary and Long-Term Housing

In order to meet the complexity of challenges facing our unhoused neighbors, San Diego must use every tool available to us in order to expand and diversify housing options for those facing homelessness. This includes:

  • Prioritizing non-congregate shelter supporting families and those facing trauma

  • Safe parking lots with expanded hours for families living in their cars

  • Immediate congregate shelter for quick response and those facing emergencies

  • Bridge shelters to permanent supportive housing

  • Building more affordable and permanent supportive housing for long-term impact

Moving the needle requires a multi-faceted approach to housing, including:

  • Maximizing the use of available public lands in partnership other local agencies and municipalities

  • Utilizing existing vacant properties such as motels/hotels, public, or commercial spaces to provide both safe and clean temporary housing in both congregate and non-congregate settings

  • Partnering with local non-profit and religious institutions to expand existing programs as well as identify new opportunities for housing and wraparound services

  • Maximizing state and federal resources – such as Project Homekey to convert existing hotel/motel properties into needed housing

  • Engaging the private sector as a partner in securing resources as well as seeking solutions

Strengthening Regional Partnerships for a Strategic Response

Kent brings years of experience as a coalition-builder who brings partners to the table in order to serve the community and get things done. As the largest City in our region, San Diego must be a leader in working with County and other municipal and non-profit partners in delivering a strategic response. Working together, we must focus on:

  • Increasing the City’s partnership with PATH for our Coordinated Street Outreach Program

  • Regional effort to link shelter placement - working with County, Cities, CalTrans, SANDAG and others

  • Engaging our non-profit partners to deliver a variety of services including outreach, mental/behavioral health services, addiction-treatment, safe parking lots, temporary shelter, affordable housing, and permanent supportive housing

  • Ensure accountability and transparency for dollars spent

  • Fight for state and federal funding for services, housing, healthcare, and more

Preventing Homelessness

In addition to the thousands of unhoused San Diegans, we must recognize that many others facing economic challenges and other factors remain at risk of becoming homeless. In addition to serving our unhoused neighbors, our work must begin with keeping San Diegans from becoming homeless to start.

Kent believes in taking action to prevent San Diegans from becoming homeless by:

  • Supporting the Housing Stability Fund to serve low-income seniors, those with disabilities, and families with kids and transitional youth

  • Expanding the “Bridge to Home” program to create much-needed affordable housing

  • Seeking State and Federal funding (such as Project Homekey funds) and ensuring we don’t miss opportunities for regional support

  • Furthering workforce development and job training to create more opportunities for all San Diegans