COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
1600 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, ROOM 335, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92101-2470
AGENDA ITEM
DATE:
April 21, 2026
15
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
EXPANDING REGIONAL HOMELESS DIVERSION EFFORTS: REALLOCATING BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS FUNDS AND AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT WITH THE SAN DIEGO HOUSING COMMISSION (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
For too many San Diego families, a single missed paycheck, an unexpected car repair, or a landlord unwilling to negotiate is all it takes to tip from housing instability into homelessness. In a region where rents have climbed steadily and the cost of living continues to squeeze working families, the margin between housed and unhoused has never been thinner.
And yet, for the first time in years, the data shows real signs of progress. The 2025 Point-in-Time Count found 9,905 individuals experiencing homelessness across the County, a 7% decrease from 2024. Over the past 12 months, our region is finally housing people faster than they are falling into homelessness: an average of 1,187 people per month are getting housed, against 1,089 falling into homelessness for the first time. Programs like homeless diversion are a critical reason the curve is turning.
Homeless Diversion
Diversion connects people at the moment of crisis with case management support and flexible financial assistance. This help is provided before trauma compounds, before costs multiply, and before a short-term emergency becomes a chronic condition. Outreach staff help people think through their options, who in their network might help, what immediate resources exist, and connect them with rental assistance, security deposits, moving costs, and utility payments. The most cost-effective response to homelessness turns out to be the most common-sense one: intervene early and stop it before it spirals. Diversion won't resolve every case, but by reducing inflows into the shelter system, it frees up beds and resources for people wit...
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