During the forum, attendees had an opportunity to write and submit questions to the panelists relating to homelessness. Although time constraints prevented us from answering every question in-person at the event, Supervisor Anderson's staff has set up this webpage with all of the questions that were submitted along with the Supervisor's responses. The question cards with the individual’s contact information (if given) was also provided to the City representatives who attended.

Is it possible to implement highway cleaners, graffiti removal, plant restoration into the lives of these homeless, unwilling/willing? Where they can work to restore the community, while receiving housing permanently for their contributions? In addition to mental health?

There are programs currently in place through local non-profits that create opportunities for homeless individuals by uplifting them while they restore the community they’re a part of. For example, the Alpha Project, through its “Wheels of Change” program, pays participants of shelters an hourly wage with cleaning shifts three days a week and this allows folks experiencing homelessness to earn a paycheck and begin to get back on their feet while also giving back to their community.  Because these individuals are invited to work while participating in a shelter program, they are offered wrap-around services that include mental and behavioral health. Wheels for Change participants visited the Magnolia encampment in El Cajon before it was removed and performed outreach and clean-up. For more information, visit www.alphaproject.org/programs/wheels-of-change.

Additionally, the City of El Cajon reported that a multi-departmental “Neighborhood Quality of Life Team” and the East County Transitional Living Center (ECTLC) held more than 116 clean-up events in past years, freshening up city parks and clearing rights-of-way and drainage channels in El Cajon. Additionally, ECTLC removed 2,280 tons of trash found in the streets. More information about this program can be found here.

A short time ago, I was interviewed by KUSI news about the 22 a day suicide rate, my answer was no one talks to veterans. What about people concerned with homelessness talking to the people on the street?

There are numerous programs for veterans experiencing homeless. Offered not exclusively through the County but also through various non-profits that perform outreach and connect them with resources. Veteran services include the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, where the County works with federal departments to administer rental assistance to homeless veterans and offer ongoing VA supportive services.

The County of San Diego also funds a 24/7 support line run by veterans for veterans. It’s called “Courage to Call” and all you have to do is dial 2-1-1 or go to 211.org/Courage-to-call and they assist veterans.

Additionally, each summer, the County participates with dozens of other organizations and hundreds of volunteers in a “Stand Down,” a multi-day event that helps homeless vets find food, clothing, showers, recovery providers and other services including medical, dental and legal assistance. The County also offers services at our four County-operated offices of Military and Veteran Affairs (OMVA) and Military Veterans Resource Centers (MVRCs) which provide benefit information, assistance and other support to County veterans and their families. On September 27, 2022, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal I brought forward with Chair Nathan Fletcher to add a Center for Military and Veteran Reintegration in East County.

(1) What are you doing about chronic homelessness? (2) Once the homeless fell out of the shelters where do they go? (3) What is your rationale for placing more homeless in our city? (4) Why didn’t the county inform the City of El Cajon of all the homeless dumping in our city? (5) How much taxpayer money advertising for this event? (6) Why don’t you spread them around the County? (7) Why aren’t you protecting us from people with criminal backgrounds? (8) What is your relationship with the El Cajon city council? (9) Why can’t we ask questions in front of you today? (10) How many homeless with vouchers are being imported from outside the city? (11) Why aren’t you vetting these people first?

(1) There are numerous efforts in place County-wide to address those experiencing chronic and situational homelessness. We have the Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) made up of Sheriff deputies and Office of Homeless Solutions outreach workers to get individuals connected to the help they need. Some of these efforts include providing individuals with emergency shelter needs with wrap-around services including substance abuse and mental health treatment while also working toward permanent housing.

(2) The law does not allow anyone to force homeless individuals to stay in a shelter or dictate how they live. However, if there is an available shelter in the community, we can enforce loitering laws. We know that some individuals who exit the County’s program seek shelter and assistance through family or friends and seek alternative shelter relief services.  

(3) When an individual experiencing homelessness accepts assistance offered to them, they have a choice of where they go based on where programs are available, and no one can force them into any location. Typically, they choose locations near where they have been staying, but there’s always exceptions. Hotels voluntarily opt-in to the County’s hotel voucher program - no hotel is required to participate. There are 8 hotels in El Cajon that accept the County’s vouchers, and 14 others across the County. In addition to the County’s hotel voucher program, the City of El Cajon offers hotel vouchers through their homeless provider, HomeStart.

(4) The City of El Cajon said they were aware of the County's program but not how many of the County’s voucher program participants were in El Cajon hotels. After learning of the City’s complaint about lack of notification, I worked with County staff to implement a weekly notification to all the cities in my district to inform them of the total number of County voucher program participants currently in their city.

(5) The majority of the costs for the event, including promotion, were donated by community partners such as Grossmont College and HNK CPAs. The majority of the work to coordinate the event was performed by Supervisor Anderson’s volunteer interns.

(6) The County’s hotel voucher program or RHAP is a voluntary County-wide program with 22 hotels and motels throughout the region who opt-in and choose to participate. Eight are located in El Cajon. The others choosing to participate in this program are located in the City of San Diego (5), the City of Chula Vista (2), the City of Escondido (3), the City of Santee (1), the City of Vista (1), the City of Oceanside (1), and Ramona (1). As of September 2022, approximately 63% of County voucher users in El Cajon hotels are from El Cajon (including the unincorporated area) and approximately 94% are from East County. These numbers change daily as people successfully and unsuccessfully exit the program.

 (7) Participants in the County’s hotel voucher program are screened before being accepted. Those who voluntarily accept vouchers are screened on intake for outstanding felony warrants and to determine if they are lifetime registered sex offenders. If those screenings yield positive results, those individuals are not eligible to participate in the program. Additionally, outreach staff screens individuals in the Homeless Management Information System to check their history and if they are engaged with another agency. Remember, there are several other voucher programs operating in the City of El Cajon and we can’t speak for their procedures. Information about known programs can be found here

(8) A great example of our partnership with the City of El Cajon is the East County Cities Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which encourages all 4 cities in East County and the County to work together collectively to address homelessness. For far too long, the City of El Cajon has had to go it alone to address homelessness, which no city should have to do. My commitment to the City of El Cajon is to bring the resources of the County to help make the quality of life better for everyone in our community. I organized this forum to discuss how we can better work together towards our mutual goal of helping people off the streets and improving our community.

(9) Due to time constraints of the event, we did not know if we would have enough time to answer everyone’s questions during the event. Therefore, we requested questions to be submitted in writing to ensure everyone’s questions would be answered.

(10) As noted above, when someone accepts a voucher, they can choose what hotel to utilize based on where rooms are available. As of September 2022, approximately 63% of County voucher users in El Cajon hotels are from El Cajon (including the unincorporated area) and approximately 94% are from East County.

(11) Please see response to number 7.

The County has laws on homelessness, why doesn’t the County use the laws on the books? My home is in the middle of El Cajon, and we have needles on our street parkway. Please enforce laws on the books.

Law enforcement officials have full authority in enforcing the law within their jurisdictions. The Sheriff is elected to enforce the law in the unincorporated areas of San Diego County and incorporated cities have their own respective police departments or, in some cases, contract with the Sheriff. Enforcing crimes within the City of El Cajon is under the jurisdiction of the El Cajon Police Department. The non-emergency phone number for the City of El Cajon’s Police Department is (619) 579-3311 and their website address is: https://www.elcajon.gov/your-government/departments/police

Court decisions place limitations on enforcing laws against sleeping on public property unless emergency shelter can be offered.

State law has changed substantially in the last decade which has decriminalized many drug and theft offenses. As a State legislator, I voted against all of these decriminalization policies.

You can read more about it here:

https://law.stanford.edu/stanford-criminal-justice-center-scjc/california-realignment/
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-02-15/california-voters-support-a-do-over-of-loosened-theft-crimes-under-prop-47
https://www.hoover.org/research/why-shoplifting-now-de-facto-legal-california
https://www.hoover.org/news/qa-josh-rauh-solving-homelessness-crisis-california

I would like to see the old Coco’s at Main St & Walter & the adjacent vacant lot turned into a one-stop-shop for services, showers, & perhaps a tiny home community. What is preventing developing a comprehensive support services & shelter there?

Thank you for suggesting this location. We will refer your suggestion to the County of San Diego’s Office of Homeless Solutions to explore this possibility. 

Are you looking to repeal Prop 47 which seems to have added to the homeless issue for drug addicted homeless persons misdemeanor citations don’t allow those who were convicted to drug use, possession + sales to court ordered drug rehab. The misdemeanor charges does not serve as a deterrent.

I voted against Proposition 47 as a State legislator. Unfortunately, this measure limits the ability of law enforcement and the courts to adequately address and enforce against certain crimes. As Proposition 47 was approved by a majority of California voters in 2014, only a statewide ballot measure could repeal it. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to repeal it. 

My charter school has 2 locations that are directly impacted by the increase in homelessness in El Cajon: stolen property, broken fences, gates, screens, copper wiring taken out of our A/C & lighting, constant wandering around and in our property. There seems no solutions even when we contact El Cajon PD. It’s costing us $1000s in replacing goods, security brands, building more fences.

I have referred this to the City of El Cajon as it is within their jurisdiction to enforce crimes within the City limits. If your efforts to obtain assistance from the El Cajon Police Department have not been successful, you may want to contact the City of El Cajon’s mayor and city councilmembers for assistance. They can be reached at (619) 441-1788.

I am sure that there will be many great suggestions and ideas presented today. My question would be how are these ideas going to be followed upon?? Follow up meeting would be a great idea!!

I plan on continuing to work with the City of El Cajon’s leadership to find solutions to address homelessness. El Cajon should not have to go it alone and my commitment is to bring County resources in ways that are helpful to El Cajon. You can receive updates on this and other issues by signing up for my e-newsletter at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/aVJ9yEH/d2news

The County of San Diego owns and operates a Honor Court/Fire training camp at Descanso & Lake Barret areas? Why don’t you house the males at these facilities while they are being detoxed and realigned into society? Also check their birth recodes and license for place of origins. Send them home!

One of the sites I believe you’re referring to is the former Descanso Detention facility property. This site is actively being used for public safety training. I am focused on expanding County mental health and substance abuse treatment as those are a key component of addressing homelessness. Creative ideas to help people change their lives and get off the street are sorely needed, and government is often ill-suited or precluded to do so by rules that don’t affect non-profits. There’s no one size fits all solution, and government can’t solve this alone. We rely on other partners in the community to offer a variety of programs so anyone who is looking to change their life can have that opportunity.

When identifying appropriate locations to provide temporary housing for individuals being treated for alcohol and substance abuse, the County looks at the proximity of these locations to facilities and services that can provide them the treatment resources they need to recover. Remote sites, located away from these resources and transportation routes, provide challenges to serving this population.

The County does attempt to reunify individuals with their family members, including those who live outside of the San Diego region when there is someone who pledges to accept them. However, there are rules within the law that we are required to follow when attempting to do so. 

Use of junkland or surplus land to erect tiny houses. 2) use of untitled or vacant retail or warehouse space. Gillespie Field space in Santee/Lakeside 3) Priority for veterans (30%) of the homeless

Thank you for sharing your ideas. The County is currently exploring County-owned sites or other unused land to implement emergency shelter solutions. In October of 2021, the implementation plan to my Compassionate Emergency Shelter Solutions policy was approved by the Board of Supervisors. This will explore the implementation of shelter models, including, but not limited to, safe parking, sleeping cabins (tiny homes), and RV safe camping.

There are numerous programs for veterans experiencing homeless. Offered not exclusively through the County but also through various non-profits that perform outreach and connect them with resources. Veteran services include the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, where the County works with federal departments to administer rental assistance to homeless veterans and offer ongoing VA supportive services.

The County of San Diego also funds a 24/7 support line run by veterans for veterans. It’s called “Courage to Call” and all you have to do is dial 2-1-1 or go to 211.org/Courage-to-call and they assist veterans.

Additionally, each summer, the County participates with dozens of other organizations and hundreds of volunteers in a “Stand Down,” a multi-day event that helps homeless vets find food, clothing, showers, recovery providers and other services including medical, dental and legal assistance. The County also offers services at our four County-operated offices of Military and Veteran Affairs (OMVA) and Military Veterans Resource Centers (MVRCs) which provide benefit information, assistance and other support to County veterans and their families. On September 27th, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal I brought forward with Chair Nathan Fletcher to add a Center for Military and Veteran Reintegration in East County.

Medical care – can volunteer doctors, nurses, etc. do checks? I’ve seen sick individuals. Veterinary care – possible volunteer vets. There are people with pets.

The County is able to deploy health worker staff and human services specialists from various County departments to assist with the health needs of individuals experiencing homelessness.

If anyone in the medical profession is interesting volunteering, I would encourage them to get involved here https://volunteer.uwsd.org/sdhvn.

During the forum, the City of El Cajon mentioned that the San Diego Humane Society has a program to help the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and more information can be found here.

Is El Cajon a sanctuary city? Y R PPL here vs there (other cities)? The border is open! YR we doing our part? Who are homeless; US citizens, illegal alien, vets? Root cause?

The City of El Cajon’s leadership can provide an answer to the question of whether or not they are a “sanctuary city.” They can be reached at (619) 441-1788. The State of California is a sanctuary state, established through Senate Bill 47, signed into law by Governor Brown in 2017, which I voted against as a State Legislator.

Although the make-up of our region’s population is not static and root causes of homelessness vary, you can obtain data and statistics on the breakdown of our homeless population from the most recent demographic data available for San Diego’s homeless population can be found here:

 https://www.rtfhsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2017AHAR.pdf
https://www.rtfhsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-San-Diego-Region-FINAL_05192022-1.pdf

With the number of homeless growing faster than services, how do we scale these programs up? Need more housing? Or more shelters? Other?

Addressing homelessness is complex and cannot be addressed using a “one-size fits all” model. I’ve made this my top priority since my swearing in January 2021 and what I’ve learned is that government moves very slowly. We need collaboration and innovation at every level, and policy changes at the state and federal level.

The County has undertaken several measures to address regional homelessness, including the creation of a grant program offering $10 million to assist cities address homelessness and an increase of $70 million in the current year’s budget in new Behavioral Health Continuum of Care funds.

On October 11, 2022, the Board unanimously approved an initiative that I brought forward with Vice Chair Vargas to investigate working with community partners to purchase and make available cabins, sprung structures and similar temporary shelter solutions for the homeless in our region.

I also found this article to be very informative about the current situation:  https://www.hoover.org/news/qa-josh-rauh-solving-homelessness-crisis-california

Additionally, the County receives funding from state and federal sources such as our Housing and Urban Development Program and Mental Health Services Act funding, which provide ongoing funding for our programs. Our local delegation of elected representatives in the Senate and Assembly can help by advocating for more funding in order to expand these programs, create more Affordable housing, and capital projects.

What can I do to help?

Thank you for attending the forum, by learning about the issue you are helping. There are many organizations serving the homeless who rely on volunteers which you can learn about here: https://volunteer.uwsd.org/sdhvn.

Please consider signing up for my e-newsletter and sharing the information on my efforts to address homelessness with your family, friends, and neighbors. We will need to implement creative solutions and community support will be crucial to our success.

Is the city or county contacting local churches to as or learn how they may be of service? (Although some churches are ‘Hurting’ they are still trying to find ways of connecting)

On October 11, 2022, I brought forward an action to explore partnerships with faith-based organizations to work with them to implement shelters like tiny homes or sleeping cabins on their property. I’m grateful that my colleagues unanimously supported this proposal, and it is now moving forward. I also wrote a letter to all the faith-based organizations in our community offering to meet and discuss how we can work together to address homelessness and improve the quality of life for all in East County.

Many people are becoming homeless due to rent increase, what are we doing to address rent control to prevent homelessness?

Although the County doesn’t impose rent control, I brought forward an initiative this year to establish a shallow rent program for seniors which the County is now getting ready to implement as a pilot program. The pilot will soon be providing a group of seniors aged 55 and older, who are imminently at risk of homelessness, $500 a month for two years so they can afford to stay in their homes. Our homeless counts show that a large percentage of those who are newly homeless are our seniors. By keeping seniors in their homes through this subsidy, they will not have to forgo paying for necessities like food, medication, transportation, and other bills.

To assist with the high costs of rent during the pandemic, the County implemented an Emergency Rental Assistance Program that helped keep individuals and families in their homes while they were suffering from economic burdens caused by COVID-19. Although this was a one-time program, the County of San Diego administers a subsidized housing program through Section 8 and other affordable housing programs for those who can’t afford on their own to live in their homes.

Further, there are rent increase caps imposed by the State through Assembly Bill 1482, which limits rent increases and prevents landlords from evicting tenants without just cause. AB 1482 also limits the allowable annual rent increase to 5% plus a local cost-of-living adjustment of no more than 5%, for a maximum increase of 10%.

How as a community do we change the mindset of the chronic homeless [sic]? Will the city be applying for the county’s grants for homeless service facilities like shelters and safe parking. If not, why not?

There are numerous efforts in place County-wide to address those experiencing chronic and situational homelessness. We have the Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) made up of Sheriff deputies and Office of Homeless Solutions outreach workers to get individuals connected to the help they need. Some of these efforts include providing individuals with emergency shelter needs with wrap-around services including substance abuse and mental health treatment while also working toward permanent housing.

When an individual experiencing homelessness accepts assistance offered to them, they have a choice of where they go based on where programs are available, and no one can force them into any location.

At the forum, the City of El Cajon mentioned they applied for funding through the County’s Capital Projects Grant program prior to the October 11, 2022, application deadline.

What is the cost of each tiny home?

Costs vary by manufacturer, but they do range from $11,000 to $40,000 or more.

There are some very good agencies trying to help but the homeless issue seems to continue to get worse. I feel that some of the efforts or action plans that are being done are not working. There are certainly many dynamics at play. At this point we need to look at new ideas. I hope we can put all options on the table. Would like to see the current law changed that says it is a right to live on the street. It is obvious this is inhumane. Can we look at re-introducing state mental hospitals to help-house that are mentally ill that cannot care for themselves.

I agree. That’s why I have been working so aggressively within the limits of the law. I don’t want to see anyone live on the street nor do I want any community to suffer because we aren’t using every possible solution.

The Martin v. Boise federal appeals court ruling says if a community lacks adequate indoor shelter, then we cannot enforce or criminalize individuals for being on the street.

I supported Senate Bill 1338, “CARE Court” legislation, recently signed into law by the Governor, which will change how California addresses serious, untreated mental illness. The program connects people like you describe with a court-ordered treatment plan for up to two years, while diverting them from possible incarceration, homelessness or restrictive court-ordered conservatorship. CARE Court is on track to be implemented in San Diego County by October 2023.

The County is also adding to the behavioral health continuum of care with the addition of a 44-bed behavioral health hub in Alvarado Hospital which will connect individuals to new long-term residential care facilities to house individuals who can’t care for themselves. The County is also adding more step-down, post-acute, longer-term care beds to the Central Region, and expanding treatment capacity at the San Diego Psychiatric Hospital, in addition to other facilities.

What percentage of the people who aren’t in jail because of legislation would be on the streets homeless. Not all criminals are homeless. Where will the Crisis Stabilization Unit be located?

Unfortunately, to my knowledge that data is not available, and I agree with you that not all criminals are homeless and not all homeless individuals are criminals.

A new Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) will be located at the site of the former County Assessor/Recorder/Clerk office at 200 S Magnolia Ave., El Cajon. Over the last several years, the County has opened several CSUs in North County and it has proved to, among other benefits:

1)    reduce the amount of time law enforcement officers spend waiting in emergency rooms with individuals posing a threat to themselves or others, so they can more quickly return to patrolling

2)   given family members a safe and effective place to take a loved one experiencing a mental health episode without having to call law enforcement.

East County has not yet had this service available as it has only been available in North County.

Can you talk about the bad press the hotels/voucher program received? It sounded like an unsupervised drug and crime fest.

We created a fact sheet to help answer all the questions. Sadly, the press doesn’t always get it right. There are a couple of points to bear in mind:  1) Unless law enforcement has a shelter or a hotel voucher to offer a homeless person, they cannot enforce the law, and this makes it next to impossible to clear encampments such as the North Magnolia Avenue site; 2) The person who is living on the street before entering the program may have underlying mental and/or physical issues. They also are trying to break the cycle that may have led to their homelessness. Breaking habits is hard under the best of circumstances; 3) If we don’t do anything, the situation is only going to get worse.

The County’s hotel voucher program is called the Regional Housing Assistance Program (RHAP). The County’s Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) offers people experiencing homelessness vouchers, so these individuals and families can have shelter, be assigned a caseworker and receive wrap-around services including substance use and mental health treatment while also working toward permanent housing and stability.

Hotels and motels can voluntarily choose to participate in this program and 22 hotels/motels throughout the region have opted-in to do so. In addition to the participating hotels in El Cajon, others choosing to participate in this program are located in the City of San Diego (5), the City of Chula Vista (2), the City of Escondido (3), the City of Santee (1), the City of Vista (1), the City of Oceanside, and Ramona (1).

Individuals who accept a County voucher and participate in our program must comply with hotel guest rules and follow the program rules including no visitors, no drug use, and no illegal activities. Please see the RHAP Fact Sheet.

From the County’s internal review, the majority of the arrests announced by the City of El Cajon were not active County voucher program clients. This is something we are continuing to investigate to ensure our screening processes are working as they are intended. There are 5 other known programs that can include hotel vouchers that are used in El Cajon, and data shows these voucher program clients often choose hotels located in the communities where they last resided before falling into homelessness.

Is the county willing to provide zoning variances for using Emergency Sleeping Cabins as a housing solution

Yes, this was done in January 2021. The County adopted exemption zoning ordinance amendments related to emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing, and other similar models. This policy seeks to expand the locations where County-owned, operated, and leased emergency shelters and transitional and supportive housing facilities can be placed in the unincorporated areas of the County and it authorizes the use of properties leased from the State of California and the federal government located in the unincorporated areas for emergency shelters.

Why can’t we have safe tenting zones for the chronically homeless? Send resources to them because they don’t have the presence of mind to advocate for themselves.

I see that as an excellent choice for some people. I am working on all types of shelters including safe camping, safe parking and tiny homes. The greatest difficulty is finding a location. Everyone wants a solution to homelessness but to do so in someone else’s community.

Safe camping is a model being currently explored in other jurisdictions and includes bringing resources to the inhabitants. If you have suggestions on potential sites that would be feasible for safe camping, I can refer them to the County Office of Homeless Solutions for evaluation.

Is there a website for trash pick up near homeless area hotspots? Near Chase Ave. ramp towards highway

During the forum, the City asked that residents use their City of El Cajon app to report trash. If the trash is in the County’s jurisdiction, please notify me through my website. If you report it to me but the site is in another agency’s jurisdiction, such as Caltrans, I will report it to that agency directly.

Is there any plan to help the percentage of homeless people who are able to, once again, become self-supporting members of the community? Job resources, access to clean clothes or transportation to job interviews, trug treatment programs, etc. Some people just need a little push and assistance.

Absolutely, whenever individuals accept services from the County it comes with a case manager and wrap around services which would include all of the resources you mention. A great example is the County’s contractor at our Safe Parking Lot, Dreams for Change. They offer those in their program employment services, tax help, and housing assistance.

Once the participant has violated RHAP rules can they re-enter. Do homeless who refuse to enter RHAP get introduced to other resources?

In the vast majority of cases, if a participant has been removed from the program for violating the rules, they would not be offered the voucher again in the future. There are always exceptions to the rule, and outreach workers maintain the flexibility to make a case-by-case decision if someone may be eligible for a second chance based on the circumstances.

Individuals experiencing homelessness who refuse help will continue to be approached by outreach and healthcare workers to better understand their needs and will continue to be offered resources to help them.

How many children and pets are with homeless people in El Cajon and what is being done to be sure they are cared for?

The available data doesn’t include pets, but indicates that there was a minimum of 12 homeless youth in El Cajon during the 2022 Point in Time Count.

During the forum the City of El Cajon mentioned that the San Diego Humane Society has a program to help the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and more information can be found here.

The City’s efforts to help homeless individuals are available here and this question has been provided to the City to respond to directly should they chose to do so.

Why are we not implementing a modified New Hampshire Title XII Ch 165 Sec 5 law to cure 1/3 of all homelessness immediately?

I supported similar legislation in California – Senate Bill 1338, the CARE court plan - which will change how California addresses serious, untreated mental illness. The program connects people in crisis with a court-ordered treatment plan for up to two years, while diverting them from possible incarceration, homelessness or restrictive court-ordered conservatorship.

Is it true that San Diego City is taking East County tax money for its pet projects? Thus making less money for homeless issues and traffic issues.

I can only speak to the County budget which the Board of Supervisors approves annually. One of my main concerns for our budget is protecting funding for the unincorporated areas who have no other form of government. I’m the only Supervisor out of 5 who lives in the unincorporated area, and each Supervisor is working to bring funding to their district to help their constituents.

I am grateful to my board colleagues who have all supported the funding I have requested thus far to address homelessness in the unincorporated area.

Homeless Encampment (off Los Coches-South) Uphill corner of Camino Canada & East County Drive. Can we look into this?

Yes, we have referred this to the County Chief Administrative Officer to investigate.

Regarding the voucher program, how many homeless individuals who receive a voucher for a El Cajon motel are from the city of El Cajon (prior to experiencing homelessness)? How many are from elsewhere?

The data we have is what is self-reported by homeless individuals when they enter the program. The County only performs homeless outreach in the unincorporated area where we have jurisdiction. In the case of the North Magnolia Avenue encampment, where a majority of the County voucher program participants in El Cajon hotels are from, they had been camping back and forth between the City of El Cajon portion and the unincorporated portion of El Cajon along North Magnolia Avenue for many months. In May of this year, the County began clearing this encampment and dozens of long-term encampment residents accepted vouchers. As of September 2022, approximately 63% of County voucher recipients using vouchers at El Cajon hotels are from El Cajon (including the unincorporated area) and approximately 94% are from East County. This program has been successful in moving people off the streets with a 30% successful transition into permanent housing.

Have County Animal Services provide veterinarian services for homeless people’s pets where they are?

During the forum, the City of El Cajon mentioned that the San Diego Humane Society has a program to help the pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and more information can be found here.

Offer low cost, no-frills, barebones, quick to implement camping (e.g., wood pallets on vacant county property, private low cost security, agencies, port-a-potties, hose-off, laundry, and volunteers) which meets the court requirements to remove for an alternate location.

In October of 2021, the implementation plan to my Compassionate Emergency Shelter Solutions policy was approved by the Board of Supervisors and the first shelter was opened August 2022 in El Cajon. Participants in the Safe Parking Program receive two hot meals, restrooms, hygiene facilities, 24/7 security and a YMCA membership so they can utilize YMCA facilities during the day. Our partner, Dreams for Change, has well-established expertise in the operation of the Safe Parking program. Their onsite case managers assist individuals and families with housing navigation and connect them to resources to help them transition to a more permanent housing solution.

Allow limited, conditional use trailer and small shed occupancy on private property with rental subsidy?

On October 11, 2022, the Board unanimously approved an initiative that I brought forward with Vice Chair Vargas to investigate working with community partners to purchase and make available cabins, sprung structures and similar temporary shelter solutions for the homeless in our region with an emphasis on cross-sector partnerships to place tiny homes or cabins on private property.