El Cajon is trying a new approach to homelessness services after city leaders approved two new contracts for street outreach and shelter operations.
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The City Council last week unanimously approved a $500,000 contract with Family Health Centers of San Diego for outreach services and a $210,00 contract with the San Diego Rescue Mission for shelter services.
Both two-year agreements were funded by the city’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation from the state’s housing and community development department.
The move marks a shift in the city’s efforts to address homelessness. Leaders in El Cajon have long opposed the “Housing First” model, which prioritizes getting individuals into shelter above anything else.
Family Health Centers of San Diego operates across the county and recently launched a mobile street medical team that provides immediate health services, clinical treatment and transitional housing programs.
Medical-focused outreach is what’s most different about their services. Councilmember Steve Goble said the agreement was a “game changer” for the city’s efforts to address the homelessness crisis.
“I think the great thing about this program is that this is the first time a health provider has been part of the social service outreach,” Goble said. “When they come across people out in the field, they have the whole health system behind them to address underlying conditions.”
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The city’s agreement with San Diego Rescue Mission will fund shelter services for the South County Lighthouse, a 162-bed navigation center located in National City. After connecting with outreach workers, unsheltered individuals in El Cajon will be sent to the South County shelter.
At the same time, San Diego Rescue Mission said it hopes to open an emergency shelter in El Cajon as part of a larger effort to expand its “lighthouse” shelter network. Lighthouse shelters are 30-day emergency shelters that typically have 100 or more beds.
The Rescue Mission focuses its resources and rehabilitation efforts on trauma, addiction and mental health services. Their approach is one that Mayor Bill Wells — a staunch opponent of Housing First — described as “something that can actually help people.”
As it stands, the organization is still fielding sites for their new facility in El Cajon; homeless individuals will be sent to other lighthouse shelters in the meantime.
East County Transitional Living Center had also applied to offer shelter services, but they were not selected. Councilmembers Michelle Metshel and Phil Ortiz sat on the ad-hoc committee that selected the providers based on their alignment with the city’s priorities.
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The contract will go into effect on July 1.
