San Diego Explained: The History Behind East Village's Homeless Problem

Street homelessness in East Village is up 80 percent since last summer.

Street homelessness in San Diego County is up 19 percent this year. The place where it might be the most visible is downtown’s East Village.

East Village is gentrifying.

New development is turning the former warehouse district into a neighborhood filled with luxury condos, bars and restaurants. But, street homelessness hasn’t disappeared; in fact, it's up 80 percent since last summer, nearly triple what it was in 2013.

So what’s behind that spike?

On this week's San Diego Explained, NBC 7 San Diego's Monica Dean and Voice of San Diego's Lisa Halverstadt explain how homelessness continues to explode in the East Village and the history behind it.

This story is part of #HomelessinSD coverage, an initiative by media organizations in San Diego County to raise awareness of homelessness in the region. For more information on the project and to see other stories, click here.

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