The San Diego City Council narrowly approved a plan to turn an abandoned indoor skydiving facility in East Village into a housing navigation center for the homeless.
The housing navigation center proposal was pushed heavily by Mayor Kevin Faulconer before the City Council voted unanimously in January to purchase the building at the corner of Imperial Avenue and 14th Street for $7 million.
The mayor has described the future center as a place with several community departments under one roof that could be a one-stop shop for homeless people looking for housing, job training, and veteran services.
The non-profit Family Health Centers of San Diego will run the navigation center.
“Imagine having no income, no car, no home, and being told that you have to visit multiple government offices throughout the region to get your life back on track. That happens every day in San Diego,” Mayor Faulconer said Tuesday.
District 3 City Councilmember Chris Ward, who represents the area, said the mayor’s plan missed the mark.
“There's no housing at the other end of the pipeline. There's nowhere to put individuals, and much of the services are proposed through this contract are duplicative,” Ward said.
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The plan will cost the city over $1.5 million per year for the next five years.
One of the biggest concerns for the city's independent budget analyst and some councilmembers is the lack of commitment from other partnering agencies in San Diego to help with the housing navigation center.
