Shelter with mental health services on city of San Diego's budget chopping block

At a time when the homeless crisis in San Diego calls for all hands on deck, Mayor Todd Gloria wants to discontinue supporting a shelter for homeless people dealing with mental illness.

Since 2022, the city spends $4.5 million for the cost of operating the Rosecrans Shelter. According to the mayor’s proposed budget, the city intends to pull its funding to help balance the city budget.

San Diego mayor’s draft budget includes layoffs, cuts to rec-center, restroom, library hours

The shelter is unique. It feeds and houses 150 homeless people, but also addresses their mental and behavior health needs. It’s situated behind the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital.

“The thought of it going away is completely unacceptable,” Lucky Duck Foundation CEO Drew Moser said.

Moser says the shelter is a public and private collaboration, which also makes it unique. The city pays for operations, the county pays land, utility and behavioral health services, and Lucky Duck built the structure.

“There is far too many people on the streets that need an immediate pathway off. This type of public-private partnership can accomplish that,” Moser said.

After more than three years, Gloria on Tuesday morning proposed pulling funding from the project.

Outwardly, this may appear like another cut to save the budget. But not everybody thinks so, including the Lucky Duck CEO.

The mayor does not hold back when complaining about what the county contributes to the homeless crisis. During this year’s State of the City, the mayor said it was time for the county to do its part.

“Now it’s time for the county to step up and deliver the behavioral health treatment they receive many millions of dollars to get the very sick people living on our streets the care they need,” Gloria said.

Wasting no time, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, who represents District 3, responded to the mayor’s proposal, asking the philanthropic community to fill in the gap while continuing negotiations with the city.

Part of a statement released Tuesday from Lawson-Remer's office read: “For the County to take over full shelter operations inside the City of San Diego would be akin to the County running City libraries or paving City streets.”

“This is typical of the County — pass the buck and abdicate their responsibility on homelessness and mental health,” part of a statement from the mayor's office read.

“They’re both pointing at each other saying, 'Well you need to do more of this, and you need to do more of that,'" Moser said.

Hanging in the balance are the 150 people currently under the shelter's roof and the hundreds more that could be helped if an agreement can be reached.

The partnership is expected to expire in July.