San Diego’s biggest problem is at the top of today’s agenda at City Hall.
With hundreds of people living on downtown streets below, up on the 12th floor of San Diego’s City Administration building, council members will be talking about a plan presented by Mayor Todd Gloria this week.
The mayor wants the city to use a maintenance yard at the edge of Balboa Park as a safe campground and to use a parking lot south of the Naval Medical Center for up to 400 tents. The mayor’s plan includes providing bathrooms, meals and help with support services.
The mayor’s previous plan called for use of a parking lot called Inspiration Point near the entrance to Balboa Park…an idea didn’t inspire anyone, especially those who operate museums and visitors to the crown jewel of parks.
But no one disagrees about the need to do a lot more about reducing homelessness, getting people out of tents and makeshift shelters on downtown streets, sidewalks and freeway overpasses.
And everyone agrees it is not a healthy situation for those who are homeless and not a healthy situation for residents, visitors and businesses downtown.
Will the Mayor’s plan become a reality? And if it does, will it make the San Diego’s homeless problem less of a problem?
We can only hope so because there is no doubt that it remains a huge problem.
(Photo reporting partner 10News)