City-Funded Homeless Shelter in San Diego Closes After 35 Years

A city-funded day center for homeless individuals in downtown San Diego has permanently closed after more than three decades of service in the East Village neighborhood. The Neil Good Day Center, which provided essential services to those experiencing homelessness, shut down on Wednesday, marking the end of a long-standing resource for the community.

The center’s operations will transition to the Joan Kroc Center, located two blocks away on 15th Street and Imperial Avenue. This new location will serve as the replacement, though it will be smaller in size. It will not allow the storage of personal belongings, have slightly reduced bathroom facilities, and offer only two washing machines and dryers instead of the four previously available.

Volunteers and staff from Father Joe’s, the organization that manages the center and is a major provider of housing and care services in the region, were actively packing offices, equipment, and furniture into trucks on Wednesday. An employee from the city was scheduled to collect the keys to the building, which is leased by the city to the California Department of Transportation. This arrangement may influence the future use of the property.

On Wednesday morning, the city of San Diego carried out an eviction of individuals and their belongings from the 17th Street area near the center. Most of those affected picked up their possessions and moved to the shelter, where they stayed until the center’s final closure. Normally, people would return to the street overnight and then return to the day center the next morning for essential services such as rest, hygiene, mail, and access to resources.

Paul Sheck, the administrator of the center, expressed concern over the abrupt closure. Despite prior notice and posters, many regular visitors were unaware of the final day. “Tomorrow, there will be many people waking up and wondering where they are going to go to the bathroom,” he said, highlighting the disruption the closure will cause.

Brittany Brunner, 33, who has used the center for about eight years, shared the uncertainty of those affected. “We are not welcome anywhere, you know. No one likes us,” she said, sitting among approximately 60 people in the courtyard. This sentiment reflects the ongoing challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness in finding stable and dignified support.

The closure has been a long time in the making. Earlier this year, the city decided to cease funding the shelter. This decision came at a time when local government was already grappling with the broader issue of housing insecurity and the need for sustainable solutions. The transition to the Joan Kroc Center represents a shift in the city’s approach to providing shelter and services, though the reduced capacity and changes in facilities have raised concerns among those who relied on the Neil Good Day Center for years.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)