Encinitas, California, council unanimously votes to move homeless shelter services to National City facility

The Encinitas City Council voted unanimously to move its homeless shelter services from the Buena Creek Navigation Center to the San Diego Rescue Mission’s South County Lighthouse facility in National City, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The shift is set to take effect in January and ends a two-year partnership between Encinitas and Vista, which shared the Buena Creek shelter. The council directed staff to draft a contract granting Encinitas exclusive use of up to 12 beds at the Rescue Mission facility.

The Union-Tribune reported the cost figures the council considered. Encinitas pays 25% of Buena Creek’s operating costs, which totaled approximately $488,758 in the most recent fiscal year. The city anticipates those costs rising to $715,000 in the coming year because of planned expansions. The Rescue Mission proposal is projected to cost Encinitas $318,000 annually for the same number of beds. The Rescue Mission charges only for occupied beds, while Buena Creek operates on a fixed-rate structure regardless of occupancy.

The Union-Tribune also reported concerns raised during the discussion. Councilmember Joy Lyndes said the National City location may pose logistical challenges. The report noted that the Rescue Mission’s stay limit is 30 days, while Buena Creek’s is 120 days.

According to inewsource, the vote followed a dispute between officials in the two cities. National City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Jose Rodriguez accused Encinitas of sending unhoused residents out of town instead of addressing homelessness locally. Inewsource reported that Rodriguez spoke at another city’s council meeting, which he described as breaking an unwritten rule. It further reported that Rodriguez was escorted out of that meeting by a sheriff’s deputy after council members accused him of campaigning for mayor.

Inewsource also compared the two communities. It reported that Encinitas has a median household income of $162,000 and a 7.4% poverty rate, while National City’s median income is nearly $67,000 with a 14.6% poverty rate. The two cities are separated by 30 miles.

Rodriguez urged Encinitas to use its own public land and resources to address homelessness in its neighborhood, a call for local care for neighbors in need (Isaiah 58:7).