SAN DIEGO — The city of San Diego announced today, July 13, that the 180-day permit for the women's homeless shelter inside the Old Central Library has expired and the site will close.
The city opened the 36-bed temporary shelter in January of this year.
Since opening, many of the residents inside have said that the shelter did not have electricity and was powered by a large generator and was also overrun by rats and other pests.
“We can't have any food, we can only have water, because I guess they have rats. Like these are huge rats,” one woman told CBS 8 in a June 14 report on the condition of the building.
“But there’s a lot of people who can’t handle the rats and so they leave and just sit outside on the curb,” said Candace.
According to public records obtained by CBS 8, the Old Central Library located at 820 E Street fell into disrepair after closing in 2013. The records revealed that vandals had dismantled the electrical panels, leaving the building without electricity and forcing the city to use a large generator to operate the women's shelter.
When announcing the closure, Mayor Todd Gloria says that he plans to transform the shelter into affordable housing. Before that happens, however, Mayor Gloria says the city will obtain a new 180-day permit in the new year. According to the statement, the city is not allowed to operate the shelter for more than 180 days during a 12-month period without changing the current land use designation.
“With our 180-day permit expiring, we will be closing the shelter on July 23 with plans to reopen it in six months with a new 180-day permit. When we opened the shelter, I indicated that our long-term plan for the property was to transform it into shelter and affordable housing, and that’s precisely what we intend to do. I will be bringing a proposal to the City Council this fall.
Since opening, according to data provided by the city, the shelter has served 105 women, nearly half of which were domestic violence survivors.
A spokesperson for Mayor Gloria's office told CBS 8 that all current clients "will be transitioned into a permanent home or to another shelter."
And, according to the spokesperson, the city may use the Old Central Library for outreach work.
"On-site security will also be maintained at the site to ensure the building does not fall prey to vandals (which were the cause of the electrical issues in the first place) or experience other issues while it is not occupied. During the next six months, we will make repairs as needed."