SAN DIEGO — People gathered in Mira Mesa Wednesday night to discuss the state of homelessness in San Diego, and what local leaders are doing to address it.
"We were kind of lost on what to do with my husband trying to get work. He applied everywhere," said a woman whose family had experienced homelessness.
The community heard from two mothers whose families fell into homelessness in San Diego.
"I've gone through homelessness with my children," said another woman.
They say there's not a one size fits all solution to the crisis.
"The county and city don't have a clue because many of them have not gone through going homeless. There are a lot of different sectors as far as who needs what help and how. They can't be put in one box," she said.
City councilmember Kent Lee agreed that more needs to be done especially as more people are entering homelessness than leaving it.
"We have more folks who are impacted by homelessness than we have solutions for housing and shelter," Lee said.
As far as addressing the crisis, Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer shared some of the county's latest efforts.
"Working to build out more tiny homes and shelters. When I was elected we had zero county supported shelter beds at all and now we have more than 900," she said.
She says $9.5 million was secured to cleanup the Mira Mesa Epicentre where a dilapidated building attracted graffiti, trash and homeless encampments.
"We can't solve these problems if we're not really listening to the community and working in partnership and some of the best ideas have come from local businesses, 'like lets get a street team over here or I have a parking lot lets use it for safe parking," Lawson Remer said.
The discussion was organized by homeless outreach program at the Church of Salvation in Mira Mesa. Shane O'Garro who helps lead the team says they've helped 115 people off the streets in the last two years by navigating them to temporary or stable housing.
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