SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — There's a new push to house homeless veterans in San Diego, but county leaders say they need the public’s help.
On July 6th, the county announced the ‘Leave No Veteran Homeless’ initiative.
This initiative comes in response to a unanimous vote by San Diego County Board of Supervisors to accelerate regional efforts to house veterans.
The county has teamed up with local, state and federal partners to address the issue, saying if they concentrate their efforts on one particular sector of the homeless population, they'll see results.
While the number of homeless veterans dropped between 2020 and 2022, the recent homeless count showed an increase in homeless veterans this past year.
"In 2020, there were 940 homeless veterans in our region. Despite the pandemic, we dropped that down to 814, a reduction of 13 percent. That's progress here and across the county, but there's so much more to do. If there are 814 veterans, you can see how we can tackle this issue and eliminate it in our region if we make a concerted effort,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
As part of that effort, the county is looking for landlords willing to rent a spare room, apartment, or any other livable space to a homeless veteran using vouchers provided by the federal government.
Aside from the public's assistance, the ‘Leave No Veteran Homeless’ initiative will join together what local resources we do have to get homeless veterans off the streets.
70-year-old Fred Otto is an Army veteran who utilized those resources to find permanent housing after being homeless for years.
He backs the new initiative, saying he hopes more people like him get the help they need.
"Many roadblocks were put in my way, but I fought through, persevered and now I live in a one-bedroom apartment in El Cajon. And, me and my cats are very very thankful, said Otto.
If you'd like to help with housing, call 2-1-1 or visit 211sandiego.org.