SAN DIEGO — The old Downtown Central Library opened as a homeless shelter last January, but women staying there said the shelter has been dealing with a host of problems.
From no power to limited drinking water and they are concerned about unsanitary conditions.
“We can't have any food, we can only have water, because I guess they have rats. Like these are huge rats,” said Candace who has been staying overnight, she adds that sometimes the shelter gets crowded.
Just like Candace, other homeless women are desperate to find a place to sleep at night.
It's why even a shelter dealing with limited resources is enough for them.
“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.
This comes at a time when the stakes are high for those living unsheltered, on Tuesday San Diego passed an ordinance banning homeless camping on public spaces like sidewalks as long as shelter beds are available.
With some shelters reaching capacity and others dealing with problems I reached out to the city to see what plans they have to fix this shelter.
In an email, a spokesperson says the city is looking to re-establish electricity for the shelter and are looking into other issues.
Although this generator is helping with the electricity on the first floor, the rest of the building remains without power.
WATCH RELATED: Downtown San Diego Old Central Library transforms into women's shelter (Jan. 2023).
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET CBS 8:
ADD THE CBS8+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE Roku | Amazon Fire