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Residents rally against proposed 1,000-person San Diego homeless shelter

A group of San Diego residents rallied near the proposed homeless shelter site in Middletown Friday afternoon.

SAN DIEGO — There's a proposal on the table to turn a former printing business on Kettner and Vine in the Middletown neighborhood of San Diego into a homeless shelter by placing 1,000 beds inside the facility. On Friday afternoon, about a dozen people showed up at the site to express their frustration.  

“We've done some calculations and you're literally treating people like cattle, they have to be... or even sardines,” Patty Ducey-Brooks said. 

Patty explained that she would like to see a model like 'Keys to Change,' a 13-acre facility in Phoenix, Arizona that provides people facing homelessness with wrap-around services to help them get back on their feet.

“They're saving lives every day, they are helping people transition from homeless to having homes, getting back to working again, getting their lives back and that's what we want to see happening in San Diego,” Ducey-Brooks said. 

Mary Lynn tells CBS 8 that something similar to the East County Transitional Center or Sunbreak Ranch would also be a better idea. 

“It's a long-term program so it helps someone from coming in to deal with their issues whatever those may be and they may not simply be homeless there can be underlying issues,” Lynn said. 

Sunbreak Ranch is a proposal that would give people access to transportation, internet access and job interview programs. Meanwhile, the East County Transitional Living Center provides youth services, education opportunities and emergency housing.

“This is warehousing this is not addressing the real fundamental needs,” Lynn said. 

People hope that by rallying together, their voices are heard by city officials. CBS 8 reached out to the Mayor's office to ask if there are any plans to get the community's input, they have not responded to our email as of Friday afternoon. 

WATCH: San Diego announces plans for a new 1,000-person homeless shelter in Middletown

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