San Diego’s homelessness crisis

Toreros weigh in on state and local measures

JACKIE MARQUEZ / OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

In the heart of downtown San Diego, masses of tattered, makeshift shelters line the sidewalk. Cobbled together from tarps, tents and blankets, these flimsy encampments provide shelter for San Diego’s most vulnerable population: the homeless. 

Just outside of our university, many individuals are trying to survive on the streets, and the number of unhoused people is rising every day. NBC 7 reported that, as of December 2022, there are 1,839 unhoused people in Downtown San Diego alone. This number grew by 133 people from November to December. With increasing rates of homelessness, more San Diegans than ever are reaching out for help. The Regional Task Force for Homelessness in San Diego reported that in February 2023 alone, 1,036 San Diegans reached out for homelessness assistance for the first time. This assistance took the form of shelter, food or other services. 

The homelessness crisis in San Diego is intensifying, and Toreros are noticing. Students living both on and off campus report seeing homeless people as they go about their daily lives. 

Hannah Johnson, a USD junior from San Diego, is one of these students. Johnson resides off campus near Hazard Center, a shopping center in Mission Valley. Because of her home’s proximity to the Hazard Center trolley station, she sees unhoused individuals daily. 

“They’re always at the trolley station, and to get in and out of our complex we have to go past them,” Hannah Johnson said. “I can even see them on the platform from my bedroom. It’s just so sad to see people who don’t have homes, while I’m sitting in my own home watching.” 

Johnson’s experience seeing homeless people daily isn’t unique to students who live off campus. Robert Johnson, a USD junior living on campus, also sees homeless people in his day to day life.

“Anytime I go down to 7/11, there’s always at least one homeless person hanging out in that area,” Robert Johnson explained. “Pretty much every time I drive off campus I see a couple people on the street.”

With the homelessness being so close to campus, some Toreros are concerned for their safety. USD first-year Danica Rauch explains that when she comes across unhoused people, she does her best to keep her distance. 

“I don’t usually interact with homeless individuals, oftentimes I’ll walk on the opposite side of the street from a group of homeless people,” Rauch explains. She also realizes, however, that it’s a difficult habit to acknowledge. “I don’t want to feed into the stigma of fearing the homeless population.”

Other students on campus are aware of the stigma around homeless individuals. Like Rauch, Taybor Rich, a USD junior, recognizes that there is a stereotype associated with homeless people. 

“In the homeless population, not everyone’s circumstances are related to some sort of addiction,” Rich acknowledged. “There’s a lot of factors that can lead to homelessness, and I don’t think the issue should be swept under the rug as their ‘fault.’ I do think that it should be addressed and taken care of by the public.”

As of late, California officials have been devoting more attention to issues the homeless community faces. On Sunday, March 19, Governor Gavin Newsom of California held a conference in San Diego to announce his proposals targeting the issue of homelessness. According to the San Diego Union–Tribune, one of these proposals included a bond that would raise money via tax dollars to create more beds for people with mental health issues. Another proposal would devote $97 million of the state budget to deal with drug abuse. 

These proposed measures garnered mixed responses from USD students. Some Toreros are open to paying for services with their tax dollars, while others are concerned about tax rates rising. 

“Depending on the amount of money, the majority of people would be willing to devote some of their tax money,” Hannah Johnson said. “Especially the people from San Diego, considering how big the issue is in San Diego compared to other big cities.” 

Robert Johnson is more apprehensive when it comes to tax–funded solutions.

“I don’t want to be paying more in taxes, especially when income taxes are already super high in California,” Robert Johnson said. 

Like the state government, the City of San Diego has also been targeting the issue of homelessness through proposed legislation, though they’ve taken a stricter approach. The Union–Tribune reports that on Thursday, March 16, San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn announced a proposal to target homelessness in San Diego. This proposal would introduce an ordinance that bans encampments on public property. The ordinance would result in some encampments being cleared, even if individuals living in them have no other alternatives. Mayor Todd Gloria supported Whitman’s proposal. 

“They [the homeless] cannot say ‘no’ to leaving the sidewalk or ‘no’ that they prefer being on the street or ‘no’ to services and help,” Mayor Gloria said. 

The city’s crackdown on homelessness is controversial among USD students. 

“That approach seems like a good way to aggravate the situation between police and the homeless,” Robert Johnson commented. However, Johnson also acknowledged that homelessness is a difficult issue to tackle. “There’s no perfect solution to the situation, but I also feel like there’s a way to approach them with kindness.”

The kindness that Robert Johnson hopes for can be found on campus within some of our clubs that serve the homeless community. Pancakes: Serving Up Hope is one of these clubs. Every other Saturday, Pancakes serves breakfast to members of San Diego’s homeless community. Their goal is to bring awareness to homelessness issues and humanize unhoused individuals, while also providing a meal to those in need. 

Ashley Biolsi, a USD first-year who participated in Pancakes’ outreach events, explained the work that the club does.

“We make a mass amount of pancakes and hand them out to homeless people along with other little things and basic necessities,” Biolsi said. “We also talk with them. It’s important because homeless people can feel really isolated and cut off from society itself.”

She also acknowledges why it’s so important that Pancakes: Serving Up Hope raises awareness for homelessness.

“It depends on the person and their background, but most people don’t give a lot of thought to the issue,” Biolsi remarks. “A lot of people here at USD are very wealthy and high status, so I think they can’t relate to someone that actually struggles with making a living and putting a roof over their head. I feel like because of that they just don’t think about it.”

Biolsi isn’t alone in thinking this, as both Robert Johnson and Hannah Johnson noted the distance between USD students and the issues of homelessness. 

“I think it’s one of those issues that people are passively concerned about. Almost nobody is actively doing anything,” Robert Johnson said. “They’ll talk about it, but then they’ll be like ‘Well, what am I supposed to do?’ There’s no super strong personal responsibility.”

Hannah Johnson also recognized this distance in her own life. 

“There’s that contrast between knowing how privileged I am to have a home and a family that supports me, whereas homeless people are dealing with issues like addiction, mental health issues, and they don’t have that support system,” Hannah Johnson said. 

Just four miles away from Downtown’s poverty lined streets, USD and its students are distanced from the realities of homelessness. While some students work to understand that gap, others are complacent.  

There are also mixed opinions about current approaches to the issue; some students support assistance for the homeless, but others are apprehensive about it. Although students have different viewpoints on the subject, it is an issue that Toreros are noticing and discussing ways to implement change on and off campus.