It is a crisis that's growing an
alarming rate, Newly released numbers
so that there has been a 22% sp.
In homelessness just from last .
For decades, the people at
Father Joe's Villages have been
working tirelessly to help.
Every Monday, right here on the floor,
we are featuring a local nonprot
that's making a difference
by working for our community.
And today, Deacon Jim Vargas frm
Father Joe's is joining us to tk
about what they're seeing and se
of the controversial solutions
to try and help all of this.
First of all, Deacon Vargas,
thank you so much for your time.
Right here on the floor,
there's a pleasure to be with you. I'm
going to jump right into the nus
that I just shared with our vie.
When you heard those numbers, a 22% increase.
And that is county wide year over year.
What went through your mind?
Well, it's so very sobering
but not surprising.
I mean we see a day in and day t
especially down the East Village area.
The number of encampments have
grown exponentially over the yes
during the COVID time basically.
So the next the last three years or so.
So I'm not surprised that the
numbers have been growing.
You know last year's number had grown
by 10% for the prior year and ns
you say it's 22% additionally s.
There's a lot to be done.
We hear this particular issue ms
headlines daily and especially lately.
Sandy Mayor Tom Gloria has
one solution to all this,
which is to ban encampments if
there are shelter beds availabl.
Earlier today we heard from forr
Mayor Kevin Faulkner and the for
police chief Shelly Zimmerman,
who said that doesn't go far en.
We need to make sure that the
shelter beds available have what
they call a bridge program,
meaning mental health services and drug
and addiction helps help servic.
What do you think is the right?
Approach here in order to make a
dent in some of these numbers,
watching them grow exponentially
certainly means we have not foud
any sort of solution.
Well, behavioral health is a
big issue and you point to that.
So we know that about 30% of those who
are on the streets suffer from e
level of behavioral health issu,
whether it's be it's substance use disorder
or just mental health challenges, right.
So most definitely there
needs to be a focus there.
I mean then we need pure simple,
we need more shelter beds.
At the end of the day,
we know that a shelter is now wt
breaks a cycle of homelessness.
The home does and we can talk about that,
but we also know that we don't
have an affordable housing.
So in the interim what we need our shelter
beds and we don't have enough shelter beds.
Mean of the of the 10,300 individuals
who are homeless now in the in the city
of San or in the County of San Diego,
excuse me,
half of them are on the streets,
right.
So there's a lot more than needs to get done.
What's your capacity on average?
For us we're 90 to 95% capacity
each and every single day and ad
that's that's also experienced e
experience of other providers i,
in the area as well.
So the shelter beds are utilize.
I mean there's a transient
aspect to it obviously.
So there was a few shelter beds
that turn over on a daily basis,
but for the most part we're at capacity.
So we need more shelter beds and
we need varied shelter beds.
We also know from experience and
from having conversations with e
on the streets that they don't,
they don't necessarily as many
don't want congregate setting.
So while we have a lot of the
shelter that's our congregate b,
we also need to focus on non
congregate settings as well.
We know that individuals who sur
from PTSD or the our victims ofe
domestic violence or have anxiey
disorder can't be in a congregate setting,
so we need some more congregate beds.
We also know those numbers to
which you refer by the way,
show that there's an increase
in the number of seniors who
are falling out to the streets.
Seniors have special needs.
So if there's a bug bunk bed
type of situation,
we know they can't be in the top bunk.
So we need to provide the the lower bunk.
We also know they have health issues as well,
especially they've been
chronically on the streets.
So we need to be able to have
those resources available.
So it the point here is that
we really need to target our
efforts to be most effective.
When you hear that, you know ths
a number of different organizat,
but what are you specifically doing at
Father Joe's to try and make a difference
and to help some of these individuals?
Well, when again it's meeting people.
There they are. So it's making e
that we assess their situationso
we can apply the right resource.
So we could be most effective
with the dollars that we have ad
the dollars are limited, right.
So as an example, sober living,
we find that individuals,
especially if they've been,
if they've been within substance
use disorder for a period of tie
and have and have kicked that
habit and now want to sober livg
type of an environment because
they don't want to be tempted.
And so we we're providing more r
living space so that we have individuals.
Who can focus on their health n,
focus unemployment and then lift
themselves up and move forward.
So that's just one example, rig?
So we're living,
we also are focusing on their
their women on the streets.
We know by the way,
the latest point in time count.
Not only are there more seniors
falling onto the streets,
there more women falling onto the streets,
it's it's,
it's difficult enough to be homeless,
more difficult if you're a woma.
And then we have some women who are pregnant.
Right.
And they have to make
some difficult decisions.
So we're focusing,
we have a program that's focusen
women who are pregnant specific,
right.
So we can help them in the,
in their situation be able to
provide prenatal care for them
and then postnatal care as well
once the children are born.
Just in in the past year we've d
six babies born into the villag,
right and.
So again,
it's what's out there and
how can we be responsive to
how can San Diego. You might be
hearing this interview and sayi,
I see them, I mean it's hard no,
no matter what community you might live in,
what can they do to help and
if they want to, you know,
be able to give to Father Joe's,
where does that money go?
Specifically? The
money goes directly to the
services is what it comes down .
So you can visit our website. It's mine.
Dot neighbor.org So my.neighborg
and there you can see the first
of all programs, many programs,
but also ways you can help volunteers.
We love our volunteers.
It's important that we that we
get people not only serving meas
with us in our dining rooms.
We serve a million meals a year, right?
Breakfast, lunch and dinner
and two dining rooms.
But also there are other
ways to to be involved.
We have 4 retail stores around the city,
right?
So you can donate lightly used articles.
Donate I just prior to coming
here someone contacting me he hs
a boat he wants to donate right.
I love it because then that thoe
don't sell in the retail sourcet
those were able to auction off as well.
We have auction houses we're
able to do that cars as well.
So anything that you have that n
be turned around either because
we sell it or we auction it or d
turned it just to to the procees
and services basically everythig
goes to to the bottom line to
helping people
well hopefully by the time
that you and I chat again.
We will start to see a huge
difference here in San Diego Co.
We need to absolutely right Dea,
Jim Vargas and Father Joe's villages.
We certainly appreciate your ti.
Thank you for doing right.
I appreciate you having me.
Thank you, couples.