Page 31 - Regional Task News Today

SAN DIEGO —  Sometimes the road out of homelessness can begin with something as simple as getting an identification card, filling out the right form or talking with the right social worker. And sometimes, it takes a friend in the know to help with those things. With that in mind, the San Diego Rescue Mission is launching Walk With Me, a new homeless outreach program that will pair volunteers with homeless people on a one-to-one basis. “I feel like the mission’s been playing defense for ...

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The Regional Taskforce on the Homeless will not conduct its 2021 annual Point-in-Time Count of unsheltered San Diegans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced Tuesday. According to the RTFH, a typical Point-in-Time Count requires nearly 1,600 volunteers due to the size and population of San Diego County. It is typically conducted in mid-January. The decision was grounded in concerns for the safety and well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness, volunteers an...

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joe’s Villages, praised San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria Saturday for extending the shelter operation at the San Diego Convention Center to protect hundreds of homeless San Diegans as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens. “Father Joe’s Villages is thankful for the opportunity to continue serving people experiencing homelessness at the convention center during the pandemic,” Vargas said. “As the city, county and homeless service p...

Updated on December 19, 2020 at 2:35 pm NBC 7 Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joes Villages, praised San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria Saturday for extending the shelter operation at the San Diego Convention Center to protect hundreds of homeless San Diegans as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens. "Father Joes Villages is thankful for the opportunity to continue serving people experiencing homelessness at the convention center during the pandemic," Vargas said. "As the city, county and home...

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Mayor Todd Gloria announced Friday that a large-scale shelter operation is being extended at the San Diego Convention Center to protect hundreds of homeless San Diegans as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens. Gloria — acting without official council approval — directed city staff to provide funding to support operations through January using funds previously slated for shelter operations in November and December that remain unspent due to cost-saving measures and other factor...

The COVID-19 pandemic may have claimed yet another event. The Continuum of Care advisory board to the Regional Task Force on the Homeless unanimously agreed Thursday to ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for permission to skip its annual count of homeless people living without shelter because of concerns that the coronavirus could spread among participants. HUD requires the count and uses the data as part of a formula that determines the allocation of federal funds for hom...

SAN DIEGO —  About half of San Diego’s homeless population who are without shelter this month are receiving warm, water-proof coats that convert into sleeping bags in an effort to help make life on the street a bit less cruel. The distribution of 2,200 coats is funded by the philanthropic Lucky Duck Foundation and Aqualia International Foundation, and it is among the largest ever conducted by the Detroit-based Empowerment Plan, which employees homeless parents to make the coats. “A year...

"I am committed to protecting our homeless neighbors from COVID-19 while keeping a focus on connecting them to long-term housing," Gloria said. "A temporary extension for this shelter will allow us to serve the greatest number of people in need with daily health screenings and other COVID protections." Gloria is proposing that the city authorize additional funding to allow for operations as late as the end of March, with plans to continue placing individuals as quickly as possible into permanen...

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The Lucky Duck and Aqualia International foundations announced Wednesday they will distribute 2,000 EMPWR coats, which can transform into sleeping bags that provide protection and warmth from the elements to homeless San Diegans. “As winter approaches, these coats immediately benefit those experiencing homelessness by providing warmth and protection from the elements. But these coats and sleeping bags are no substitute for real shelter,” said Dan Shea, Lucky Duck board ...

Campbell taps Montgomery Steppe for San Diego council’s public safety panel [The San Diego Union-Tribune] The divisiveness that marked San Diego’s choice last week of Dr. Jennifer Campbell as City Council president didn’t extend to Campbell’s choices Tuesday to lead key council committees. Campbell tapped Monica Montgomery Steppe, whom Campbell edged out for council president in a 5-4 vote Thursday, to continue leading the council’s Public Safety Committee, a pivotal job in a year whe...