1 week ago
2
East County will soon become home to the next San Diego Rescue Mission shelter.
While the organization is fielding sites throughout the county, group leaders indicated that the region’s next emergency shelter will likely land in El Cajon.
“Homelessness knows no zip codes,” Rescue Mission CEO and President Donnie Dee said. “That’s why I’m excited about East County. I think the mayors there understand that homelessness follows the train tracks, the bus stops and the services.”
The project is part of a larger effort by the organization to expand its “lighthouse” shelter network. Lighthouse shelters are 30-day emergency shelters that typically house 100 or more beds.
The Rescue Mission focuses its resources and rehabilitation efforts on trauma, addiction and mental health services. Their shelters are “no-tolerance” sites for drug and alcohol use.
Organization leaders hope to place shelters in North, South and East County that “feed” into their downtown rehabilitation program.
In 2024, the organization opened a 162-bed shelter in National City. The group had operated a lighthouse shelter in Oceanside, but it has since split from the location due to policy and vision conflicts with the city.
That is an issue that Dee said he couldn’t imagine having if the organization puts a shelter in El Cajon.
“They (city leaders) seem to be in agreement that they have a homeless issue and they want to do something differently,” Dee said....
English (US) ·