County Approves Homeless Diversion Contract

San Diego County supervisors voted unanimously on April 21 to hire the San Diego Housing Commission to run a regional homelessness diversion program. (kpbs.org) The county approved up to $1.1 million for the effort, and supervisors said philanthropic contributions could bring the total fund to about $2 million. The county money supports a second round of the Regional Homeless Diversion Fund. (kpbs.org) County officials project the program will help about 600 households avoid homelessness or leave it more quickly. Pending contract negotiations, the Housing Commission will work with roughly 20 providers and use the regional homeless data system to track outcomes, including six-month and one-year follow-ups. (kpbs.org) (hoodline.com) Diversion is the part of the homeless-response system that tries to solve a housing crisis before someone enters shelter or becomes stuck outside. San Diego’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness says the approach is used by trained staff at shelters, outreach teams, day centers, health centers and other service providers. (rtfhsd.org) The county has been building that approach into its homelessness strategy for several years. Supervisors adopted a county Framework for Ending Homelessness in November 2021, and the county’s 2024 action plan lists diversion and mitigation as one of its strategic domains. (sandiegocounty.gov 1) (sandiegocounty.gov 2) The vote comes after San Diego County’s 2025 Point-in-Time Count found 9,905 people experiencing homelessness on a given night, down from 10,605 a year earlier. The Regional Task Force on Homelessness said that was the first year-over-year countywide decline since 2020. (rtfhsd.org) (voiceofsandiego.org) Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Joel Anderson backed the contract, and Supervisor Jim Desmond said after the vote that it was a smart way to put money “to good use.” County officials said the Housing Commission got the contract without a competitive bid because it already had provider relationships and could scale the program quickly. (kpbs.org) The board put the contract on its April 21 regular meeting agenda at the County Administration Center in San Diego. The next step is final contract negotiation, then the Housing Commission starts administering the fund across the regional provider network. (content.govdelivery.com) (kpbs.org)