Board of Supervisors chairman calls for regional cooperation, new investments in annual State of the County address
New initiatives to fight homelessness and addiction, boost housing and improve childcare are on the horizon for San Diego County next year, Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher said in his State of the County speech Tuesday.
Moving forward, Fletcher said, the county is opening a new homeless center with the city of San Diego, and will streamline the process and provide financial support for other cities to do the same.With support from the Lucky Duck Foundation, the county and city will place a tent shelter in the Midway District. And it is offering all 18 cities the chance to rapidly open similar homeless support sites.
County efforts will “help get folks off the streets instead of sweeping the problem under the rug,” Anderson said. “I am confident that the Board of Supervisors can work together in this coming year to address East County’s most pressing needs, including the issue of homelessness.” “It is time we align behind a regional plan which must include affordable childcare and better pay for our workers,” he said, noting that lack of affordable, high-quality childcare remains one of the main barriers to women’s employment and professional advancement.
Fletcher said his childhood experiences of financial hardship and domestic violence in a working-class family has shaped his efforts to address those problems in San Diego. “We’ll use county-owned lands in urban areas to build affordable housing,” he said, noting that the plan aims to add 10,000 new housing units though that program. “Let’s do it at scale.”