For over 40 years, Interfaith Community Services has positively impacted hundreds of thousands of lives in our local community. Interfaith’s Escondido headquarters located at 550 W Washington Avenue provides a continuum of critical services for local community members in need, spanning from basic needs of food and hygiene to medical and behavioral health services, housing assistance, free tax preparation for low-income families, employment support, and addiction treatment services. Recent actions by the City of Escondido threaten these operations and risk increasing poverty, hunger, and homelessness in Escondido.
Last summer Escondido City Council voted to eliminate funding for the only homeless shelter operating in Escondido, Interfaith’s then 49-bed Haven House shelter operating at our 550 W Washington headquarters. In the fall Interfaith relocated the short-term beds of Haven House to our new Turk Recuperative Care Center, where additional staff support can be leveraged to better address the health challenges of shelter residents. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, there are only 15 current short-term housing shelter beds operating in Escondido, and they are 100% full.
On February 26 Escondido Police Chief Ed Varso sent a formal letter to Interfaith Community Services alleging violations of the Conditional Use Permit the City of Escondido issued to Interfaith more than 20 years ago, which authorizes the many programs and services Interfaith provides from our 550 W Washington Avenue headquarters. The letter makes unsubstantiated claims about increases in calls for service to police, trash, and loitering on our property, and accuses Interfaith of contributing to crime and disorder in the surrounding community.
At the February 28 Escondido City Council meeting, despite significant concerns and opposition raised by every community member, the Council voted 4-1 to adopt a Homelessness Policy drafted by a subcommittee made up of two members: Mayor Dane White and Councilmember Joe Garcia. The policy was drafted with no community input, and a previously unpublished amendment was added just before the vote, directing staff to explore a moratorium on homeless services and shelter within six blocks of downtown Escondido. This “buffer zone” includes Interfaith’s 550 W. Washington Avenue headquarters and service center, as well as our 106-bed Turk Recuperative Care Center.
Given the actions by the Police Chief two days before the adoption of this policy, formalizing concerns with Interfaith’s Conditional Use Permit, these actions may be reasonably interpreted as steps to potentially shut down social services that helped more than 20,000 people in North County last year. Eliminating or even reducing the critical services Interfaith provides will increase homelessness, leading to more people on the streets, larger encampments, more trash and waste, and more calls for police and fire services. Last year Interfaith ended homelessness for 1,468 people. Interfaith also prevented homelessness for 1,602 individuals through rental assistance and case management services.
By threatening the Conditional Use Permit which allows for the provision of Interfaith’s programs, and two days later directing staff to explore a moratorium on those services, Escondido City Council appears to be taking actions to reduce services and increase homelessness in Escondido.
In response, Interfaith Community Services is supporting the creation of a Citizen’s Task Force on Homelessness in Escondido. This Task Force will do what City leadership has failed to do. It will bring together a diversity of perspectives and voices, including business leaders, concerned citizens, faith communities, persons with lived homeless experience, service providers, and if they are willing to participate, City staff and leaders. This Citizens Task Force will consider and bring forward sensible solutions and strategies to reduce homelessness in Escondido.
At a time when the City is taking actions that appear intent on eliminating services and therefore increasing homelessness, and creating and passing policies without community input or support, Interfaith Community Services is resisting any threat to our services for local community members in need, and we are bringing together a diversity of community members to make their voices heard on these critical issues.
