San Diego County leaders and local advocates are responding to President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders and budget moves that aim to replace the nationwide Housing First model with treatment‑first programs. In the predominantly Latino border region, cities such as Chula Vista, National City and Imperial Beach have already adjusted their homelessness strategies to focus on clearing encampments, providing temporary shelter and steering residents toward addiction and mental‑health treatment.
According to Voice of San Diego, Chula Vista, the largest city in South County, operates a 62‑bed tiny‑home shelter run by the faith‑based nonprofit City Net. Mayor John McCann described the shelter as “high barrier, so you’ve got to be clean,” emphasizing the city’s commitment to sobriety before housing. The mayor also claimed that “the number of homeless individuals went down by 25 percent, one of the highest decreases in the entire county.” The most recent regional count supports a roughly 25 % decline in unsheltered individuals in Chula Vista last year, compared with a 7 % drop in the city of San Diego and an 11 % countywide decline.
National City has set aside 24 supportive units for veterans within a larger affordable‑housing project, while Imperial Beach allocated 25 units for seniors exiting homelessness. Chula Vista is also building or helping fund a few dozen permanent housing units, though permanent supportive housing remains a small component of each city’s overall plan.
The shift aligns with the Trump administration’s “Best Practices Toolkit,” unveiled by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at a press conference held at the San Diego Rescue Mission’s faith‑based shelter. Rescue Mission CEO Donnie Dee highlighted the shelter’s focus on sobriety and referrals to residential treatment, reinforcing the administration’s treatment‑first emphasis.
Local political figures echo this perspective. District 8 San Ysidro School District Trustee Antonio Martinez told a recent public‑affairs forum that “we need to tackle other issues before housing,” noting that drug addiction and mental‑health challenges must be addressed first. His opponent, Gerardo Ramirez, said he evaluates programs based on data and results, calling for more high‑quality treatment and “tough love…and compassion.”
San Diego city officials have also taken steps to protect federal funding. The city joined a multi‑state lawsuit to block cuts to federal housing grant funds that would restrict the use of Housing First provisions. Meanwhile, neighboring cities Encinitas and El Cajon have rejected grant money they deem too onerous.
What’s next: The Trump administration is expected to release further guidance on treatment‑first best practices in the coming weeks. San Diego’s Budget and Government Efficiency Committee will consider additional measures to align local policies with federal directives, and the city’s lawsuit against grant restrictions is set for a hearing later this month.
Sources: voiceofsandiego.org, voiceofsandiego.org
