The San Diego Housing Commission approved a motion 4–0 during their May 12 meeting to apply for up to $18 million in state funding to purchase another vacant hotel to transform into housing for the homeless.
The city already has purchased three hotels for such housing. If it receives the funding, part of it would be used to purchase a fourth in Ocean Beach, specifically a 62-room Ramada Inn on Midway Drive.
“I’m in [that] area frequently and I know the community has lots of concerns with encampments that have popped up in recent years,” Vice Chair Ryan Clumpner said. “Any step in the direction of providing resources and housing for the homeless in the Midway area is a step in the right direction.”
According to Clumpner, the area used to be a thriving, multi-racial residential community for lower-income workers after World War I, until many were pushed out for commercial development. He said he is supportive of returning the community and “correcting that historical wrong.”
The hotel is within walking distance of a grocery store and bus stops.
The new location will also offer mental health, healthcare and substance use services, life skills training, education, employment assistance, and transportation for residents.
Rooms will be available to those currently homeless, in and out of homelessness, and those between 16 and 25 transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Fifteen will be set aside for homeless veterans.
The grant the commission is applying for is the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development Homekey Program—which was created to more rapidly provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness.
Currently, $34 million from the state is set aside in the Homekey program for San Diego. However, the commission can compete for additional funding from the annual $736 million statewide pool of funds offered by the department.
Commission officials said once the application is submitted, they would hear back about the funding in August.
If approved, the city would acquire the property in September and occupants could move in by November 2024, after remodeling.
