San Diego is stopping new intakes at its homeless shelter in Golden Hall as it prepares to transition people staying there to other shelters by the end of the year.
The Golden Hall Shelter is operated by Father Joe's Villages under a contract with the San Diego Housing Commission and is set to close before the year is out due to winter storm damage.
The facility was first approved as a temporary shelter in 2019 by the San Diego City Council. The 60-year old building was recently damaged in this winter's heavy rain, and the fire marshal has sped up the facility's timeline.
According to a report issued last year by San Diego's Independent Budget Analyst, it would cost at least $9.3 million in improvements to operate Golden Hall as a permanent shelter.
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"Given future redevelopment plans for the Civic Core site, such an investment has been deemed unwise," a city statement reads.
Christopher Williams stays at the shelter. He said it is his second stint at Golden Hall.
"This is a good place to be. It's not the best. But it’s a long way from the worst," said Williams, adding that the shelter offered refuge after he lost his child. "This place was supposed to be a temporary place, so I prepared for that. But nobody wants to get their home taken away."
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The several blocks around the shelter, which include the Civic Theatre and the City Administration Building, are the subject of a proposed redesign. Mayor Todd Gloria has been attempting to find a developer to take on the ambitious project — which also includes the blighted 101 Ash Street building — for several years.
According to the city, residents at Golden Hall who have not yet been connected with long-term housing arrangements will be relocated to existing or new city-funded facilities by the end of the year. The temporary shelter currently has a capacity of 264 beds.
Intakes continue at all 17 other city-funded shelters and its two Safe Sleeping and four Safe Parking sites.
Gloria has proposed expanding the city's shelter capacity by 1,000 beds and more than 200 Safe Parking stalls for households living in their cars.
Williams and his friend Charles Bristol are not sure where they will go once the shelter closes. While the city said they will be transitioning people out of Golden Hall by the end of the year, Williams and Bristol have heard it could be sooner.
“I'm wondering going to where I'm going to go, where to stay. Hopefully, I'll pray to God because sometimes you have to put it in God's hand. But if you care about people like the Golden Hall, you will help them,” Bristol said.
