San Diego, Calif.
— Bungalows have become an increasingly popular way for San Diegans to live with their pets, but the housing shortage has created a dilemma for many people who are homeless or who rent from a shelter.
Burglarized bungalows, with their shabby-looking walls and broken glass, have become a common sight in the Mission and other areas along the coast, especially along the Mission Bay coast, where the shortage of affordable housing has pushed thousands of people into the hands of the homeless.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is trying to get the homeless to move out of their shelters and into temporary housing.
“The problem of homelessness is getting worse and worse,” Faulconers office spokesman Tom Buell said in an email.
“I believe the people that are in shelters are being forced to find a way to live at home.
And this is a way for them to do that, so they can continue to live a safe and happy life with their families and pets.”
The city council is considering a bill to require temporary shelter homes, which would be similar to those found in shelters, to be at least 15 feet from any commercial building.
It also wants to allow businesses to rent out some of their space to tenants, a measure that could cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
But some housing advocates worry that the legislation would drive away some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The homeless and the homeless need affordable housing, but it’s not happening in San Francisco or elsewhere in the Bay Area, said Barbara A. Nutter, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Housing.
Even the San Diego city councilman who sponsored the bill is now saying that if the measure passes, it would force the homeless out of shelters and back into the streets, she said.
Nutter is one of several prominent housing advocates who are pushing for a broader solution to the housing crisis in the city.
Some have proposed moving people into hotels or other non-profit housing, or providing subsidized apartments to people who have been in shelters.
But the bill has not passed the City Council, which is expected to take up the issue later this month.
Faulconer, a Democrat who has been mayor since 2013, said the council’s move to pass a bill was a step in the right direction.
He said the legislation will help the homeless and others who need help find affordable housing.