Homeless struggle to find Christmastime joy on the streets of San Diego

As countless people throughout San Diego County crammed area malls Sunday for last-minute Christmas shopping, hundreds of others stood in line for a free meal, sought shelter in storefronts and attended church services for warmth.

“It’s just Sunday, not Christmas Eve,” said Val Flores, a young homeless woman outside of God’s Extended Hand church on the corner of 16th Street and Island Avenue in downtown San Diego. “The situation’s not going to change.”

Damon Monyer, 34, has been at Father Joe’s Villages homeless center in San Diego for 10 days, and on Christmas Eve he was in the kitchen chopping cauliflower that would be part of an evening meal for 1,000 people.

“It’s a blessing,” he said about being off the street.

“What Christmas means to me right now is to give,” Monyer said, “and try to pass on anything at all that makes the holiday season more comfortable for people. There’s a lot who have nothing.”

An Air Force veteran, Monyer came to San Diego from Pennsylvania in September with the promise of construction work from a friend. Things fell through, and he spent about four weeks sleeping on the street.

Now, he said, “I want to go right back to school.”

Earlier in the day, 700 people at Father Joe’s had dined on a prime rib brunch supplied by Congregation Beth Israel.

Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s, said the brunch and dinner were not just about meals, but about letting people in need know somebody cares about them.

“That’s what we do, especially on a night like tonight, Christmas Eve,” he said.

Down the street, April Enlund sat in a wheelchair outside God’s Extended Hand, bundled in blankets while waiting to go inside for an afternoon sermon. She, her daughter Diana and granddaughter Amber have been homeless since being evicted last month from their Pacific Beach apartment, which is being renovated.

“The only thing that sucks is at night, when we’re out until 8 o’clock and it’s freezing,” Amber Enlund said. “We’re trying to make the best of it.”

At night, God’s Extended Hand opens its doors to homeless women and children, but there is a curfew, and Amber Enlund said there have been nights when she didn’t make it back in time.

“I had to borrow a blanket from someone and slept right out here,” she said. “It’s terrifying. There’s crackheads at night. This past week, we’ve walked down the street in the day, and people literally have needles in their arms for heroin.”

Diana Enlund said she’s grateful for the many people who want to help the homeless, including some who stop by with blankets and warm clothes.

“I’m just glad I have my family here,” she said, breaking down in tears when asked what Christmas means to her this year.

While there have been many civic and private efforts this year to help the homeless, Diana Enlund is still frustrated that permanent housing is still so far away for so many.

“It’s tough,” she said. “And it’s tough to see how much the city doesn’t care.”

In about a week, Father Joe’s will open a 150-bed tented shelter for homeless families, the third and final of such structures planned by the city. The Alpha Project opened its tent for 325 people Dec. 1, and San Diego Veterans Village opened a 200-bed tent last week.

Outside the Alpha Project tent on Christmas Eve, cars pulled up throughout the day to offer clothes, blankets and gifts.

Inside the tent, Leticia Croce said people’s generosity would make for a better Christmas than last year.

“I was out on the street, with no gifts for the family,” she said. “It was hard. As a mother and grandmother, it was really embarrassing.”

Homeless since 2014, Croce said she didn’t make contact with her son and daughter last year. Her daughter is also homeless this year and in the tent with her, and she plans to visit her son Christmas Day and give her grandchildren some of the things she has received at the tent.

Before the Alpha Project opened the large tent, it operated an encampment for homeless people for about three months. Through a 10-day fundraising drive, it was able to find housing for all 12 families with young children.

Among the success stories was Manny Lopez, his fiance Ramona and her 4-year-old daughter, Leticia.

The three were on the street for about two weeks when an Alpha outreach worker spotted them and offered a spot at the campsite. Then came the new apartment.

“It’s a great Christmas present to have a home for the holiday,” Ramona said. “My child doesn’t have to be out on the street. We don’t have to be out in the cold and wonder where our next meal is coming from.”