County to Keep Shelters Open Until End of April

An unusually cold winter prompted county supervisors on Tuesday to set aside an extra $10,000 to keep San Diego County homeless shelters operating through April 30.

The county uses the National Guard armories in Vista and El Cajon as shelters when overnight temperatures are forecast to drop to 35 degrees, or 40 degrees with rain. The two shelters have been open 82 nights since being activated on Nov. 29 as compared to 74 nights for the entire 1988-89 winter, said Leon L. Williams, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors. Last year, the shelters were closed in February.

“The homeless deserve to be treated humanely, and the county does have the responsibility for the welfare of everyone in the region,” Williams said.

The board has had to allocate $40,000 for the shelters, $15,000 more than last year, because there have been more nights with freezing temperatures and rain, said county spokeswoman Shirley Hulett.

Under a contract with the county, the Salvation Army operates the East County program and North County Lifeline the North County program. The National Guard armories at 451 N. Pierce St. in El Cajon and at 150 Recreation Drive in Vista are normally used as shelters, Hulett said.

This year 2,496 homeless people have used the shelters; 2,453 used the shelters last winter. Each armory can accommodate 200 people.

Money to extend the program this year comes from federal grants for the homeless and for low-income residents, Hulett said.

The county also provided $10,000 this year to the Interfaith Shelter Network, a coalition of 161 county churches which provide food and shelter for the homeless.