A Better Night’s Sleep for All

The recent 75- to 80-degree days make it easy for most of us to ignore 45-degree nights.

But for those who bed down in cars, parks and doorways, 45 degrees is 5 degrees of misery away from a warm place to sleep. In San Diego County, when temperatures dip to 40 (or 45 when rain is predicted), the shelters set up extra beds; and when the temperatures drop to 35 degrees (or 40 degrees with predicted rain), city and county governments open up public facilities to the homeless.

But, on a 41-degree night, the homeless may be left outdoors.

With winter just around the corner, we were glad to hear that Mayor Maureen O’Connor is looking at some changes in San Diego city policy.

She has suggested raising the threshold temperature for opening the municipal gymnasium in Balboa Park to 40 degrees in dry weather and 50 degrees when rain is predicted, the same standard the state uses for opening the armories. There were 13 nights between October, 1989, and March, 1990, when weather met these standards in the city. On another 28 dry nights, temperatures were between 40 and 45 degrees. Most of these cold nights fell between December and February.

The city manager is studying O’Connor’s idea, which is a step in the right direction.

But both the city and the county should go further and work out a way to increase shelter space for the whole winter. Last week, the Los Angeles City Council approved a program to make available 1,150 extra beds from Monday through Feb. 14.

Homeless advocates point to some compelling reasons for this approach:

* Weather prediction is iffy. Decisions on whether to add beds or open the gym are based on forecasts made at mid-morning, to allow time to prepare. Weather changes late in the day can’t be accommodated.

* Getting the word out to the homeless is a problem with the temperature-based system.

* Planning and recruiting volunteers is easier if done in advance.

* Social or health services can be provided when shelters are open for more than a night or two at a time.

* Fewer homeless people sleeping on the streets could benefit downtown businesses.

Even though mental health clinics, drug treatment programs and low-income housing are scarce, some chronic problems might be ameliorated. A mumbling street person with layers of dirty clothing can be clean and coherent after a few nights.

So the homeless might be a little less disturbed during the day.

The cost of such a system is not known yet, but St. Vincent de Paul, the largest shelter in the county, estimates that it could house extra folks at the Joan Kroc Center--in the cafeteria and another room--for about $4 a night per person. Three hundred beds for 60 nights would come to about $72,000.

City resources are stretched thin right now, so all plans must be carefully considered. But San Diego has a reputation for creative homeless programs. If government and nonprofit agencies and businesses work together, it should be possible to expand the winter shelter system.

We would all sleep a little better this winter if it were.