Cold Snap Opens Doors of Shelters

Overnight shelters in San Diego reopened Tuesday night as biting-cold winter weather began chilling the county.

With overnight temperatures expected in the low 30s in some areas, volunteers planned to open the East County shelter for anyone needing a place to stay. The National Guard Armory, at Pierce Street near Interstate 8 in El Cajon, will be open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. whenever predicted temperatures are below 36 degrees, or below 40 degrees when rain is expected.

The state-sanctioned cold weather shelter program opens the armories for use based on weather conditions, said Frank Landerville, project director for the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. There are also armory shelters in Vista and Escondido, as well as private shelters throughout the county, Landerville said.

One private organization has added 150 winter beds to its existing 500, said Father Joe Carroll of the St. Vincent De Paul-Joan Kroc Center. As of Tuesday, an additional 90 beds for men and 60 for women and children were made available at the center at Imperial and National avenues.

The center, which serves up to 500 guests year-round, will have these cold-weather beds open through March 31. The center also offers soup in the evening and sandwiches in the mornings, Carroll said.

San Diego County has an estimated homeless population of 15,300 to 19,400, Landerville said. A homeless person is defined as anyone who sleeps in public or private shelters, outdoors or in any public or private space not designed for human shelter.

There are 1,907 year-round shelter beds for people in the county, with 170 added in winter at the Armory in Vista, 95 at the Escondido Armory and up to 200 at the El Cajon Armory. In addition, when the St. Vincent de Paul Center fills, up to 350 more beds are available at the Balboa Park municipal gym, Landerville said.

Landerville cautioned that people sometimes come to a shelter from miles away, only to find it is closed because the night hasn’t met the temperature guidelines.

Information about the shelters can be obtained by calling 230-0997 for the central, east and south county; 943-0997 for North County and costal areas, and 740-0997 for inland areas.

Callers usually hold for several minutes until a person answers the line. The number is operational from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends.