SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new report from the City of San Diego Auditor details how the City has addressed the clearing of homeless encampments since the passage of the Unsafe Camping Ordinance.

The audit looked to address five main questions:

• Did the unsheltered population decrease in the City of San Diego since the implementation of the Unsafe Camping Ordinance?
• Did the unsheltered population move from downtown to other areas of the City of San Diego after the implementation of the Unsafe Camping Ordinance?
• Did the number of citations, arrests, and prosecutions for encampments increase after the Unsafe Camping Ordinance?
• Did City departments work and coordinate in their response to encampments after the implementation of the Ordinance, in accordance with the goals in the preamble of the Ordinance?
• Does the City equitably store personal items from abatements?

It also showed that the overall unsheltered population in the City hasn’t declined by much since the ordinance went into effect, even though it appears that fewer people are living on the streets.

“What we did see was at the same time that this ordinance went through, that our safe sleeping went online, and that was an opportunity to get hundreds of people into our safe sleeping,” Franklin Coopersmith, Deputy Dir. of Environmental Services Department, City of San Diego, said.

Coopersmith’s department is tasked with clearing homeless encampments.

ABC 10News spoke with him about the audit and the five questions that it aimed to answer.

Coopersmith and the audit explain that those safe sleeping sites are still technically considered unsheltered, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Our safe sleeping is not considered an official shelter, so it is still considered unsheltered,” Coopersmith said. “Though when the public looks, they don’t see as many people on the street is because they’re in these places where we designate that they can go in. We have shelter there. We have resources, we have beds for them.” 

When it comes to the movement out of Downtown San Diego, the audit said there’s not enough data to show that reports of encampments in other areas, but are not ruling it out. The report found that arrests and citations increased.

The report also found that Get It Done request times for encampments from both the San Diego Police Department and Environmental Services went down since the ordinance.

“With this ordinance, we work closely with the neighborhood policing, which has the HOT team, the homeless outreach team,” Coopersmith said. “I mean, that was a great tool in addition to homeless outreach workers, you have this hot team that’s out there that’s able to make contact and get people into shelter just as easily as an outreach worker is.”

The audit says the city could do a better job at storing personal items found in encampments. Coopersmith’s department agrees with and plans to make things more accessible and review how other cities store those items.

“I think we did a really good job pointing out that homelessness is extremely complicated. There are many needs out there and a single ordinance is not what’s going to solve it,” Coopersmith said.

Homelessness service provider People Assistance The Homeless, also known as PATH San Diego, sent ABC 10News the following statement after the release of the audit:

The report also states that as shelter referrals increased, including safe sleeping, with the ordinance going into effect, space was limited, so most of those requests couldn’t be met.

Paul Armstrong from the San Diego Rescue Mission said that more beds would be more helpful.

“But also, I think we need to look at the relationship between outreach and the shelter system. And as our shelter system turns into long-term housing, how much turnover is happening in our shelter system?” Armstrong said. Because that’s part of it is we need a high-functioning shelter system that’s integrated with outreach.”

SAN DIEGO (CNS) — The number of unsheltered homeless across San Diego County declined by 11% this year, but sheltered homelessness increased by 12%, according to the results of the 2026 Point-in-Time Count released Friday.

The PITC is conducted every January by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and is a one-day snapshot of the region’s homeless population.

All told, homelessness across the region decreased by 1%, from 9,905 individuals in 2025 to 9,803 in 2026.

“This is what progress looks like,” said RTFH CEO Tamera Kohler. “We’re seeing good results where we’ve made investments. As a region, we still do not have enough housing resources — there are no more housing vouchers, and HUD funding is uncertain. So the investments have been in diversion, sheltering and encampment resolutions. When we have adequate investments, we can reduce unsheltered homelessness.”

The 2026 count found 5,108 individuals living unsheltered, down from 5,714 last year, while 4,695 people were in shelters or transitional housing, up from 4,191.

The information collected is used to apply for federal and state funding to help people experiencing homelessness.

The number of unsheltered homeless dropped dramatically in several cities: 64.1% in Santee, 39.5% in El Cajon, 30% in Encinitas, 25% in La Mesa and 24.5% in Chula Vista.

In San Diego, which as the largest city in the county has a correspondingly large population of homeless residents, those unsheltered declined by 6.6%.

One of the region’s most pressing concerns is the increase in senior homelessness. Older adults make up 33% of the unsheltered population, up from 29% last year, and more than half are experiencing homelessness for the first time. The oldest individual RTFH volunteers engaged on the morning of this year’s count was an 86-year-old Latina woman in Chula Vista.

“It has to be a top-priority population,” Kohler said.

Serving Seniors President & CEO Melinda Forstey says the trend continues to show an increasing impact from homelessness on San Diego county’s older adults.

“While it is encouraging to see that overall homelessness has declined, the continued rise in homelessness among older adults is deeply concerning,” Forstey said. “Once again this year, older adults now make up one third of the region’s homeless population.”

Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO at Father Joe’s Villages — one of the region’s largest homelessness services providers — said the region should be doing better.

“We are disappointed to see that overall progress has stalled, with no change in the total number of people experiencing homelessness in our region, even as we’ve continued to invest in solutions,” he said. “More concerning, the data shows a growing crisis among older adults. This year, even more seniors fell into homelessness for the first time, continuing a troubling trend. This is a challenge for which our community is not prepared.”

Possible cuts to San Diego’s homelessness funds in the fiscal year 2027 budget also had Vargas concerned about loss of resources.

“As our population ages, we must act swiftly to prevent seniors from losing their homes and to provide targeted services that meet their unique needs,” he said. “Focusing on prevention, diversion, health care and housing is key to addressing homelessness. It is a travesty for anyone to spend their golden years on the streets.”

Positive developments from this year’s count include a 12% drop in unsheltered veterans, 26% decline in unsheltered transitional-age youth (18-24) and a 14% decrease in people living in vehicles.

“San Diegans should be encouraged by this progress,” said RTFH Board Chair Veronica Dela Rosa. “We are seeing results from targeted investments and strong regional collaboration. But we must stay focused and continue investing in what works.”

A total of 80% of people experiencing homelessness said they became homeless in San Diego County, “underscoring that this is primarily a local challenge driven by housing costs and economic pressures,” a RTFH statement read.

The data released Friday continues a trend of declining homelessness. In 2025, the number of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County dropped by 7%, and dropped by about 14% in the city of San Diego.

“Progress like this doesn’t happen by accident,” said Continuum of Care Advisory Board Chair Akilah Templeton. “It reflects the work of service providers, outreach teams, local governments and volunteers across the region. At the same time, we must continue expanding housing and services to meet the scale of the need.”

Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Fans are embracing every remaining moment rallying behind San Diego’s professional indoor women’s volleyball team as it prepares to fold after this season. 

One final home crowd lifted the team Thursday night at Viejas Arena before they take their shot at the MLV playoffs and the uncertainty that follows. 

“It’s sad. I’m going to miss them for sure,” said local fan Jordan Haskel with her mom by her side. “It’s our thing to come out here together,” said her mother, Babs Symonds.

The team will not be returning for the upcoming season fans are coming to terms with the announcement. 

“My heart is broken now when I got the news today that they’re not going to be here next year,” said Danny Jackson.

Owner Gary Jacobs wanted to pause the team in 2027 to pursue a long-term plan, but the league rejected the idea, so the team will shut down while the league searches for new investors. 

“You have to have pretty deep pockets to support a team and to support a team you got to have supporters to come out and buy tickets, and you got to be in the stands to yell for them. Last week, I made a comment to my wife I said, God, I wish we had more fans in here,” said Jackson.

It’s not the first time San Diego sports fans have faced losing a team. 

“We saw that with the Chargers. We saw that with the Loyals. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s outside of our control,” said Desiree Morales.

Volleyball shaped Morales by instilling discipline and teamwork – values she hopes to pass on to her niece through the Mojo. 

“I want them to stay so I can come here every day to see them play,” said Morales’ niece, Isabella.

One thing is for sure, the community the team has built will stay, waiting patiently for what comes next. 

“Whether you’re rooting just for San Diego or the team itself or the sport itself you just have to do it,” said Morales.

Major League Volleyball released a statement that reads in part, “San Diego remains one of the most vibrant volleyball communities in the country, and we believe strongly in its long-term potential at the professional level. We are actively exploring strategies for the market, building on the momentum established by the Mojo.”