$17M grant to help hundreds of homeless living along San Diego river

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Hundreds of people living along the San Diego River will be able to transition out of homelessness with the help of outreach teams and a $17 million grant.

ABC 10News stopped by an encampment on the river off Friars Road where Arthur Bowen has lived for three years. The encampment can only be accessed during low tide.

“I mean, who could complain about living on an island in a bungalow, you know?” said Bowen.

Bowen shared he’s been homeless ever since his wife died in Seattle a decade ago.

“I couldn’t stay up there…it was depressing,” he said.

While Bowen says living along the water has some perks, he says trash and debris have become a growing problem.

“It’d be nice if they put a dumpster out here,” he said.

The San Diego River Park Foundation estimates there are 40,000 pounds of trash and debris on the island where Bowen lives.

It’s an environmental problem the foundation is trying to solve compassionately – working alongside homeless outreach teams. And now there’s new state funding to help.

“We’re very excited to see this investment in addressing the root cause,” said Sarah Hutmacher, Chief Operating Officer with the foundation.

Hutmacher explains that $17 million dollars in grant funding was secured last year to help transition an estimated 300 people living along the San Diego River out of homelessness, and those efforts are now underway.

More than $3 million of that funding will go toward the City of San Diego.

“Now, the interesting thing about this grant, which is kind of unique, is that the funding is flexible,” said Matt Hoffman, a spokesperson with the City of San Diego.

Hoffman explains these dollars will go not just towards outreach – but also towards housing and even medical care for unhoused individuals for up to two years.

“And the idea behind that is we don’t want someone to return to homelessness,” he said.

Hoffman says they hope to continue intensive outreach efforts for several months so the encampment can be cleared by the fall.