Response to council member Quirk’s request for comments

Dear Editors,

I, too, have a response to council member Quirk’s request for comments regarding his July 15, 2022 email correspondence assigning his recommendations to solve homelessness to one set of data collection.

 

Cherry-picking data like this just continues the path to willful blindness.  This is not a good look for our leader with whom we, as his constituents, have entrusted responsibility and public voice. 

 

Many agencies and institutions in San Diego County are investing rigorous examination of the factors that can prevent housing instability and to rehouse youth, seniors, individuals and families and to strengthen the weaknesses in our systems. The County is taking these data and dispatching resources rapidly.

 

For more points of data and local implementation strategies, take a look at the new ‘Homelessness Hub’ at UCSD’s Department of Urban Studies, the graduate research on homelessness prevention at University of San Diego School of Business, the County of San Diego’s Office of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities and its partnership with Aging and Independence to prevent senior housing crises, 2-1-1 San Diego/Community Information Exchange and its policy brief ‘Housing Instability in San Diego County and the non-profit agency, Serving Seniors  and its recent report and initiative ‘Senior Homelessness: A Needs Assessment’.

 

I would discourage anyone in our community to give much regard to the nine points in council member Quirk’s conclusions until he can dig much deeper into the local efforts. His position needs to be more authoritative and less authoritarian.

 

Shirley King

Advocate for the Homeless

Avenida Primavera