In the News
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Local leaders Friday announced that a shelter program serving young adults in downtown San Diego has doubled its capacity.
The city-funded Safe Shelter for Transition-Age Youth, or Safe STAY, program has served 21 people ages 18-24 across two interim sites.
The new site, though, can serve 43 transition-age youth while replacing the interim sites.
“Without a support system or financial stability, too many of San Diego’s young people are ending up on the streets,” Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, said. “This permanent youth shelter will provide a safe space where they will be protected, respected and offered the help they need, including services for LGBTQ+ youth.”
The shelter could serve residents in as little as two weeks. Peters secured $1.5 million for the facility, allowing it to be configured for semi-congregate housing. That means those who stay there will have more privacy than at traditional shelters.
“By expanding the Safe STAY program, we are giving struggling young San Diegans the support they need to build a better future,” said Mayor Todd Gloria.
According to data from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness collected at the annual census of the county’s homeless population, the number of transition-age youth counted rose 21% to 897 from 2023 to 2024.
The San Diego Housing Commission contracts with the San Diego LGBT Community Center to operate the Safe STAY program in partnership with San Diego Youth Services and the YMCA of San Diego County.
The Safe STAY program includes case management, transportation and basic needs assistance and employment support. The program also connects young adults to behavioral and mental health care and education.
“Vulnerable youth come to us in survival mode and they leave with the care and the resources to dream, to grow and to thrive,” said the LGBT center CEO Cara Dessert.
Construction on the new site was completed in about seven months. It includes residential restrooms with showers, a community area with a kitchenette, dining area, laundry space and lobby and staff office spaces.
The annual operating budget for the Safe STAY program is approximately $1.9 million.