New data show more than 23,800 students were homeless last year in San Diego County — a record high and a 4.7 percent increase over the previous year. But a county Office of Education official acknowledges the homeless student count could be wrong. It all depends on who does the counting and how they interpret federal guidelines for calculating who is homeless. At stake is…
When Jim Floros started his job as president and CEO of the San Diego Food Bank at the beginning of 2013, he says the nonprofit served about 330,000 people a month. The divergence between poverty and employment points to deeper problems in the San Diego region’s economy. That number has since grown to 370,000. That might seem odd given that San Diego County’s unemployment rate fell…
No one at Wichita knew what to make of Keith Callison at first. He showed up in September, saying he’d pedaled his bicycle from California to Kansas by way of Tulsa. Sixteen hundred and 40 miles, give or take. He said he came here because the Lord told him to. And because he wants to make airplanes. He said he had no job. No high…
Both candidates in the District 3 race for the County Board of Supervisors say they’ll make it a priority to address homelessness. Supervisor Dave Roberts, the Democratic incumbent, points to the progress he’s made at the county, devoting more resources to mental health services, veterans and homelessness and to opening the Live Well crisis center in Escondido. His Republican challenger, Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar, touts…
Every homeless person counts It happens every year. Interfaith Community Services gets a handle on the extent of homelessness in Escondido with its annual count of homeless people. The count is scheduled for 4 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 29 in the streets and shelters of Escondido. Volunteers are needed, according to agency officials. Called We All Count, the annual single-day event that provides…
Who: Interfaith Community Services What: Grand Opening of the Year-Round Haven House Emergency Shelter Where: 550 W. Washington Ave, Escondido, CA 92025 When: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23 Following a successful final inspection today by Escondido officials, Interfaith Community Services’ homeless shelter, Haven House, opens for business tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 23. This is the first year for the groundbreaking Haven House, a new year-round emergency center designed to house up…
At a frenzied, yet fruitful, pace Saturday, and Sunday, Sustainable Heroes volunteers from across the nation transformed a parched piece of transitional housing dirt into Aster Street Gardens, a landscaping delight. Beginning shortly after sunrise, celebrity TV host Ahmed Hassan of DIY Network/HGTV “Yard Crashers” fame, along with outdoor living designer Duane Draughon of Columbus, Ohio and about 30 volunteers got down to work, and…
Escondido City Council members approved with extreme enthusiasm $2.1 million toward an affordable housing solution for Solutions for Change. It’s part of the non-profit group’s plan to provide housing for battered, abused women and children next year. It was a Wednesday love fest of sorts for the Vista-based non-profit started in 1999 by “social entrepreneurs” Chris and Tammy Megison, who attended the council meeting…