SD officials: 180 homeless have moved from riverbeds into housing this year

SAN DIEGO (KGTV)— On Tuesday, World Homeless Day, San Diego officials and advocates shared an update on their efforts to relocate people living along the San Diego River and Sweetwater River.
“For decades, the unhoused have fled to the river beds for shelter and community. So our county, along with our partners, are making a concentrated effort to change that,” said San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer.
Lawson-Remer shared that 180 people have been moved from the two different riverbeds and into permanent or temporary housing since January. They hope to help about 400 more who remain.
County officials and partners say the progress is, in part, thanks to a $17 million grant.
“I’m for sure going to get emotional about this,” said Kendall Burdett, an Outreach Case Manager, with PATH. “I’ve been invited to share personal anecdotes about our success stories. Generally the most important thing I can say is this…these programs, and these grants, and these funds and these resources, these things are working.”
The San Diego River Park Foundation also shared that teams have been working to protect the waterways by cleaning up the embankments and clearing the debris left behind.