SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Life on the street isn't easy.
“I’ve been here since the early 90s. I think ’92 I think I got here. And I’ve been on and off homeless for most of it,” Jose DeJesus, a Serving Seniors client, said.
DeJesus said he’s been going to Serving Seniors for about four years. It’s a local non-profit that supports low-income seniors including homelessness outreach.
During his years of experiencing homeless, DeJesus said one of the more difficult things for him is finding a place to live.
“Even though, I have the money most places want your first month, second month, third month. I can’t afford that, you know? I can’t afford $6,000, $7,000 dollars to move into a place. That’s impossible,” DeJesus said.
“But, for an older adult who maybe dealing with some issues already, they are exacerbated by being on the street,” Paul Downey, the President & CEO of Serving Seniors, said.
The County’s working on a new way to help older adults to prevent them from ending up on and get them off the street.
The Board of Supervisors recently signing off for staff to create a shared housing pilot program for these seniors.
“This allows folks to get into kind of a roommate situation,” Downey said.
The program would match seniors with other seniors in need of a room, and help lower housing costs and other expenses. Downey supports the idea.
“So, it could be two older adults. It could be a younger adult and an older adult. But it’s bringing people together so that everyone can benefit financially by having everybody chip in a little bit for the rent and help get people off of the street,” Downey said.
It’s a pilot program DeJesus says it’s a good and beneficial idea.
“We don’t have to choose between eating or paying rent. Because most people are doing that. They’re either eating or paying rent,” DeJesus said.
Now, County staff will bring a plan to implement the pilot program back to the Board of Supervisors in about four months’ time.
Until then, Downey said this program could also be used to help some seniors even before they end up here.
“When somebody is on the cusp of becoming homeless, can’t afford their rent, is going to be evicted, pairing them up and moving them into another situation before they actually end up on the street; good for them and good economically in terms of saving money,” Downey said.
