SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A San Diego councilmember is calling on the city to do more to prevent deaths at its safe sleeping sites after a newly obtained autopsy ruled another resident's death an overdose.
Tim Allen, a father of three, was found dead in July at the city of San Diego's safe sleeping site near the Naval Medical Center. His autopsy, which was recently obtained by Team 10, ruled his death an accident, caused by fentanyl, meth, and PCP.
“Even through his homelessness, he was a fighter. He never gave up. He was always optimistic,” said Tim's twin brother James Allen in an interview from Palm Springs.
Tim's overdose is one of several that have taken place at the city's two sleeping sites. Since the sites opened in 2023, the city says a total of 21 people have died. The city has not released the cause of death for each case, but residents who live on site have told Team 10 there have been multiple overdoses.
San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera told Team 10 in a sit-down interview he has several concerns and isn’t satisfied with the current overdose prevention efforts on the sites.
“Right now, I don't know why we should expect a different result if we're not changing what's being done there.”
Elo-Rivera voted against a 2023 city ordinance that banned homeless people from camping on public streets when shelter beds were available. That year, the city opened the safe sleeping program.
Calls for more transparency
Allen told reporters last year he had one option: enter the safe sleeping program or go to jail.
“We have even more responsibility when we've told people you can't be there, but you can be here. Come here, we've invited them in. We have a responsibility to make sure that they're safe,” Elo-Rivera said.
"Each of these deaths is a tragedy. It makes us sad and concerned and worried about how many more folks will die," Elo-Rivera said.
"I definitely think that we should be offering services for people who have substance use disorder," he said.
Elo-Rivera said he’s been pushing the city to share more information when a death occurs at a safe sleeping site. He is calling on the mayor’s office to direct city staff to share more information.
“Without that information, we're flying blind, and we shouldn't have to ask each and every time that we hear that there's a death,” he said.
Team 10 asked Mayor Todd Gloria's office for a response twice but never received an answer.
A pattern of deaths at the sites
Team 10 first investigated the issue in 2023, after receiving a tip that resident Ralph Threatt had died and wasn't found for days until the smell of his body was so strong someone noticed.
"What was sad was that no one even noticed who he was or if he belonged here," said Shawn Swearingen, a safe sleeping resident, in an interview that year with Team 10.
Threatt's death was also ruled an overdose.
Last year, Allen and seven other homeless people filed a lawsuit against the city, Dreams for Change and Downtown San Diego Partnership, alleging the sites were dangerous and unlivable — something the city has denied in federal court.
City says staff are trained to respond to overdoses
The city told Team 10 it works to prevent overdoses in several ways.
"We do go into safe sleeping when people have been proactively identified as wanting treatment," Aaron Meyer, the city's behavioral health officer, said.
Meyer pointed out clients at the sites arrive in vulnerable conditions.
"And right now, sometimes people who are the most at risk of overdose are also sometimes the least likely to show up to a clinic," Meyer said.
City spokesman Matt Hoffman said any loss of life is tragic. He told Team 10 staff who work at the safe sleeping sites are trained in CPR, can recognize potential overdoses, and administer Narcan, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose.
"Staff have intervened in overdose emergencies and provided lifesaving assistance," Hoffman said.
The city has gone even further and offered to connect clients with detox services and other care, he added.
In August, the safe sleeping site known as "O Lot" held a recovery resource event. Hoffman said the event was a success, with 19 people connected to treatment.
"These physical, mental, and behavioral health services are offered regularly through case management, though we cannot force someone to accept a higher level of care.”
Hoffman said the city is working with a provider on a new agreement to offer on-site substance use disorder treatment services but said no timeline was available as approvals were pending.
James told Team 10 he hopes his brother's death will serve as a wake-up call.
"Hopefully in the future, that my brother's life will change other people's lives at their tent city.”
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