August 18, 2025

This article includes quotes and context reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as information from the official event program.

On August 13, 2025, leaders from across California gathered at the University of California, San Diego’s Jeannie Auditorium for the Third Annual Ending Street Homelessness Summit. Hosted by State Senator Catherine S. Blakespear (D–38), the event brought together mayors, county supervisors, policymakers, service providers, and advocates to address one of California’s most urgent humanitarian crises: street homelessness.

From the outset, Senator Blakespear set a clear tone:

“The thing that we should be most focused on is unsheltered street homelessness. We’ve come to see it as somehow inevitable until we solve the housing crisis.”

It was a message echoed throughout the day — that while permanent housing remains the ultimate goal, getting people indoors quickly is a moral imperative.

Keynote: The State of Homelessness in California

The summit began with a keynote conversation between Senator Blakespear and Dhakshike Wickrema, California’s Deputy Secretary of Homelessness. Together, they painted a candid picture: more than 180,000 Californians are experiencing homelessness, and the majority are living outside in tents, cars, or on sidewalks.

While acknowledging budget shortfalls and strained resources, Wickrema and Blakespear emphasized that alignment in policy, funding, and implementation is essential to making real progress and that it is possible to reach functional zero unsheltered, where more people are housed than become homeless.

Interim Housing Works

The second panel, moderated by our CEO and Founder, Elizabeth Funk, explored policies and models that are already proving effective.

Funk spoke directly to the urgency of interim solutions:

“We need to embrace the fact that this urgent crisis is the immediate goal. There’s nothing shameful or squandering resources about getting everybody indoors so that we can solve the housing crisis and the homelessness problem broadly.”

Panelists shared examples ranging from Vista’s non-congregate shelter model to San Diego’s expansion of safe sleeping sites. San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn and District Attorney Summer Stephan discussed how coordination between agencies can open doors faster,  including through Stephan’s update on a new shelter bed app, now with 297 active users and 115 more waiting to join.

Housing Now: A Shared Vision

In the final panel, Senator Blakespear moderated a conversation with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, San José Mayor Matt Mahan, and San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe.

Mayor Mahan announced that San José plans to launch 1,000 temporary units this year alone. A mix of tiny home communities and converted motel rooms, the plan includes enough units to bring at least half of the city’s homeless population indoors. Some of this capacity, he noted, comes from rethinking budgets and reducing specific outreach roles.

Supervisor Montgomery Steppe addressed the challenges of siting shelters, including community opposition, but reaffirmed her commitment to dozens of small sleeping cabins in Lemon Grove despite pushback:

“The public fights are not productive.”

Mayor Gloria cautioned against oversimplified promises to clear encampments overnight:

“It’s an easy sell to say, ‘I can make this all go away tomorrow.’ But in your heart of hearts, you know that’s not true. We have to build the housing, we have to site the board-and-care, we have to construct the mental hospitals.”

Why This Matters for DignityMoves

For DignityMoves, the summit reinforced a central truth: interim housing is a critical step toward ending street homelessness.

The models discussed, including modular cabins, safe parking programs, and shelter reservation technology, mirror the solutions DignityMoves is building across California. By prioritizing safe, private, and service-connected interim housing, communities can pull people out of unsafe street conditions while permanent housing is developed.

Acknowledgements

DignityMoves thanks Senator Catherine S. Blakespear for convening this important gathering, UC San Diego for hosting, and the many leaders who shared their expertise:

• Dhakshike Wickrema – Deputy Secretary of Homelessness, California BCSH
• Elizabeth Funk – Founder & CEO, DignityMoves
• Katie Melendez – Deputy Mayor, City of Vista
• Stephen Whitburn – San Diego City Council
• Summer Stephan – San Diego County District Attorney
• Todd Gloria – Mayor, City of San Diego
• Matt Mahan – Mayor, City of San José
• Monica Montgomery Steppe – San Diego County Supervisor

Looking Forward

As the summit concluded, there was no mistaking the resolve in the room. The path to ending street homelessness will require courage, collaboration, and commitment at every level of government and community. DignityMoves is proud to join together with public and private partners to shine a light on interim housing and help lead the movement towards fast, cost-effective solutions to street homelessness.