SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — In another move to address the needs of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of new sleeping cabins and a designated safe parking site for recreational vehicles.
An announcement by the board Wednesday said 150 sleeping cabins, referred to as the Jamacha sleeping cabins, will be located in Spring Valley at the intersection of Jamacha Road and the southbound state Route 125 off-ramp at 8534 Jamacha Road.
According to the board, the land is leased from the California Department of Transportation. There will also be 44 safe parking spaces.
Creating these cabins would allow the County to remove 150 rooms that are currently part of the Regional Homeless Assistance Program (RHAP) which, according to the board, currently have an estimated $9 million annual operating cost.
In addition to the Jamacha sleeping cabins, the board also approved the construction of the Willow RV Senior and Family Parking site, which is expected to start sometime next year. The site will be located in the unincorporated Lakeside community at the intersection of Willow Road and Ashwood Street.
An earlier concept design showed the site will have 17 total safe RV parking spaces, an office space, storage and restrooms. According to the board, it’s anticipated to serve 85 individuals each year.
Both projects are part of the Compassionate Emergency Solutions and Pathways to Housing plan approved by the board in February of 2022.
Designing and constructing the sleeping cabins is estimated to cost $18.5 million, while building the Willow RV Senior and Family Parking site is estimated to cost $4.9 million.
The annual cost of operating the Jamacha sleeping cabins is estimated between $5- to $6 million, compounded by an estimated annual operation cost of $860,000 for the 17 RV parking sites.
The board voted to accept $10 million in state funding to go toward building the Jamacha sleeping cabins.
The board said additional funding for both projects would come from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which was approved on Feb. 27 to support “one-time costs and operational costs for emergency housing efforts” through fiscal year 2026.
The most recent Point-in-Time (PIT) count, which collects the number of people living on the streets or staying in San Diego shelters in a single night, identified 10,264 homeless individuals in 2023. In addition, the PIT identified an estimated 200 people experiencing homelessness in the unincorporated areas of the county.