For over 40 years, Interfaith Community Services has positively impacted hundreds of thousands of lives in our local community. Interfaith’s Escondido headquarters located at 550 W Washington Avenue provides a continuum of critical services for local community members in need, spanning from basic needs of food and hygiene to medical and behavioral health services, housing assistance, free tax preparation for low-income families, employment support, and addiction treatment services. Recent actions by the City of Escondido threaten these operations and risk increasing poverty, hunger, and homelessness in Escondido.  

At the February 28 Escondido City Council meeting, over the objections of every community member who spoke on that matter, the Council voted 4-1 to adopt a Homelessness Policy drafted by a subcommittee made up of two members: Mayor Dane White and Councilmember Joe Garcia. The policy was drafted with no community input, and a previously unpublished amendment was added just before the vote, directing staff to explore a moratorium on homeless services and shelter within six blocks of downtown Escondido. This “buffer zone” includes Interfaith’s 550 W. Washington Avenue headquarters and service center, as well as our 106-bed Turk Recuperative Care Center.   

The action of City Council may be reasonably interpreted as steps to potentially shut down social services that helped more than 20,000 people in North County last year. Eliminating or even reducing the critical services Interfaith provides will increase homelessness in Escondido. Last year Interfaith ended homelessness for 1,468 people. Interfaith also prevented homelessness for 1,602 individuals through rental assistance and case management services.  

In response, Interfaith Community Services is supporting the creation of a Citizen’s Task Force on Homelessness in Escondido. This Task Force will do what City leadership has failed to do. It will bring together a diversity of perspectives and voices, including business leaders, concerned citizens, faith communities, persons with lived homeless experience, service providers, and if they are willing to participate, City staff and leaders. This Citizens Task Force will consider and bring forward sensible solutions and strategies to reduce homelessness in Escondido.  

We need your voice to either share your concerns directly with our Council members or join our citizens’ task force. Join us as we bring together a diversity of community members to make the community’s voices heard on these critical issues. If you’re interested please fill out the submission form below!