Homelessness is a critical issue impacting multiple sectors of our community. Eradicating homelessness is a high priority for the City of San Diego.

In collaboration with other public and private organizations, the City works to pursue an overall systematic approach to prevent and eliminate homelessness in the City of San Diego. The City focuses on helping homeless individuals and families make the transition to permanent housing and independent living through programs and supportive services.

One of the goals included in the City's FY 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan is to "Assist individuals and families stabilize in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness by providing client-appropriate housing and supportive service solutions."

The City actively participates in the San Diego Regional Continuum of Care Council. The mission of the Council is to engage stakeholders in a community-based process that works to:

• End homelessness for all individuals and families throughout the region
• Address the underlying causes of homelessness
• Lessen the negative impact of homelessness on individuals, families and communities

San Diego is also participating in the federal 25 Cities effort. Led by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the aim of this effort is to assist 25 communities in accelerating and aligning their existing efforts toward the creation of coordinated assessment and entry systems, laying the foundation for ending all homelessness, including homelessness among Veterans, in these communities.

With support from technical assistance providers, leaders and teams from each community optimize access to existing housing opportunities, in turn accelerating the number of permanent housing placements each month for Veterans experiencing homelessness and individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. This supports community teams in setting aggressive 100-day "Rapid Results" goals - and in using these goals to stimulate innovation and increase collaboration.