In January, Encinitas plans to stop sending its homeless people to the Buena Creek Navigation Center, a shelter program that the city has been sharing with Vista for two years.
Plans are now in the works to use San Diego Rescue Mission’s South County Lighthouse facility in National City instead.
During its regular meeting Wednesday, the Encinitas City Council unanimously voted to direct city staff to put together a draft contract with the Rescue Mission, giving Encinitas “exclusive use” of up to 12 beds at the South County Lighthouse facility. Council members also asked city employees to end the city’s partnership agreement with Vista and the accompanying contract with the Buena Creek facility’s managers.
This end-of-the-year contract shift to the Rescue Mission facility works out well from a timing perspective, Encinitas council members said, mentioning that Vista recently has indicated that it wants to start using the entire Buena Creek center.
“Buena Creek Navigation Center served its purpose, and I think we’re moving up from there,” Mayor Bruce Ehlers said.
Under the terms of the current agreement between the two cities, Encinitas has exclusive use of 12 of the 48 beds at the Buena Creek shelter, while Vista gets the rest. Encinitas pays 25% of the operating costs, or an estimated $488,758 in the most recent fiscal year.
However, the amount Encinitas is expected to pay is forecast to increase to $715,000 this coming year, Encinitas homeless programs coordinator Crystal Pugh said. That’s because the facility is planning to add staff and purchase a vehicle to transport clients, among other things, she said.
In contrast, the San Diego Rescue Mission proposal would cost Encinitas $318,000 a year for the same number of beds, she said. Part of the reason it’s cheaper is that Encinitas only will need to pay for the beds if it has placed people in them, unlike the Buena Creek facility where the city pays a set rate regardless of whether the beds are occupied, Pugh said.
Councilmember Luke Shaffer said the Rescue Mission proposal “makes too much sense right now,” while Councilmember Marco San Antonio said the lower costs also are due to the fact that the Rescue Mission has been in business for some 70 years, while the Buena Creek facility only opened in 2024.
Guest take a self guided tour of the San Diego Rescue Mission’s newest shelter, the South County Lighthouse in 2024. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Benefits of the Rescue Mission program include that it will accept families, it has a new medical services program and it offers transportation to clients, council members said. However, there are downsides, some council members said.
One is that it’s in National City, not in the North County region, and another is that it has a 30-day stay limit, Councilmember Joy Lyndes said. The Buena Creek facility allows people to stay for up to 120 days.
Concerns about the 30-day stay limit and the 30-mile distance to the National City facility also were raised by several audience members.
“I hope there’s some flexibility in there,” Encinitas housing advocate Bob Kent said of the 30-day stay limit.
In response to council questions, a Rescue Mission representative said that there will be other Rescue Mission-organized options that homeless people can transition into once their 30-day period at the Lighthouse shelter comes to an end. Also, he said, the Rescue Mission is “activity looking” for a North County shelter location and has money set aside for this project.
Encinitas City Manager Jennifer Campbell, who said she has already toured the National City facility and found it very nice, said city employees expect to have a proposed contract with the Rescue Mission ready for a City Council vote at the Oct. 14 meeting.