Backlash over Mayor Todd Gloria’s draft of the fiscal year 2027 budget, which calls for major cuts to services and programs, continues. The cuts are proposed in an effort to close a $118 million deficit.

While funding for police and fire is protected under the budget draft released Wednesday, other areas are being slashed, including eliminating City funding for the Neil Good Day Center, a homeless shelter operated by Father Joe’s Villages.

At this time, the center is open seven days a week: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends.

Each year, the center reports that 7,000 individuals are served.

“There are basic services that we have here. Such as the 30,000 showers that we were able to dispense last year to individuals, we also have laundry services here, we have storage facility here as well. This is the address of record for many people. So, this is where they get their mail,” Deacon Jim Vargas, the President and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages, said.

Vargas told CBS 8 that the elimination of City funding means operations will be dramatically reduced.

“With the loss of the City funding, they fund about $850,000-900,000 worth of the operational expenses here. We put in about $500,000. We, Father Joe’s Villages, through philanthropy. If we lose the City’s piece of it, then, obviously, the services would have to be curtailed tremendously,” Vargas said.

Should the proposed budget move forward, CBS 8 is told that the center will likely be forced to cut the hours of operation and completely stop services on weekends.

In a statement shared with CBS 8, Mayor Todd Gloria’s office stated: “Getting homeless residents off the street and into care is one of San Diegans’ top concerns, and it’s one of Mayor Gloria’s top priorities. That’s why he has prioritized homelessness funding in his draft budget. We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing. And even funding for shelter is at risk. The fact is, the drafting of this budget involved extremely difficult decisions, such as funding services like those provided at this site or staffing a fire station. There is valuable work and valuable city employees that will be cut in this budget. This is the hard reality we face.”

The Mayor will present the $6.8 billion proposed budget to the San Diego City Council on Monday morning.

The budget will be discussed, debated and amended until June 9, the City’s deadline for adopting a final budget.