![\"Sleeping](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sut-l-expanded-shelter-001.jpg\")
Sleeping pods and family rooms on both the 2nd floor and 3rd floor at Rachel\u2019s Promise Center for Women and Children on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in downtown San Diego, CA.\u00a0 (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nA long delayed expansion of a downtown San Diego shelter for homeless women and children has finished, officially opening in a ceremony attended on Wednesday by Mayor Todd Gloria.<\/p>\n
The shelter, Rachel\u2019s Promise for Women and Children, held 50 beds previously. It now houses 210 beds along with a kitchen, dining hall, laundry room, lounge, bathrooms, showers, pet crates and a play area for kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will surely help more people get off the streets. And not just temporarily, but for good,\u201d Gloria said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re doing it in a way that I think reflects the class, the pride of this community. It certainly is at a higher standard than what we have traditionally done.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new facility inside the shell of the historic Eagle\u2019s Hall building on the 700 block of Eighth Avenue features sleek, modern infrastructure and furnishings.<\/p>\n
In the building\u2019s atrium, the floor is filled with bunk beds that are surrounded by private rooms of varied size that can accommodate four to eight people. Some include a stand-alone twin bed for children. Beds and rooms wrap around the atrium in tiers of the three-story building.<\/p>\n
Sleeping pods and family rooms on both the 2nd floor and 3rd floor at Rachel\u2019s Promise Center for Women and Children on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in downtown San Diego, CA.\u00a0 (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to create a model and that\u2019s why there\u2019s so much detail in everything you see,\u201d said Catholic Charities Spokesperson Kimberly Ortiz. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like a shelter and it was made to not feel like one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Big upgrade<\/p>\n
At the official opening the majority of beds were empty; the facility had not expanded to its new capacity as of Friday. Originally, the hope was to have 160 more women and children\u00a0moved in by Thanksgiving 2025.<\/a> As of Tuesday, The city\u2019s housing commission did not provide a timeline of when they would move in. A press release stated that would happen this week.<\/p>\n But for those who were in place, the expansion is a big upgrade. For over a year, 50 women slept on bunk beds in an area that\u2019s now a computer\/community room decorated with mid-century modern couches and chairs.<\/p>\n Kimberley Edmonds, 53, said she\u2019s been at Rachel\u2019s Promise for almost three months. She became homeless after her mother died and, later, she fled domestic violence. Facing some legal issues and the prospect of having to live on the streets as a vulnerable woman, she called 211 for help.<\/p>\n Since her arrival at Rachel\u2019s Promise, Edmonds said she got help with her legal obligations, found a job at a National City Ross Dress for Less, sleeps well every night and feels safe for the first time in years. If it was not for Rachel\u2019s Promise, Edmonds said, she\u2019d likely be dead.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d probably be with my mom,\u201d she said. \u201cI promised one of my sons that I\u2019d give it one last shot, trying to get on my feet again. That\u2019s what this is, I actually have a job and I\u2019m going to be human tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Funding cuts<\/p>\n The San Diego Housing Commission unanimously approved the project<\/a> in February 2025 at a budget of about $5.3 million per year. Those funds go to Catholic Charities to run the shelter\u2019s daily operations. The city still handles the facility\u2019s intake, deciding who will stay there.<\/p>\n Because its funds come from the city, Rachel\u2019s Promise must still adhere to the city\u2019s policy for shelters, which includes allowing pets, removing faith requirement barriers and recognizing anyone that identifies as a woman when considering intake.<\/p>\n The shelter\u2019s new capacity is part of the city\u2019s continued efforts to use a housing-first philosophy towards homelessness. The approach centers on a research-backed approach that housing someone first, even temporarily, can make it easier for them to find jobs, get treatment and permanent shelter.<\/p>\n A debate about housing-first or treatment-first approaches has been ongoing for years, but recently has heated up. On Aug. 12, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced policy guidelines<\/a> for local officials to prioritize treatment-first programs through faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n![\"Kimberly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sut-l-expanded-shelter-002.jpg\")
Kimberly Edmonds shares her story about arriving at the Rachel\u2019s Promise Center for Women and Children in downtown San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n