San Diego is home to around 10,000 people experiencing homelessness and although recent data shows a decrease in the unhoused population, it continues to be a big issue for many. As the holiday season approaches, thousands of families are forced to sleep in their cars, shelters, and on the streets.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, one of the main causes of homelessness in San Diego is the high cost of living. Many residents who work full time still struggle to afford basic housing, which leads to evictions and instability (sandiegouniontirbune.com).
An article about the main causes of homelessness explained that there are many other reasons aside from the high cost of living, such as mental illness, substance abuse, and unemployment, which all contribute to the problem by creating barriers that further prevent people from stable housing (sandiego.edu).
According to a website about homelessness and health, people who are unhoused often go several days without a proper meal, struggle to find safe places to sleep and lack essential hygiene products. They explain, “…people experiencing homelessness are at heightened risk for infectious disease” (healthaffairs.org).
Relieving people experiencing homelessness of this struggle and preventing the causes is no easy feat; however, Freshman Aaliyah Colmenares said, “I would donate to the homeless foundation and help pass out food to the homeless in need.”
As winter approaches, those facing homelessness will only face more hardships as exposure to cold temperatures leads to illness and even death. According to NPR, “…cold-related illnesses include many health problems such as hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, or chilblains, that occur when the body becomes too cold.” Due to the lack of warm shelter, clothing, and food, many deaths occur during winter (npr.org). Senior Michelle Salgado said, “I could hand out hot cocoa and pass out blankets to help keep people warm and, if I had money, I would buy some of them [nights at] hotels.”
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) reported that in San Diego in 2025, “9,905 people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County on a single night, a 7 percent decrease from the previous year. Of that total, 5,181 were unsheltered and 4,724 were in shelters or transitional housing. This Point-in-Time count is a snapshot taken on one night in January” (rtfhsd.otg).
The National Institutes of Health stated, “…epidemiological studies have consistently found that only about 25–30 percent of homeless persons have a severe mental illness” (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).