SAN DIEGO – The San Diego County Board of Supervisors took action April 4 to urgently advance the county’s efforts to address homelessness, voting unanimously to expand an innovative program bringing homeless outreach services directly to the individuals and communities where they are most needed.
“We’re acting on all fronts to address rising homelessness,” Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said. “Today’s vote to grow our outreach fleet will make it easier and faster for the county to meet people where they are and help unhoused people to get connected to services, resources, and housing.”
Each vehicle is equipped with workstations, refrigerators that can store medication and vaccines, wheelchair lifts, ADA-compliant bathrooms, tables, chairs, pop-up tents, and secured Wi-Fi that allows for county staff and partnering agencies to print out secured documents such as EBT cards, identification cards, and legal documents for clients in real-time.
“I’ve heard overwhelmingly from my constituents, including those who are experiencing homelessness, that it is important to bring services to where people need them most. The Live Well on Wheels bus was critical to our success in transforming the Magnolia Ave. encampment in El Cajon from a place of human suffering into a safe parking lot that gives people hope and a future. I’m grateful to Lawson-Remer for her partnership today to add another tool in the county’s toolbelt to address the needs of unsheltered San Diegans,” said Supervisor Joel Anderson.
San Diego County launched the program in 2020 and has two LiveWoW vehicles currently in service. After seeing the program’s success in delivering health and social services outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawson-Remer and Anderson see the new homelessness-focused vehicle as an important tool in the region’s efforts to assist unsheltered residents.
In the last fiscal year, LiveWoW vehicles served 36,943 residents and participated in 44 homeless outreach events. The LiveWoW vehicles are increasingly in demand as cities and community organizations are expanding homeless outreach pop-up events and encampment resolution strategies.
The new LiveWoW vehicle will allow the county’s Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities to conduct more homeless outreach efforts countywide, including one-stop-shop events with access to case management, health education, public benefits, mental health and substance abuse treatment, primary care referrals, and access to hygiene kits, transportation, and basic essentials.
County residents and organizations can view upcoming times and locations where the LiveWoW vehicles will be providing services and can also request a LiveWoW vehicle to visit their community or event at livewellsd.org/content/livewell/home/community/live-well-on-wheels.html#RequestBus.
