ESCONDIDO — The Escondido City Council has approved a request from Interfaith Community Services to repurpose its former emergency shelter beds for withdrawal management services at its headquarters on West Washington Avenue.
In a 3-2 vote on Feb. 19, the council approved an amendment to Interfaith’s conditional use permit, initially granted for Haven House, a 49-bed emergency shelter. The shelter closed over a year ago due to a lack of funding, leaving the beds unused.
Interfaith CEO Greg Anglea said the organization’s withdrawal program has been effective but is struggling with limited capacity.
“This program is working really, really well – the problem is it’s full,” Anglea told the council.
The program provides a 14-day treatment plan that includes intensive engagement, round-the-clock support, access to healthcare, substance abuse counseling, and mental health services. Participants are then connected to long-term treatment options.
Of the more than 200 individuals who entered the program last year, approximately 70% were homeless in Escondido. Overall, roughly 70% completed treatment and moved into longer-term care. In the past three months, Interfaith’s outreach teams have placed 45 people into the program, with only two failing to complete it, according to Anglea.
The decision follows a separate council vote last month that approved changes to Interfaith’s permit to address concerns that its services could contribute to issues such as loitering, littering, and increased emergency calls in the area.
Anglea said the program’s existing 10-bed facility generated just 11 calls for service last year—10 for medical reasons and one related to mental health. He urged the council to approve the expansion, emphasizing its urgency.
“This is an opportunity to help people change lives, to save lives, and to improve the entire community,” Anglea said.
He also pointed to the severity of the region’s substance abuse crisis, noting that Escondido has the highest rate of opioid and methamphetamine overdoses among North County cities. The 92027 ZIP code leads in fentanyl overdoses, while 92025 has the highest number of methamphetamine overdoses, he said.
Interfaith plans to fill up to 59 beds in the expanded program. The organization also provides transitional housing and recuperative care for unhoused individuals at its Turk Recuperative Care Center nearby and a family shelter at its Hawthorne Veteran and Family Resource Center.
While many residents and speakers at the council meeting supported the expansion, some voiced concerns that additional withdrawal beds could attract people from other cities. City leaders have previously questioned whether Interfaith primarily serves Escondido residents.
Anglea said the nonprofit prioritizes unsheltered individuals in Escondido and uses case management data to track participants. About 80% of those receiving services have ties to the city, either through family or residency, he said. However, the withdrawal program does not turn away individuals based on their city of origin.
Mayor Dane White, who has previously criticized Interfaith, acknowledged the improved relationship between the city and the nonprofit. He retracted a statement last year to the San Diego Union-Tribune, calling the relationship “beyond repair.”
“Every expectation that I had set forth has been met 100%,” White said. “There is now regular communication – it’s a totally different relationship.”
White, who motioned to approve the permit change, added conditions requiring Interfaith to track data on the program’s participants, including how many are from Escondido, where others come from, and how many complete treatments.
Deputy Mayor Consuelo Martinez and Councilmember Christian Garcia supported the measure.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” Martinez said.
Councilmembers Joe Garcia and Judy Fitzgerald voted against the amendment, citing concerns that it could attract more homeless individuals outside the city.
“I believe this will be an attraction,” Joe Garcia said, adding that Escondido must first address its growing homeless population.
Fitzgerald questioned how Interfaith determines whether an individual is from Escondido and said the city shoulders much of North County’s burden for homeless services.
White pushed back against concerns that the program would primarily serve people from outside the city.
“With respect to being from Escondido, we want to help those with ties here, who are from Escondido first, and I wholeheartedly stand by that,” White said. “However, in this particular situation, it can still be Escondido-prioritized. I know some of you are business owners, and I’d venture to say that if the individual sleeping in front of your store was willing to accept a bed, you probably wouldn’t care if they were born here or not.”
