OCEANSIDE — The Oceanside City Council has approved a $170,000 contract to enhance outreach services at the city’s first year-round homeless shelter, including offering transportation to support the transition out of homelessness.
The Oceanside Navigation Center, which opened last year, is operated by the San Diego Rescue Mission under a contract with the city. While the city owns the facility, the rescue mission covers more than $1 million in annual operating costs through private funds.
On Aug. 21, the City Council approved a professional services agreement providing $170,000 to the shelter’s operator for additional outreach, assessment and referral services. These services aim to connect homeless individuals with resources and support to help them transition into shelter, housing or other supportive services through the navigation center and other community resources.
The agreement also includes transportation services for unhoused individuals to the navigation center and other service providers as needed.
Several locations throughout Oceanside have been designated access points where homeless individuals can seek assistance. These locations include the Oceanside Civic Center Library, John Landes Community Center, Country Club Senior Center and Libby Lake, Chavez, and Crown Heights community resource centers.
While the City Council unanimously approved the agreement, concerns were raised regarding the San Diego Rescue Mission’s faith-based nature. Housing Commissioner Rachel White urged the council to delay approval and send the deal back to the Housing Commission for further review, particularly regarding the treatment of LGBTQ individuals.
Mayor Esther Sanchez shared these concerns, noting that the San Diego Rescue Mission declined additional sensitivity training offered by the North County LGBTQ Resource Center. Both Sanchez and Councilmember Eric Joyce emphasized the need for city staff to closely monitor the rescue mission’s operations to ensure any complaints are addressed.
“If we want to actually make a dent in the homelessness issue, which affects every single one of us, we’ve got to invest in hiring folks to work on it directly,” Joyce said. “We’re already overworking the few that we have assigned to this, and as we’re adding services across the city, we need people to manage those appropriately and to make sure that the folks that would register a complaint have someone to actually complain to.”
Councilmember Peter Weiss noted that the San Diego Rescue Mission informed the City Council during the initial contract approval in 2021 that it provides staff training.
Some residents expressed concerns about the Christian faith-based organization imposing religious beliefs on those they serve.
Homeless Program Manager Sal Roman assured that the city closely monitors the navigation center’s operations and prohibits using city funds for religious purposes.
“This contract specifically addresses that topic and prohibits the use of these funds to be used for any religious purposes,” Roman said.
Sanchez also called for flexibility in the agreement to adjust the city’s outreach access points if needed, citing reports of increased demand for services in the city’s eastern part. Roman confirmed that the contract allows for changes in location as necessary.
