VISTA — Faith-based homelessness nonprofit San Diego Rescue Mission will be the new citywide street outreach service provider for the city of Vista, replacing a contract held for the last four years by provider Exodus Recovery.
The Vista City Council approved a 12-month contract with San Diego Rescue Mission on Tuesday in a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Corinna Contreras opposed. The organization will spend the next two months hiring and training staff and connecting with partner organizations, with plans to hit the ground running before the end of the year.
San Diego Rescue Mission offers several services throughout San Diego County, including two shelters — the Oceanside Navigation Center and South County Lighthouse in National City — a street outreach contract with MainSreet Oceanside, a mobile shower program and community meals.
Paul Armstrong, vice president of programs at San Diego Rescue Mission, said the organization plans to respond to Vista’s complex problem of homelessness with a complex solution that meets the needs of each person.
“What’s our goal? We want to work ourselves out of a job,” said Armstrong. “Ultimately, we want to change the state of homelessness in Vista.”
San Diego Rescue Mission’s $500,000 contract requires them to assist Vista individuals experiencing homelessness by helping them obtain permanent housing, referring them to shelters, mental health, addiction, employment and food services, helping them become document-ready and operating a hotline for those in need of assistance.
They will also be required to collaborate with the city’s homeless outreach team, Vista COPPS Unit, county Health and Human Services Agency and other providers and attend regular local and regional meetings to provide updates related to homelessness response.
Vista leaders are also requiring extensive data reporting and documentation regarding their services, including a by-name list to track all individuals experiencing homelessness in Vista and the services they receive, as well as intake and exit information and demographic information.
Last year, the city expressed dissatisfaction with data reporting from their shelter and street service providers, especially after receiving data indicating that many homeless Vistans were being turned away from shelters due to a lack of beds.
“One of the things that we lacked with our current service provider was information, and when we requested it, we were not able to get the information we requested,” said Councilmember Dan O’Donnell.
City staff said they received three proposals for the city outreach contract and recommended San Diego Rescue Mission based on their plans for robust data reporting. Other proposals were submitted by Social Work Action Group (SWAG) out of Riverside and Retread Inc., which operates the low-barrier Buena Creek Navigation Center that opened in Vista earlier this year.
Armstrong assured the city that they are committed to providing clear data and to the required reporting through databases like the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), MissionTracker, Community Information Exchange, and EPONIC.
“We are gonna work with the city on having a by-name list. That means we’re focusing on quality, not just quantity. We need to know who people are, so we can be addressing and making sure we’re getting them the right resources,” Armstrong said.
The city’s current contract with Exodus Recovery ends Oct. 31.
Some council members raised concerns about Rescue Mission’s focus on Christianity and the requirement that all employees sign a statement of faith. Contreras said she didn’t like the idea of using city money for a contract that excludes individuals with different religious beliefs.
“It is a point of contention for me, because I see us providing public dollars, and there is a process that’s barring folks who may have a different religious view, which doesn’t change who they are as a person or the services they provide,” Contreras said.
Other council members grilled Armstrong about how the organization will ensure sensitive treatment of LGBTQIA+ individuals, who make up a large portion of the homeless population. San Diego Rescue Mission faced similar questions when they were approved as the shelter operator for Oceanside back in 2021.
Armstrong said while the organization does require all employees to sign a statement of faith, clients are not required to participate in any faith-based services, such as the Mission Academy, if they don’t want to. He added that employees are required to treat all individuals with respect, regardless of who they are.
“Our expectation is that members of the LGBTQ community are gonna feel that they’re cared for the same as every person. We’re happy to be held accountable to that,” Armstrong said.
He said the organization is also planning to participate in employee training with the San Diego LGBT Community Center next month before starting work in the city.
Councilmember Joe Green suggested, and the council agreed, that the contract be reviewed in four months to ensure that San Diego Rescue Mission is meeting the city’s standards.
Mayor John Franklin said he is confident that Rescue Mission will serve all clients with respect.
“In the many interactions I’ve now had with the Rescue Mission, I’ve never seen anybody treated with anything but the utmost respect and dignity,” Franklin said.
In addition to the Buena Creek Navigation Center, homeless individuals in Vista can be referred to Operation HOPE in Vista, Haven House in Escondido, and La Posada in Carlsbad. The city provides funding to the Alliance for Regional Solutions shelter network to use beds for its residents.
The city previously provided a flat $200,000 annual payment to be included in the shelter network but adjusted this funding to a per-diem model last fall, paying only for beds that are actually utilized by Vista residents.
San Diego Rescue Mission would not be able to refer Vista clients to their shelter in Oceanside due to a service agreement requiring it to be used solely for Oceanside residents. However, Armstrong said he is open to discussing a more collaborative approach to regional shelter bed sharing in the future.
Vista also operates a safe parking lot at the Civic Center for homeless individuals and families living in their vehicles.
