SAN DIEGO—The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 27 to declare homelessness a public health crisis, directing the county chief administrative officer to work with city governments and the Regional Task Force on Homelessness on a regional approach to tackling the issue.
Officials have discussed the lack of affordable housing for decades, and they say the crisis has been exacerbated in recent years by the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing low wages relative to inflation.
Board Vice Chairwoman Nora Vargas, who proposed the declaration with Chairman Nathan Fletcher, said she did so with “a really heavy heart” and said it was “really something I wish we didn’t have to do.”…