Key Failures That Led to San Diego's Homeless Crisis

• Failing to protect tenants receiving housing assistance from discrimination
• Failing to implement federal anti-segregation guidelines
• Failing to protect existing single room occupancy (SRO) housing stock

These failures are just a few of the failures in the city of San Diego identified by poverty lawyer Parisa Ijadi-Maghsood. These failures have caused the city to have one of the largest homeless populations in the country—and the largest relative to the city's size. Currently, the city is experiencing a Hepatitis A epidemic, arising and largely afflicting the city's homeless population—killing 20 people. The outbreak has been attributed to fecal exposure and the city's primary response has been to wash down the sidewalks in its downtown. Prior to the outbreak, the city largely failed even to provide public restroom facilities leading to rampant public defecation on its downtown sidewalks. "Relative to other cities, San Diego is neglecting and ignoring its ever expanding homelessness and housing affordability crisis," writes Ijadi-Maghsood. For the eight failures that have led to the city's homeless crisis and Hepatitis outbreak, please see the source article.