By Cassie N. Saunders, County of San Diego Communications Office
The County of San Diego has begun providing people displaced from their homes by the Jan. 22 flooding with up to 30-days of temporary lodging.
The first people transitioning are in two categories: Those already placed into short-term hotel rooms where supporting funding is now running out and those who have not been in hotels and may now need temporary lodging due to the Jan. 22 flood.
Work on these first placements started over the weekend and will continue through the week. It is being done in partnership with several nonprofit organizations who had been sheltering some of the displaced.
The County earlier identified many of those in need of lodging through a survey or their in-person visit to one of the Local Assistance Centers. Follow up contacts will continue through the week to understand their current needs.
People who were displaced by the Jan. 22 flooding and have not filled out the survey or visited a Local Assistance Center can call 2-1-1 to apply for the emergency lodging. These new applications will be accepted through Feb. 23.
When people submit a new application by calling 2-1-1, an operator will ask for information such as the location of their flooded home, pets, household size and medical needs that require accommodations. That information will be submitted by 2-1-1 to the County.
Due to the expected initial workload, there is no option to check on an application. Everyone who applies will be contacted, even if they were determined to be ineligible.
The County expects this program will provide temporary lodging for hundreds of households. No precise estimate is available.
It is anticipated some people identified earlier will have found accommodations on their own and others will be new to the program.
Funding is from a $10 million flood relief program unanimously approved Jan. 30, 2024, by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. The program was designed to follow State and Federal emergency response guidelines.
For more information about the flood response, visit https://www.alertsandiego.org/
