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Desire Navas' childhood is unfolding on the streets of San Diego's East Village. Her neighbors are 1,100 other homeless who sleep outside on the sidewalks. Transcript for audioclip 33150

At about 4 feet tall with brown curly ponytails, Desire Navas is homeless. Just 7 years old, her childhood is unfolding on the streets of downtown San Diego.

"We sleep in cots, and then there’s a row, like a row of people to sleep," explained Desire, whose round, smooth face shows her young age.

She spends her days in school and her nights in God's Extended Hand emergency shelter, located in an old rundown, two-story building on the corner of Imperial Avenue and 16th Street. Desire and her mom line up at 6 every night, along with dozens of other desperate people, hoping to get a place to sleep when the shelter doors open at 8 p.m.

"I wait for a long time for the doors to open," said Desire. "And I'm always tired when I wake up in the morning."

In addition to long lines, communal bathrooms and meals are part of her regular routine.

"When I have good stuff to eat I always eat it," she said, noting that spaghetti and meatballs are her favorite. But on this morning, the previous night's hotdog wrapped in tinfoil and stored in her backpack would have to suffice.

Desire’s big brown eyes watch everything in her East Village community along the outskirts of the soaring city skyline. Her neighbors are 1,100 other homeless who sleep outside on the sidewalks — a population that has doubled from last year, according to a count by the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

With all her belongings stuffed in her backpack, Desire’s half-mile walk from the shelter to her school leads her past rows of makeshift tents that overflow with soiled clothes and trash. The pavement reeks of urine, feces and pot — a situation her mom, Brandy Hill, is desperately trying to escape.

"I don’t want my daughter to think that this is all life is. Is just live homeless," Hill said. "She’s never been able to keep a friend. It’s always time to go."

Homeless Families Crowd Shelters

Desire and her mom are not alone.

In the East County, a two-story former motel shelters 65 families and 150 children, along with dozens of single adults. Herald Brown is CEO of the Transitional Living Center in El Cajon.

"We have about 100 to 120 people on a waiting list," Brown said. "So if a family comes in and they need shelter, we do an intake with them. We find out what’s going on with them, a contact information so we can get back with them, and we add them to the list."

Dozens of families also stay at the San Diego Rescue Mission located downtown. Moms pushing babies with toddlers in tow, begin lining up for a bed at 5:30 every night.

"When we reach capacity, we have to actually turn people away," said Tiffany Newby, director of the emergency overnight shelter. "And that could be single women or a mother with children."

Across downtown, the wait to get a room at St. Vincent de Paul’s Village: months-long. Deacon Jim Vargas said at least 100 people or families are always on the waiting list.

"And at times it’s gone much higher," Vargas said. "Well, I shouldn’t say it’s gone much higher. To be quite frank, people don’t even get on the list after 100 because they think it’s fruitless."

While the organizations are doing everything possible to avoid turning people away, there are simply not enough beds to go around.

Around 20,000 people across the county have depended at one time or another on homeless services over the last year. The Regional Task Force the Homeless reports more than half of those served, 12,000, were newly homeless.

Housing Crisis Fueling Homelessness

Behind the issue lies an intricate imbalance. A surging homeless population is converging with the county's housing crisis. A severe housing shortage has led to low vacancies and sky-high rents. And to make matters worse, those with housing vouchers have nowhere to use them. It’s pushing more people onto the streets, such as Charles Noonen, 61, who is newly homeless. He just couldn't keep up with rent.

"I've been working my whole life," Noonen said. "I pay taxes and everything, and I expect to get some help. And I haven't gotten it."

Emergency services case manager, Jorge Orozco with Catholic Charities, said rising numbers of desperate people are coming to the charity’s various doors. He said many of those in need of help are disabled and receive a federal disability income of about $900 a month — not nearly enough for a place to live in one of the most expensive regions in the nation.

"What happens is those clients will go into a hotel for three weeks ‘cause that’s what they can afford, and they spend that last week out on the streets."

Homeless service workers and political leaders alike are vowing in this new year to join together to tackle homelessness.

"We have a serious challenge on our hands," said Dolores Diaz, executive director of the Regional Task Force On the Homeless, which is merging with the Regional Continuum of Care Council’s Governance Board.

Diaz said a strategy to alleviate homelessness will be unveiled soon.

"What the plan will include is very specific actionable steps for our community to increase the stock of permanent supportive housing, for example," Diaz said. "Do I feel it’s going to get worse before it gets better? It may."

Not very comforting words for those like Brandy Hill and her daughter Desire who have been waiting a year-and-a-half for permanent housing. Yet despite circumstances, they remain hopeful.

"My hope is to have a regular routine, allowing my daughter to sleep at night comfortably in her own bed, in her own room."

"And my own box to put my toys in," Desire chimed in.

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