EL CAJON, Calif. (KERO) — Residents in El Cajon, a city in San Diego County, voiced their concerns about issues in their community after a string of crimes that police claim are linked to the county's Homeless Voucher Program.
The San Diego Homeless Voucher Program program allows some people who are unhoused to temporarily move into hotels.
Residents met for the second time in a series of four town halls to discuss the issues. The city says that once the series is finished, a formal report will be made.
According to the El Cajon Police Department, calls for service related to homelessness have increased dramatically over the last eight years, jumping from more than 2,000 calls in 2013 to around 7,000 in recent years. One officer pointed to Prop 47 as part of the problem. The proposition passed in 2014, reducing some felonies to misdemeanors for specified low-level drug and property crimes.
"I don't think you're going to curtail the crime one way or the other, whether they're going to do that with the voucher in a hotel or whether they're going to do that wherever else they are camping at," said El Cajon resident Mickie Davis.
The City of El Cajon says it provides the most housing resources for people experiencing homelessness out of any other city in San Diego County per capita. Some people speculate that the high level of resources is actually attracting homelessness, however.
