A public-private partnership has expanded the number of available shelter beds for unhoused women and children at Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children by 160, it was announced Wednesday. The shelter is funded by the city of San Diego and operated by Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego through a contract with the San Diego Housing Commission. “For the second year in a row, unsheltered homelessness is down in San Diego, declining another 6.6% this year,” Mayor Todd Gloria said. “That progress comes from expanding shelter, strengthening outreach and helping more people move into permanent housing. These 160 new beds at Rachel’s Promise will help us build on that progress by giving more women and families a safe, dignified place to go and the support they need to find a permanent home.” According to the city, unhoused women will begin moving into the new shelter space next week. Women with children will start moving in within the next month. “This shelter shows what we can accomplish when the city, community partners and the private sector work together,” said City Councilman Stephen Whitburn, who represents downtown, where the shelter is located. “It gives some of our most vulnerable unhoused residents, including women, seniors and mothers with children, a safe place to stay and a path toward greater stability.” The program is funded by the city and has an annual budget of $5.6 million, which includes program operations and administrative expenses. With the expansion, the number of beds at Rachel’s Promise is increased to 210 — 110 beds for single women and 100 beds for women with children. The first 50 beds for women experiencing homelessness opened at the shelter last year. “Too often, families with children who are experiencing homelessness search for shelter, but there aren’t enough options available for them,” SDHC President and CEO Lisa Jones said. “The new beds at Rachel’s Promise will make a meaningful difference — offering women with children and single women a safe place to stay and the support they need to move toward a stable home of their own.” Property owners Dene Oliver and Jim McMillan worked with Catholic Charities on the site design and tenant improvements needed to expand and create semi-congregate and non-congregate shelter space designed to “enhance safety, privacy and dignity for women and children.” They also donated furniture and office equipment from the former office site. “For more than 42 years, Catholic Charities has accompanied women experiencing homelessness and housing instability through our Rachel’s programs, providing compassionate support, safety, and pathways as they journey toward stability and self-sufficiency,” Catholic Charities CEO Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor said. “The opening of Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children marks a transformational milestone in that mission. What began in 2022 as Rachel’s Promise with 40 beds has now grown into a comprehensive and one-of- a-kind center with 210 beds, allowing us, for the first time, to serve women and their children together.” According to the city, families staying at the shelter receive a safe place to sleep, meals, clothing, access to shower facilities, laundry and resources to find housing, public benefits and health care. Those staying at the shelter are referred by the Coordinated Shelter Intake Program, which SDHC administers. The percentage of women and girls experiencing homelessness in SDHC- administered shelter programs funded by the city and/or SDHC rose from 29.9% in fiscal year 2021 to 40.5% in Fiscal Year 2026, according to a statement from the housing commission. Last fiscal year, the intake program received 2,864 referrals for families seeking shelter, of which 58 were able to be accommodated, equating to a completion rate of 2%. Shelter referrals for families have increased 111% since FY 2025. ...read more read less