Key Failures That Led to San Diego's Homeless Crisis

San Diego has one of the largest homeless populations in the country. Years of neglect by the city has led to a recent Hepatitis A outbreak, killing 20 people to date. Poverty lawyer Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi identifies eight failures by the city.

1 minute read

November 3, 2017, 11:00 AM PDT

By wadams92101


California Homeless

welcomia / Shutterstock

  • 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.

Friday, October 27, 2017 in UrbDeZine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive