By: Barbara Bry (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Building additional housing — by itself — is not enough to end homelessness.

In 2012, Todd Gloria told San Diegans he would “end chronic homelessness downtown in four years.”

Instead, it increased.

While Gloria served on the City Council, over 9,000 single room occupancy (SRO) units — many of them downtown — were lost. When you lose 9,000 SRO units and allow — by failing to enforce existing city zoning requirements — up to 16,000 single-family homes plus hundreds of apartments and condominiums to be turned into short-term vacation rentals, you reduce housing supply and increase housing costs. We have about 5,500 unsheltered individuals in the city of San Diego. You do the math.

We need to stop the political grandstanding, offering promises of overnight solutions, and admit this is a difficult and complex problem. Press conferences and slogans will not solve it. I have argued we need a data-driven, comprehensive and collaborative approach that addresses the real causes of homelessness.

One recent study from the Los Angeles Times showed that 46% of those living on the streets had substance abuse problems and 51% had mental health issues. Another study out of UCLA reported substance abuse and mental health concerns at 75% and 78%, respectively.

The new plan commissioned by the San Diego Housing Commission, while not perfect, finally suggests options to Gloria’s unsuccessful approach. The Housing Commission plan recognizes both the legal and moral imperative that we provide safe alternative shelter. But it also recognizes that success is dependent upon dedicated teams of mental health professionals, drug rehabilitation specialists, vocational trainers, and broadly educated law enforcement officers to deal with the issues at the root of homelessness.

Over a decade, Gloria’s view of homelessness as principally a housing problem has dug a deep and dangerous hole that has swallowed the homeless in a cycle of hopelessness and threatens the health and safety of our entire community.

When you are in a hole, it’s usually smart to stop digging. We still have a difficult climb ahead of us. A good first step is to accept the failure of past policies and to make mental illness, drug addiction and public safety our priorities moving forward.