It’s hard to miss.
Along city sidewalks in downtown San Diego, in front of malls in Oceanside, sprawled across open areas near South Bay freeway on-ramps, homeless encampments have become a more frequent sight throughout San Diego County in recent months.
Why there are more, or even if the large encampments mean the homeless population itself has increased, is unclear.
The numbers of people on the street could be greater because fewer people have been arrested and jailed for minor offenses during the pandemic. Or maybe people from other states are moving to San Diego after hearing about shelters and services here.