Shamrock: San Diego County and Dreams for Change, for putting to immediate use underutilized government-owned property as safe parking site ahead of future senior housing

For opening a new overnight safe parking site in Grantville serving up to 20 families and individuals living in their cars. Operated by Dreams for Change, the site provides dinner and breakfast, YMCA shower access, case management, and connections to housing, employment, and health services. The property will eventually become senior housing, but construction won’t begin until late 2026, making this an effective interim use of government-owned property to address homelessness immediately. County safe parking programs have proven effective; the Spring Valley and El Cajon sites have served more than 260 individuals, with roughly 52% transitioning to permanent housing. While living in a car is far from optimal, for many it is meaningfully better than trying to survive on the streets.

Shamrock: San Diego County & District Attorney Summer Stephan, for creating “Shelter Ready” app to show shelter bed availability in real-time 

For launching the “Shelter Ready” mobile app, which allows outreach workers to locate and reserve shelter beds in minutes, much like searching for hotel room availability online. Previously, outreach workers had to make phone calls to a multitude of shelters to check if any open beds were available—an archaic process that often took hours if not days. The new app shows real-time availability, including beds that meet specific needs (e.g., pet-friendly, ADA access), enabling faster placements and reducing barriers to shelter.

The District Attorney‘s office also expanded outreach efforts that connect people experiencing homelessness with services, supported in part by a food truck provided by the Lucky Duck Foundation, which has helped knock down barriers to housing and employment opportunities they could not otherwise knock down.

Shipwreck: State of California, for creating a “voluntary” court for people too sick to volunteer, a highly ineffective effort  

“CARE Court,” introduced in 2022 as a mechanism to compel treatment for people with severe untreated psychotic disorders, has fallen short on implementation. 

Launched in 2022 with the promise of serving 12,000 Californians annually, Governor Newsom’s CARE Court has collapsed into ineffective bureaucracy. As of October 2025, only 706 individuals had enrolled statewide out of 3,092 petitions – despite Governor Newsom projecting that as many as 12,000 people would be eligible for the new program. 

It is effectively toothless, and the funding isn’t clear, leaving counties unclear about how to implement, and they can easily wiggle out of serving those who are very ill. Though San Diego County was an early adopter, the County says the State’s legislation does not authorize mandatory treatment, so participation is voluntary. The program has generated little progress, leaving many people in crisis on the streets without necessary care.

By failing to authorize mandatory treatment or a legal pathway to conservatorship for those who fail the program, the State has created a ‘voluntary’ court for people too sick to volunteer. Meanwhile, local police departments are retreating from mental health calls due to liability, and counties are refusing to act without clearer state funding. The result is a system that offers no entry for the isolated, no exit for the gravely disabled, and little to no help for the thousands dying on our streets.