A downtown San Diego shelter for homeless women and children just got a whole lot bigger. Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children has expanded from 50 beds to 210, adding 160 new beds through a public-private partnership as the city scrambles to keep pace with a surge in families losing housing.
The expansion, reported by NBC 7 San Diego, brings the facility to 110 beds for single women and 100 beds for women with children. The shelter is operated by Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego, through a contract with the San Diego Housing Commission, and it is funded by the City of San Diego. According to the city, unhoused women are expected to begin moving into the new space next week, with women and their children following within the next month.
The need is stark. The Coordinated Shelter Intake Program, administered by the San Diego Housing Commission, received 2,864 referrals for families seeking shelter last fiscal year, but only managed to actually place 58 families — a completion rate of just 2%. Citywide, shelter referrals for families have increased 111% since fiscal year 2025, according to the same report.
A Program That Started With 40 Beds
Rachel’s Promise began in 2022 with just 40 beds, part of Catholic Charities’ broader Rachel’s Programs network that also runs Rachel’s Women’s Center, a drop-in day facility offering showers, meals, laundry and case management. Catholic Charities CEO Appaswamy “Vino” Pajanor said the program has grown from those original 40 beds all the way to 210. Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who represents downtown San Diego, said the shelter gives vulnerable unhoused residents “a safe place to stay and a path toward greater stability.”…