Shoreline Community Services aiding the unsheltered in the Central Beach area is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year while holding its third annual Black-Tie Bingo community fundraiser at the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa on Friday, April 25.

General admission for the fundraising event from 6-10 p.m. at 3999 Mission Blvd. is $175, which includes cocktail hour, dinner, live music, a raffle, and, of course, bingo. This is a dress to impress black-tie optional affair. For more information, visit shorelinecs.org.

Caryn Blanton, SCS executive director, talked about joining the five-year-old organization in March 2020 and helping build it into what it’s become today.

“Before that, Shoreline was a meal service at St. Andrews by-the-sea Episcopal and Pacific Beach United Methodist churches,” she said, adding meal service alone “didn’t solve the problem.” Blanton said she wanted to take unsheltered support services to the next level, where “instead of just getting served meals, unsheltered people could get access to services they needed to get off the street.”

Those additional unsheltered services were provided once The Compass Station (formerly God’s Garage) opened at 1004 Chalcedony St. in PB on April 27, 2022. About Compass early on, Blanton noted, “I needed a year to get the foundation laid to make sure everything was running smoothly.”

Blanton added that SCS is the only homeless services facility, other than Downtown, that is neighborhood-based and driven. “It’s not just in our neighborhood but has been embraced by this community,” she said, adding, “We believe Compass is a model that can be used in other neighborhoods.”

Of black-tie bingo, Blanton noted it’s a lot of fun to get dressed up for a serious and important purpose. “People truly do come in tuxedos and sequined gowns for a gourmet dinner, live music, and raffle prizes,” she said, noting: “This year our funds are going to our Healthier Community Initiative. We’re not looking at homelessness as just a housing issue. It’s a healthcare issue. And we’ve put together a lot of things here to address those healthcare issues like nurses onsite, laundry and shower services, haircuts, even acupuncture and massage therapy. This is along with providing substance abuse and mental health services. It’s not just about providing referral pathways to housing.”

There’s an ongoing need in the beach community for the unsheltered services SCS provides. “In our first year, we were seeing 20 to 35 people every day,” noted Blanton. “Right now we’re seeing 40. Last week we had 73.”

SHORELINE COMMUNITY SERVICES

Annual Impact Report 2024 – Shoreline Community Services highlights how it’s addressing the unmet needs of unsheltered individuals in San Diego’s Central Beach Area. SCS strives to set an example of what it looks like when a neighborhood cares for those on the margins. Unfortunately, homeless numbers are rising. In light of that, SCS is grateful to be able to offer the resources and services that people need to change their circumstances. The community has joined SCS’ efforts – not waiting for others to come in and address the challenges, but finding creative ways to do it.

This year marks SCS’ third consecutive year of growth in connecting people with the services they need to leave the streets. At The Compass Station at 1004 Chalcedony St., the drop-in resource center, unsheltered individuals are connected with resources and services such as housing, county benefits, and healthcare. SCS provides funds for family reunification and bus passes for medical, legal, and employment appointments.

The Compass Station provides a place to do laundry, receive mail, charge devices, use computers to search for jobs and housing, and meet with volunteer nurses while waiting to meet with service providers. Thursdays at The Compass Station showcase the Wellness Program, which addresses issues of healthcare access and wellness through naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, and mental health professionals, as well as issues of hygiene, with access to hot showers and haircuts.

In 2024, Shoreline Services provided: Total encounters, 20,974; guest visits, 11,086; documents recovered, 339; new mail sign-ups, 453; County benefits, 91; healthcare/substance abuse connections, 309; housing connections, 414; laundry loads, 1,638; nurse appointments, 512; showers and haircuts, 1,368; acupuncture, naturopath appointments, 853; and bus passes, 285.