The San Diego Convention Center has been turned into one of the largest homeless shelters in Southern California in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. At the end of last week about 1,200 homeless people were staying there, while others continue to live on the streets.
These photos offer a glimpse into life for San Diego’s homeless residents from the inside and outside of the convention center. They were taken for a story inewsource did on how San Diego police have increased the ticketing of homeless residents during the pandemic compared to last year.
Wanita Long packs up blankets after sleeping on an area of dirt near the Interstate 5 ramp at 17th Street in San Diego, May 20, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)A man who didn’t want to give his name yawns in the early morning while sitting on 16th Street in San Diego, May 20, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)A San Diego police truck drives down 16th Street at dawn on May 20, 2020, with an officer telling the homeless people through a speaker to wake up. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)Dustin Boyle, left, and Zachary Markovich talk before dawn on 16th Street in San Diego, May 20, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)Yolanda Gamiño’s bed, one of the most ornate in the Alpha Project section of the San Diego Convention Center shelter, is shown on May 21, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)Yolanda Gamiño puts her feet up on her bed at the San Diego Convention Center to relax after a work shift for Wheels of Change, a program run by the Alpha Project, May 21, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)Deborah Jackson, who’s been homeless for five years, uses a nebulizer to take albuterol for her asthma and COPD, May 21, 2020. Jackson has been staying in the Alpha Project section of the San Diego Convention Center since late April. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)Sylvia Saliman makes her bed in the Alpha Project section of the San Diego Convention Center, May 21, 2020. Saliman had been staying at the Alpha Project temporary bridge shelter for more than two years before moving into the convention center.
Vernon Wellington sits with his belongings while cooking breakfast on 17th Street in San Diego, May 20, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)Eddie Richardson, who says he’s a Vietnam War veteran, looks at his phone while sitting next to his bike on 16th Street in San Diego, May 20, 2020. (Zoë Meyers/inewsource)
Zoë Meyers is a photo and video journalist at inewsource. Zoë loves working as a visual journalist because it gives her the privilege of witnessing moments in people's personal lives and in our community that can enhance our understanding of important stories. When she's not behind the camera,...
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