Five homeless individuals with disabilities – including a single mother with minor children – and an association serving them, Food Not Bombs, filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego and County of San Diego for failure to provide access to hotel rooms for homeless individuals amid COVID-19. The lawsuit also claims that the City and County discriminate on the basis of disability, race, and familial status in its administration of homeless programs and services. 

Under San Diego’s homeless programs and using state and federal funds, hotel and motel rooms were supposed to be provided to high-risk homeless individuals. The complaint alleges however, that when high-risk homeless individuals sought help, the City and County withheld available hotel and motel rooms and pushed high-risk homeless individuals into a single, congregate setting at the San Diego Convention Center.

The lawsuit asks the court to decide whether the City and County failed to protect homeless individuals with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Plaintiffs also seek that the City and County provide motel and hotel rooms for homeless individuals who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 so that they do not suffer severe complications and or death from the virus.

In addition to disability discrimination, the lawsuit also alleges race discrimination. In San Diego, communities of color experience homelessness at a far higher rate than white individuals. And communities of color are disproportionately adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Case Name: Price, et al. vs. City of San Diego and County of San Diego

Court and case number: San Diego Superior Court, 37-2020-0019535-CU-MC-CTL

Co-Counsel:  Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance (MoGo), A Legal Impact Organization

Significant Court Documents

• Urgent Demand for City to Transfer Convention Center Residents to Hotel Rooms - Dec. 11, 2020 (pdf)
• Amended Complaint (pdf)

Plaintiffs

Press Release

• Homeless Individuals with Disabilities File Lawsuit Seeking Access to Hotel Rooms Left Empty During COVID-19 Pandemic

Press Conference 7/21/2020

Media Coverage

• As crisis deepens, hundreds of hotel rooms reserved for COVID-19 response go unused by San Diego County - San Diego Union Tribune, 12/20/20
• The Convention Center Coronavirus Outbreak Was Inevitable - Voice of San Diego 12/17/20
• Temporary shelter costs at San Diego Convention Center exceed $40M, city records show - San Diego Union Tribune 12/13/20
• Lawsuit seeks free hotel rooms for San Diego County homeless during pandemic - The Coast News 07/23/20
• New claim adds to lawsuit alleging San Diego did not protect disabled homeless in coronavirus crisis - Los Angeles Times 07/21/20
• Lawsuit seeks hotel room access for San Diego homeless during pandemic - CBS8 07/21/20 
• New claim adds to lawsuit alleging city did not protect disabled homeless in pandemic - San Diego Tribune 07/21/20
• Lawsuit seeks hotel room access for San Diego’s homeless population during pandemic - KUSI News 07/21/20
• Lawsuit Seeks Hotel Room Access for San Diego Homeless During Pandemic - Times of San Diego 07/21/20
• Lawsuit claims city not helping disabled homeless in pandemic - San Diego Union Tribune 07/10/20