Charles Barrett’s shift at the Downtown San Diego Partnership’s safe sleeping site starts after most of us are tucked in for the night.
As an operations manager at “O Lot,” he spends his evening providing resources to unhoused San Diegans who’ve taken refuge at this site in Balboa Park. From his vantage, the lights of Downtown high-rises twinkle with hundreds of tents in the foreground.
“If it wasn’t for the Unhoused Care Team, there would be this many people on the streets of Downtown, just lost and not knowing where to find resources” he said, gesturing toward the sea of tents.
Barrett knows from experience — he found his job at the safe sleeping site while living here, after several years of living on the street. His connection with the Unhoused Care Team provided the foundation he needed to find an apartment, buy a car and put his life on track.
He even got a puppy — who lovingly hopped out of his shotgun seat in Barrett’s car and climbed all over this cameraman as we produced a short film about Barrett and his team members for the Downtown San Diego Partnership.
The people working on the ground are inspiring and we were honored to work in partnership with Intesa Communications to highlight their efforts.
