Plan Floated to Use Old Ships to House Homeless

Converting a retired war ship into a facility offering homeless services in San Diego

A new proposal is being considered to convert retired U.S. warships into a facility for the homeless in San Diego.

Along the Embarcadero in San Diego, the Midway Museum is a common sight . For years, organizers lobbied to get the retired ship towed to San Diego’s shoreline as an attraction for tourists.

Now, the Center City Development Corporation is investigating a local resident’s suggestion that other retired ships could be used to help house the growing number of homeless in San Diego..

There are all sorts of federal regulations that will make that difficult but CCDC staff members have told voiceofsandiego.org that they are looking into it. They’ve met with local Navy administrators and officials around the state to see if the idea could work. Talks are very premature, but time is being spent considering the proposal.

Jeff Graham, CCDC vice president of redevelopment, told the online news site that CCDC was examining efforts of a nonprofit religious organization in Hawaii that has been working to acquire the retired destroyer USS Acadia, docked in Oahu's Pearl Harbor, for a similar use.

CCDC is waiting to hear back from port officials to see if the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal is available for the project.

Any action is a long way off, Graham told voiceofsandiego.
 

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