Get Informed

Senior Care

Many older adults in Encinitas live on fixed incomes and face rising housing, health care, mobility and transportation costs, especially those living alone. Encinitas’ median age is high, which signals growing senior needs in the years ahead.

Fast Facts:

• Encinitas’s median age is about 43 years, higher than many neighboring areas.
• By 2035, the share of Encinitas residents over age 65 is projected to nearly double — a demographic shift that will impact housing, transportation and caregiving needs (City of Encinitas).

Local Resources:

211 San Diego: A comprehensive website page with links to services for older adults in San Diego. Visit the website or call 211 directly for support.

City of Encinitas Senior Center: Provides programs, activities and resources for older adults in Encinitas, from fitness and learning to community events and support.

Community Resource Center: Provides food assistance, homelessness prevention and intervention and domestic violence shelter, elder abuse services, hotline and support across North County, with a Food & Nutrition Center in Encinitas.

County of San Diego – Aging & Independence Services (AIS): Provides meals, care coordination, in-home support, Adult Protective Services and caregiver help.

St. Paul’s PACE North County: Located in Encinitas, PACE provides comprehensive care for North County seniors, including medical, social and transportation services.

Homelessness

Homelessness is complex and increasingly, older adults are affected. In San Diego County’s most recent Point-in-Time Count, nearly 10,000 people were experiencing homelessness. Domestic violence is also a major driver of homelessness for women and children.

Fast Facts:

• Across San Diego County, 9,905 people were counted experiencing homelessness in 2025 (Regional Task Force on Homelessness).
• Nationally, people aged 50+ are now the fastest-growing group experiencing homelessness. In San Diego, 1 in 4 unsheltered adults is age 55 or older, with 88% having become homeless locally (Serving Seniors).
• Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women and children. Survivors often face the impossible choice of staying in an unsafe home or leaving with no place to go.

Local Resources:

City of Encinitas Resources for Unsheltered Households: The City of Encinitas shares resources for individuals experiencing homelessness and those who want to help.

Community Resource Center: CRC provides food assistance, homelessness prevention and intervention and domestic violence shelter, elder abuse services, hotline and support across North County.

Food Insecurity

High housing and grocery costs put pressure on household budgets, making it hard for many neighbors to afford consistent, nutritious meals. Seniors living on fixed incomes or

Fast Facts:

• About 1 in 4 San Diegans (26%) struggle with nutrition insecurity—meaning they can’t reliably provide three nutritious meals a day. That includes ~222,000 children, ~184,000 older adults (60+) and ~139,000 people with disabilities in San Diego County (San Diego Hunger Coalition).
• In June 2025, hunger-relief programs delivered ~26.8 million meals, covering ~79% of the need—yet the county still faced a shortfall of nearly 3.1 million meals that month (San Diego Hunger Coalition).

Local Resources:

Community Resource Center: CRC provides food assistance, homelessness prevention and intervention and domestic violence shelter, elder abuse services, hotline and support across North County.

County of San Diego – Aging & Independence Services (AIS): Provides assistance with meals and dining centers and home-delivered food options.

Feeding San Diego – Find Food Map: Enter your ZIP to see free food distributions near you.

San Diego Food Bank / North County Food Bank: Countywide food pantry network and programs.

GetCalFresh: Access a quick, mobile-friendly CalFresh application for monthly grocery benefits.

San Diego WIC: Provides support for young families, from pregnancy to age 5, with healthy food benefits, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and more.

Market Match: Provides benefits when you use CalFresh/EBT at many farmers markets. 

Mental Health

It’s not always obvious when someone is struggling with mental health. Support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988, or contact San Diego’s Access & Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240 to reach local counselors and mobile crisis teams.

Fast Facts:

• About 6% of San Diegans need mental health care but aren’t receiving it—closing that gap would require about 50% more providers than we have today (San Diego Workforce Partnership).
• San Diego needs about 18,500 more mental & behavioral health professionals by 2027 to meet demand and replace expected departures (San Diego Workforce Partnership).

Local Resources:

San Diego Access & Crisis Line: Call (888) 724-7240 for local counselors & Mobile Crisis Response Teams. Suicide can be prevented. If you or a loved one are in need of support, please call seven days a week/24 hours a day. You don’t need to be in crisis to call.

988-Lifeline: For mental health, emotional distress or substance use support, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, available 24/7.

Call 911 for emergency care or go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital.

Domestic Violence

Survivors can access confidential shelter, advocacy, legal support and counseling—locally and 24/7. Domestic violence (also called intimate partner violence) is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to gain power and control over another. Abuse can be physical, emotional, financial, sexual or digital, and it affects people of every age, background and neighborhood.

Fast Facts:

• About 2 in 5 women (41.0%) and 1 in 4 men (26.3%) in the U.S. have experienced intimate partner violence or stalking and reported an IPV-related impact in their lifetime (CDC).
• Early prevention matters. More than 70% of female victims report their first intimate-partner victimization before age 25, including 27% before 18. Early prevention matters (CDC).

Local Resources:

Community Resource Center: CRC provides food assistance, homelessness prevention and intervention and domestic violence shelter, elder abuse services, hotline and support across North County. 24/7 DV Hotline: (877) 633-1112 (Confidential and toll-free.)

One Safe Place – North County Family Justice Center (San Marcos): Wraparound for victims of crime or abuse.

YWCA of San Diego County – Becky’s House®: Emergency shelter, transitional housing, counseling and case management. 24/7 DV hotline: (619) 234-3164

Women’s Resource Center (Oceanside): Supportive services, counseling, shelter and education for North San Diego County women, children and men involved in or threatened by domestic violence or assault. 24/7 DV Hotline: (760) 757-3500

Legal Aid Society of San Diego: Walk-in restraining order clinics and other legal assistance.

San Diego Superior Court – DV Restraining Orders:  Information on how to seek protection and what the court can order.

San Diego Sheriff’s DV Resource Guides: Countywide directory of shelters, legal help and victim services.

Teen & Young Adult Safety:

• love is respect: 24/7 peer-advocate support for teens/young adults. Call (866) 331-9474, text LOVEIS to 22522, or chat online.
• SD County Office of Education – Teen Dating Violence: Local education and prevention resources for families and schools. 

NNEDV Safety Net: Practical guides to reduce tech-enabled abuse (phones, social, tracking, smart devices) and create a tech safety plan.

Please contact 911 if you feel like you are in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation.

Additional Resources

211 San Diego: One-stop for local help (food, housing, mental health, transportation, veteran services). Call 2-1-1, chat or search the directory online.

BenefitsCal: Apply or manage CalFresh (SNAP), Medi-Cal, CalWORKs and more benefits. (San Diego County uses this portal).

California LifeLine: Discounted phone service for qualifying households. 

County of San Diego Services: The County of San Diego offers a wide array of services and programs designed to meet the needs of all residents.

Covered California: Compare and enroll in health coverage and see financial help options.

GetCalFresh: Access a quick, mobile-friendly CalFresh application for food assistance support.

Legal Aid Society of San Diego: Free legal help (housing/evictions, benefits, DV restraining orders, consumer, immigration, and more). 

SDG&E Assistance: There are many SDG&E, federal, state and local assistance programs to help with monthly utility bills.