At the start of the pandemic, San Diego County began using hotels and motels to isolate people who had come in contact with the virus and had nowhere else to go. Our reporting found county staff were quickly overwhelmed by the level of care required for people in isolation, many of whom were unhoused and struggling with mental illness or substance-use disorders. Officials then decided to pay an unqualified contractor millions of dollars to take over the operation with poorly trained employees who had no experience delivering social services. As a result, people suffered long delays for food, water and much-needed medication. This reporting uncovered serious safety issues, lapses in mental health care, overdoses and a death by suicide in a hotel room that went undiscovered for five days.
