CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad City Council tackled key community concerns surrounding crime and homelessness at a Tuesday meeting, approving new funding plans and hearing updates on crime statistics and law enforcement efforts.
The council approved a $9.1 million Homeless Action Plan funding proposal for the fiscal year 2025-26. The plan includes $3.4 million from the city’s general fund and $5.6 million from grants to support programs focusing on shelter, housing, and outreach services.
The city’s Homeless Services Manager Chris Shilling emphasized that 67% of the budget will go toward direct services. Schilling said the city-funded programs served 601 individuals and cleaned up 40 encampments, while all programs operating within Carlsbad served 672 people and helped 133 transition into housing.
“New grant funding has allowed us to provide more services at less cost to the city,” Shilling said, noting that the funds will help address gaps in shelter and support services.
Shilling said of those served, 140 individuals were experiencing homelessness for the first time.
Carlsbad police Lt. Shaun Lawton said in the meeting that the city received 6,974 homelessness-related calls during the year. According to Lawton, the $2 million allocated to the police Homeless Outreach Team has produced significant results, including a 22% decrease in dispatch calls from community members and a 16% overall reduction in homelessness-related dispatch calls.
Some residents expressed concern over the city’s approach to homelessness during public comment. Resident Dennis Jensen questioned the spending allocation, criticizing the city’s spending on homelessness.
“Is this formula for extremely expensive, astronomically top-heavy staff, overhead and terrible results, really something you want to put your names on,” Jensen said of the budget adoption.
In addition to the Homeless Action Plan, the council approved the acceptance of a $3 million California Encampment Resolution Grant, explicitly aimed at assisting individuals living in vehicles. The program will focus on areas such as Carlsbad Village, Holiday Park and the coastal region, offering case management, housing navigation and rapid rehousing services.
“The state encampment resolution funding program is a competitive grant program which provides funding to help local jurisdictions move people experiencing homelessness from encampments to housing,” Shilling said during the meeting. “The grant award will help us address the rising concerns about people living in vehicles, specifically in the Village, Barrio and beach areas.”
The council also reviewed the city’s crime statistics for 2023 and the first half of 2024. Police Chief Christy Calderwood reported decreases in property crimes and highlighted several successful police operations, including arrests connected to organized retail theft and residential burglaries.
Despite the overall decline, the city saw a 32% increase in aggravated assaults, which Calderwood clarified represented 22 additional incidents.
Overall, Carlsbad and the county saw crime decreases in both years, particularly in property-related crimes like auto theft, fraud, and theft of auto parts. Carlsbad experienced a 5% decrease in crimes against property in mid-2024, compared to a 7% drop countywide.
The meeting underscored the city’s efforts to address complex issues with a combination of funding, community outreach, and law enforcement collaboration. Both homelessness and public safety will remain ongoing priorities for Carlsbad as city leaders monitor the impact of their strategies.
Councilmember Teresa Acosta commended the police department’s collaborative efforts with other agencies in the county.
“I love how you talked about the collaboration with other agencies and the long projects that the detectives have to go through,” Acosta said, praising the department for “making sure that the criminals are apprehended.”
