OCEANSIDE — The City Council recently approved a new homelessness outreach program that shifts the city’s approach from a law enforcement-led model to one centered on social services.
For more than a decade, the Oceanside Police Department has operated the Homeless Outreach Team, or HOT, which uses police officers and two contracted social workers to connect people experiencing homelessness with services and resources.
Under the new Homeless Evaluation Assistance and Resource Team, or HEART, program, the city will create an in-house homeless outreach coordinator position to oversee a team of social workers contracted through Interfaith Community Services.
Oceanside Homeless Services Manager Tameka Tates will develop and supervise the program. The two social workers currently assigned to HOT will be reassigned to HEART.
The program stems from City Council direction during a 2025 homelessness workshop, where officials called for a social services-led approach rather than one led by law enforcement.
According to the city, HEART staff will engage directly with people experiencing homelessness in high-impact areas, connect clients with behavioral health and medical services, assist with obtaining identification documents and enrolling in benefits programs and help secure shelter, safe parking, employment and housing resources. The team will also track client progress and report outcomes.
The city plans to allocate $400,000 in Measure X funds to support HEART during the 2026-27 fiscal year, a decision that the City Council is expected to finalize in June.
HEART joins several other city initiatives aimed at addressing homelessness. Oceanside operates a 24-hour shelter that is expected to expand from 50 to 75 beds by July 1, as well as a safe parking program for people living in their vehicles. The city is also partnering with Carlsbad on efforts to address encampments along Buena Vista Creek and has invested $4.25 million in the Coast Villas apartment project to provide housing for seniors and veterans experiencing homelessness.
The council unanimously approved the program on May 20 after rejecting a proposed amendment from Deputy Mayor Eric Joyce and Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa that would have added more city-employed social workers rather than relying primarily on contracted staff.
“The more you can keep things in-house, the more effective it is in my experience,” said Figueroa, who previously led Operation HOPE-North County, a shelter serving women and families in Vista.
Joyce advocated for hiring at least one city employee for each shift and noted that the Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee had approved funding for an earlier proposal that relied more heavily on city staff.
“What we’re looking at tonight is a watered-down version of what was approved,” Joyce said.
Councilmember Rick Robinson said he preferred to first test the contracted model before committing additional city resources and then reevaluate the program if necessary.
According to City Manager Jonathan Borrego, Oceanside has budgeted $9.5 million for homelessness services in the current fiscal year. Of that amount, $5.8 million is dedicated to the Buena Vista Creek encampment cleanup project with Carlsbad, leaving approximately $3.7 million for the city shelter, safe parking program, the existing HOT program and other encampment response efforts.
