CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad City Council received a semiannual update Tuesday on the city’s five-year Homelessness Action Plan, with the report showing a slight increase in the city’s homeless population while highlighting continued progress in outreach, housing and prevention efforts.
The report, which incorporates data collected from July through December 2025 along with 2026 Point-in-Time Count data, found that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad increased during the reporting period.
From July through December, city-sponsored and administered programs served 505 people, while all homeless service programs operating in Carlsbad served 521 people, according to the report’s by-name list, a database of individuals enrolled in homeless service programs in the city. During the same period in fiscal year 2024-25, all programs served 466 people.
Of the 521 individuals served, 39%, or 238 people, were considered chronically homeless, meaning they had experienced homelessness for at least a year and had a qualifying disability.
Point-in-Time Count data, collected during a four-hour period in January, showed an 8.9% increase in Carlsbad’s unsheltered population compared with 2025. The uptick contrasted with an 11% decline in San Diego County’s unsheltered population, according to the WeAllCount Annual Homeless Census, which also uses Point-in-Time Count data.
First responder calls related to homelessness declined compared with the previous fiscal year. Calls for service related to homelessness decreased 31% for the Carlsbad Fire Department and 49% for the Carlsbad Police Department.
The report also noted a 41% decrease in the number of people living in vehicles. A total of 36 people were counted living in vehicles in Carlsbad in 2026, down from 61 the previous year.
The city spent $4,290,263 on homelessness initiatives during the first half of fiscal year 2025-26, according to the report. Housing assistance, police homeless outreach teams, and outreach and case management accounted for the largest share of expenditures.
City-funded programs also recorded a 23% increase in the number of people receiving homelessness prevention assistance. During the reporting period, programs provided rental assistance and housing stability services to 47 people, transitioned 195 people into temporary housing, and helped 89 people enter detoxification and substance use treatment programs.
The city transitioned 74 people into permanent housing, down from 87 people during the previous semiannual reporting period.
Adopted in February 2023, the city’s five-year Homelessness Action Plan aims to reduce homelessness through initiatives focused on shelter and housing, outreach and accessibility, and public safety.
Progress on grants
Council members also received updates on three encampment resolution initiatives funded through state grants.
The Carlsbad Village area grant, which began in January 2024 and runs through June 2027, focuses on reducing homelessness around City Hall, Pine Park and Holiday Park. To date, the grant has served 465 people, helped 135 people enter temporary shelter and transitioned 77 people into permanent housing.
The city also updated the council on the state Route 78 joint program with Oceanside, which addresses homeless encampments along the state highway and Buena Vista Creek, and the Vehicle Homeless Outreach Program grant, which aims to reduce the number of people living in cars and RVs.
Since launching in April 2025, the SR-78 partnership has served 126 people and helped 75 people move into permanent housing. The program aims to serve 200 people and expires in June 2027.
The Vehicle Homeless Outreach Program grant, which began in June 2025 and runs through Oct. 4, 2028, has served 49 people, helped six people access temporary housing and transitioned 14 people into permanent housing.
Challenges
The report identified several ongoing challenges, including limited shelter and housing resources, a lack of housing and shelter options for women and seniors, and an increase in the number of people who have never used the Homeless Management Information System or enrolled in a homeless services program.
City staff plans to address that challenge through a new Prevention and Diversion Program scheduled to begin July 1.
“This will be a centralized location for people to access support to retain their housing or quickly divert from homelessness,” according to the report.
The report also cited funding reductions, potential government shutdowns and changes to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care program as factors creating uncertainty for the future of homeless services and related initiatives.
Carlsbad resident Teri Jacobs wrote in an email to the city clerk that she hopes the City Council will use its platform and legislative authority, including “compassionate nudging,” ordinances and the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act Court, to encourage people experiencing homelessness to take advantage of available resources.
“How can we as a society allow individuals to exist sleeping on our streets,” Jacobs wrote. “We are better than this.”
Looking ahead, the city plans to pursue additional grant funding and implement an updated Substance Use Outreach and Education contract with Interfaith Community Services. The program will support students and families in partnership with the Carlsbad Police Department’s Greater Understanding through Intervention, Diversion, and Education (GUIDE) program. GUIDE is a counseling initiative between the Carlsbad Police Department and the Carlsbad Unified School District for elementary and middle school students.
The city also plans to establish a communication system connecting the Fire Department, street medicine team and substance use outreach counselor.
