Governor announces $11.4 million to address homelessness along Oceanside-Carlsbad border

Programs to move homeless people camped along state Route 78 in Oceanside and Carlsbad into shelter got an $11.4 million boost this week from a round of state grants announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The announcement is "a pivotal moment" in efforts by the two cities to address homelessness along their shared border, Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez said Thursday.

"With additional professional support personnel, our goal is to reduce the number of homeless individuals (and place them) into permanent supportive housing," Sanchez said.

The money will allow both cities to use their existing programs to enhance services targeting neighborhoods along the freeway, states the grant application, for which Oceanside was the lead agency.

"This includes services such as interim housing solutions like the Oceanside Navigation Center, bridge housing, La Posada Shelter (in Carlsbad), and a scattered-site motel voucher program," it states. "Funding will also support (Oceanside's) safe parking program, which is expected to come online later this year."

A safe parking site with resources for the people who stay there is intended to help them transition to interim and eventually to permanent housing. The Oceanside City Council approved the idea in October, when Councilmember Eric Joyce called it "a common-sense move."

Together Oceanside and Carlsbad proposed a multidisciplinary approach with wrap-around services, including intensive case management, peer support, street medicine, harm reduction, mental health support, and help to find interim and then permanent housing.

State officials estimate the grant will help as many as 300 people and move 196 of them into some type of shelter.

Cities and counties chosen to receive the grants have records of success with previous homeless programs, Newsom said.

“This new funding will get people out of tents and into housing across California,” Newsom said.

Awards totaling $192 million in Encampment Resolution Fund grants, which are administered by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, will go to 20 programs in 17 communities statewide.

“All 17 communities had strong proposals that will help people transition from encampments and onto pathways to housing,” said Cal ICH Executive Officer Meghan Marshall.

A state audit released earlier this month showed that some cities, including San Diego, failed to fully report revenue and spending or evaluate the effectiveness of their homeless programs during three fiscal years between July 2020 and June 2023.

In response to that, Newsom said at an online news conference Thursday that any communities that don't document results with the money will be ineligible for future grants.

“As the state provides unprecedented resources like this, we also expect accountability," he said. "Local governments must ensure this funding — and all homeless funding — is getting people out of encampments.

"We want more scrutiny in existing programs," Newsom said. "We mean business ... If cities do not use the money wisely, they should not get another penny."

Oceanside received one of the largest awards and the only one in San Diego County. The largest single award, $51.6 million, went to Los Angeles County, where it will used for programs in seven different cities.

Updates :
3:09 p.m. April 19, 2024 : This story has been updated to add information about Carlsbad’s participation in the grant application.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .