Oceanside and Carlsbad will share more than $11 million to help move homeless residents out of encampments and into housing through a state grant program, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, April 18.
The funding comes as communities throughout California struggle to solve the ongoing challenge of homeless camps in public areas. The Oceanside-Carlsbad partnership is the only San Diego County applicant to receive a slice of about $192 million in Encampment Resolution Fund money.
Oceanside, in partnership with Carlsbad, will receive $11.4 million total. The grants are administered by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness.
“Today marks a pivotal moment in our shared mission with the City of Carlsbad to combat homelessness along the (State Route) 78 corridor,” Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez said in a city news release.
In Oceanside, funds will go toward the city’s Homeless Outreach Teams and Navigation Center shelter, in addition to code enforcement, transitional housing, affordable housing projects and a safe parking location, Sanchez said.
“With additional professional support personnel, our goal is to reduce the number of homeless individuals by moving them into permanent supportive housing,” she said in the news release.
Statewide, the grants are going to 20 projects in 17 communities, according to an announcement from Newsom’s office. Twelve of the projects are designed to assist people in camps along state rights-of-way, such as State Route 78.
“This new funding will get people out of tents and into housing across California,” Newsom said in the announcement. “As the state provides unprecedented resources like this, we also expect accountability. Local governments must ensure this funding is being utilized on the ground.”
State officials said they anticipate that services provided through the grants would help more than 3,000 homeless people, a majority of whom should receive permanent housing.