On Tuesday, the Carlsbad City Council discussed whether to update the ban on homeless encampments because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Why it matters
Following the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling by the Supreme Court, more cities in San Diego County are implementing encampment bans, including Escondido and Vista. The ruling allows cities to enforce a camping ban even if no shelter beds are available. The Grants Pass ruling reverses Martin v. City of Boise, which required cities to have shelter beds available before enforcing a camping ban.
Carlsbad right now requires officers, in certain areas, to offer shelter before issuing a citation, and that residents say is bringing more people experiencing homelessness into their city.
Carlsbad City Council approved a camping ban in 2021. Homeless advocates such as Rebecca Nussbaum from the Community Resource Center, however, said camping bans don’t work.
“Criminalization strategies such as encampment evictions and punitive measures are not only costly but have repeatedly been shown to be ineffective," she told the Council. "They fail to provide lasting solutions and instead drain city resources.”
Others, such as Carlsbad resident Teri Jacobs, disagree, saying it’s a safety issue and that camping bans help people get off the streets.
"There are so many resources in here, I don't understand why anyone in Carlsbad is homeless," she said. "It's not safe for many of the individuals living on our streets with behavioral health issues and substance abuse. Nor is it safe for residents or visitors.”
By the numbers
Carlsbad, in partnership with Oceanside, recently received $11.4 million from the state's Encampment Resolution Funding Program. The grant will be used to clear encampments along state Route 78 corridor along the Carlsbad-Oceanside border.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for its portion of the grant, which totaled more than $5.3 million.
- Community Resource Center will receive more than $3.54 million for mental health support, housing coordination and rapid rehousing and housing stability assistance.
- Whole Person Care Clinic will receive $813,750 to provide street-based medicine and health care coordination.
- Catholic Charities will receive $491,400 to provide low-barrier shelter at La Posada de Guadalupe.
- The City will use $486,376 to coordinate grant activities and manage subcontracts.
Staff will present the MOU to the Oceanside City Council later this month. Oceanside is the lead applicant for the grant and will execute the agreement with the state.
Looking ahead
At Tuesday's meeting, the City Council directed staff to explore the updated encampment ban issue further, including getting feedback from the housing commission before bringing it back to the Council for further discussion.
