Homelessness is a complex regional issue. The City of Carlsbad takes a comprehensive approach to addressing the issue and uses multiple measurements to evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts.

Twice a year, city staff provide updates to the City Council on progress to address homelessness. The most recent report covered July 2023 through December 2023. Here are some highlights:

When comparing data to the same period in Fiscal Year 2022-23, Carlsbad has made significant progress. Highlights include:

• 8% decrease in the number of unduplicated people experiencing homelessness
• 14% decline in dispatched police calls related to homelessness
• 37 people transitioned to permanent housing
• 19 households received services to help prevent them from becoming homeless

Point in Time Count

The Point in Time Count is an organized, nationwide effort to collect data on homelessness on the same day over a four-hour period. For the West Coast, the count starts at 4 a.m. 

Locally, the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness coordinates the count. The data collected in Carlsbad is one of several metrics we use to gauge the success of our Homelessness Action Plan.

The following information reflects the 2024 Point-in-Time data from the City of Carlsbad. These numbers were officially released by the Regional Task Force on the Homelessness on May 22, 2024. 

The results show regionwide homelessness has increased (about 18%), but the rate of the increase is less than it was last year. In Carlsbad, the number of unsheltered homeless counted was 112, up from 60 in 2023. To put these numbers in perspective:

• Carlsbad makes up approximately 3.5% of the region’s population but has less than 1.8% of the region’s unsheltered population. 
• Carlsbad’s unsheltered population makes up 9% of the total North County unsheltered population.

Previous Point-in-Time data:

2019: 161 individuals (59 sheltered; 102 unsheltered) 
2020: 147 individuals (53 sheltered; 94 unsheltered)
2022: 118 individuals (43 sheltered; 75 unsheltered)
2023: 103 individuals (43 sheltered; 60 unsheltered)