Homelessness affects the entire community. That's why we encourage community members to learn more about this issue and get involved in our efforts to address it.   

For more information, contact Chris Shilling, Homeless Services Manager, at chris.shilling@carlsbadca.gov or 442-339-5824.

Annual Point in Time Count

Each year communities participate in the annual Point in Time Count, an organized, nationwide effort to collect data on homelessness early in the morning on the same day over a four-hour period. Residents are invited to participate alongside social workers and members of the city's Homeless Response Team.

The data collected in Carlsbad is one of several metrics we use to gauge the success of our Homelessness Action Plan. It also helps us better understand the population experiencing homelessness and how we can best direct resources to address the problem and the effects on our community.

The 2024 Point in Time Count took place on Jan. 25. Initial data should be available around May 2024.

View the results of the 2023 Point in Time Count.

Individual/small group meetings

If you would like more information about homelessness in Carlsbad or are a member of a group that would like a presentation, please let us know. We welcome opportunities to speak with community members, share updates, listen to concerns and answer questions about this complex topic.

Community input on homelessness

The City of Carlsbad gathered community input in 2021 to develop a broad package of initiatives designed to meet the City Council’s goal of reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness. Homelessness has emerged as a top community concern in recent years, prompting the City Council to make it one of its top goals.

Survey

An online survey was available from May 27 to June 13, 2021.

Virtual town hall meetings

The city held four virtual town hall meetings in May/June 2021 to provide an overview of the city's current and planned efforts to reduce homelessness and to hear feedback from the community. Each meeting was attended by a City Council member from one of the four City Council districts. All meetings were open to the public.

View a summary of the public input received from the four town hall meetings and online survey.

Meeting videos

District 2, May 25, 2021

District 4, May 26, 2021

District 1, June 3, 2021

District 3, June 7, 2021

Town hall meeting chat transcripts

All of feedback gathered through the town hall meetings and online survey was provided to the City Council’s Homeless Action Subcommittee at its June 28, 2021 meeting. The subcommittee has since been dissolved and updates on homeless response efforts are now presented to the full City Council.

Town Hall Meeting (2019)

The Carlsbad City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Homelessness held a town hall meeting Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019, from 6-9 p.m., to discuss homelessness in Carlsbad, including the city’s current homeless response plan, how homelessness affects community members and what residents can do to support the city’s response.

Approximately 200 community members attended the meeting which began with a presentation from the Homeless Outreach Team Police Captain. Community members then broke into groups to discuss three questions

• In your opinion, what are the biggest issues/concerns related to homelessness?
• How do you think Carlsbad can help address the issues/concerns on a regional basis?
• What three things are you going to do or commit to?

The responses to these questions were reported out at the meeting and have been transcribed into a summary document. This information from the residents will assist the City Council subcommittee as it meets with elected officials from other North San Diego County elected officials to discuss the development of a North County Homeless Action Plan.

Want to stay updated on homeless response efforts and information? Sign up for the Homeless Response list to receive email updates.

If you'd like to get involved with homeless response efforts and programs, sign up for the Homeless Response Volunteer list to be notified of upcoming opportunities.