HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-30; City Council; 05; How Community Concerns Have Been Addressed at Windsor Pointe ApartmentsCA Review CKM
Meeting Date: Sept. 30, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Geoff Patnoe, City Manager
Staff Contact: Mandy Mills, Housing & Homeless Services Director
mandy.mills@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2907
Reid Shipley, Assistant Police Chief
reid.shipley@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2257
Subject: How Community Concerns Have Been Addressed at Windsor Pointe
Apartments
District: 1
Recommended Action
Receive a report on City Council-directed actions related to the Windsor Pointe Affordable
Housing Project.
Executive Summary
Windsor Pointe, an affordable housing project in the Barrio area that provides permanent
housing and supportive services for households with lower incomes, opened in Spring 2022.
Prior to and since the project opening, city staff have worked with the project’s operator,
Affirmed Housing, to address a variety of concerns.
On March 24, 2024, the City Council directed staff to take several additional actions to further
address these concerns. Staff provided updates on the actions taken and the City Council
provided additional direction at subsequent City Council meetings on April 9, June 11, Aug. 20,
and Oct. 22, 2024, and Feb. 25, 2025. A full list of all of the actions is provided as Exhibit 1.
At the Feb. 25, 2025, meeting, the City Council asked staff to return with this update in six
months. Since that date:
•Police calls have been cut in half. Calls for service dropped by 50% between February
2025 and July 2025, compared with the previous reporting period (August 2024 –
January 2025).
•On-site management has been expanded. A second on-site manager has been added,
providing greater oversight and presence at the property.
•Housing for veterans has been increased. Plans are in place to increase veteran
occupancy through a Veterans Affairs voucher program, with two units expected to
become available soon.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 1 of 9
Explanation & Analysis
Background
The project contains 50 apartments, including two on-site staff occupied units, on two non-
contiguous sites, at 965 Oak Ave. and 3606 Harding St.
Windsor Pointe apartments are owned by Carlsbad Veteran Housing LP and operated by
Affirmed Housing Group Inc., a company specializing in providing affordable housing, including
22 projects offering housing with supportive services for people experiencing homelessness.1
The Windsor Pointe project was first proposed in 2016. The City Council approved two actions,
one in 2017 and one in 2020, providing for a $8.3 million financing package with the project
owner to acquire the land and build the Windsor Pointe Affordable Housing Project for
permanent supportive housing for people with very low incomes.
The County of San Diego provided funding to develop and operate the housing through the
state-funded No Place Like Home program,2 which restricts 24 of the units for occupancy by
individuals with a serious mental illness who are experiencing homelessness. The county also
contracts with the service provider that assists residents in units funded through the No Place
Like Home program.
Affirmed Housing operates the project and contracts with a property manager and an
additional onsite service provider.
Who lives at Windsor Pointe
Currently, six of Windsor Pointe’s households have a veteran status and nine include people
who are either from Carlsbad or work in Carlsbad.
The sources of project funding prescribe who may live in the units. The project partners
explored alternatives to increase veteran occupancy and, in December 2024, applied for
vouchers through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program administered by the
County of San Diego. The project was awarded six project-based vouchers in early 2025, which
means six voucher units are now reserved for Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing veteran
households referred by the San Diego Veterans Affairs office.
The tenants referred through this program still need to have a serious mental illness to meet
the No Place Like Home requirement. One distinct difference is that tenants who accept a
voucher must agree to meet with a case manager each month, ensuring some level of
engagement with available services.
Community concerns
Community members had expressed concerns about safety and other negative effects on the
neighborhood’s quality of life. City staff have been working with Affirmed Housing, its property
management company, and the County of San Diego to address those concerns.
1 Affirmed Housing is the Manager of AHG Windsor Pointe LLC, which is Carlsbad Veteran Housing’s administrative
general partner.
2 Project funding was also provided through tax credits from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 2 of 9
City Council direction
At its March 12, 2024, and subsequent City Council meetings on April 9, June 11, Aug. 20, and
Oct. 22, 2024, and Feb. 25, 2025, the City Council heard from the community, reviewed actions
taken to date and directed city staff to pursue a number of action items related to security,
supportive services and priority referrals of tenants for the project.
Update
Based on the review of data since March 2024, city staff see improvement related to security
and service level concerns based on the actions that have been implemented.
Property management
Solari Enterprises became the project’s new property management agent on Nov. 22, 2024.
Affirmed Housing and Solari developed an updated Management Plan that included terms that
address the goals and priorities expressed by the City Council, including:
• Regular inspections of gates, access doors, access control systems and timeline
expectations to complete needed repairs to such items
• Developing and implementing a detailed staffing and security plan that provides
sufficient on-duty management and security staff
With consultation from Affirmed Housing, Solari Enterprises hired a second on-site community
manager who works Tuesday through Saturday to provide more on-site coverage. Since their
schedules are staggered to provide more coverage of the week, there is a community manager
working six days per week, with one community manager at each site four days per week and
one community manager serving both locations two days per week.
Actions to increase veteran access
Another area of the city’s focus has been increasing the project’s ability to serve more veterans.
The project recently received an award of six housing vouchers through the HUD-Veterans
Affairs Supportive Housing program administered by the County of San Diego.
These vouchers can only be used when a current No Place Like Home tenant vacates a unit, and
there are two units that are expected to be vacated in the near future. Those two units will
receive the first clients through the San Diego Veterans Affairs referral process. While it will still
take some time for Windsor Pointe to be able to use the six vouchers as tenants move out,
receiving and utilizing the vouchers will lead to higher veteran occupancy at the project in the
future.
Calls for service
Community members have expressed concerns about the number of calls for service to
Windsor Pointe apartments. “Calls for service” is a very broad term that includes many things
beyond a resident or neighbor calling for police assistance.
• They include 911 calls for fires and medical emergencies.
• Cancelled calls and hang-ups also count toward the number of calls for service.
• Officers also generate a call for service whenever they conduct a follow up visit or
decide to initiate extra patrols at a specific location.
City staff have reported the calls for service related to Windsor Pointe residents in each of our
City Council updates on the project. However, calls for service indicate a general level of
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 3 of 9
activity, but are not necessarily an indicator of criminal activity, or of the use of Police
Department resources.
The city had 87 calls for service to Windsor Pointe from February 2025 through July 2025, which
is a decrease in average monthly calls by about 50% from the prior report to the City Council,
which covered the period from August 2024 through January 2025. Of these calls, 71% required
an in-person officer response.
• For comparison, the Police Department received 54,799 calls for service citywide during
the same timeframe. Windsor Pointe accounted for only 0.1% of calls the Department
received.
• The number of mental health related calls has decreased significantly.
• Seventeen of the calls, or 20%, were for medical assistance.
• The need for a police officer to respond to the property has continued to decrease since
the changes in security and management practices.
• Fourteen of the calls for service were generated by staff or security at Windsor Pointe.
• The current calls for service and case activity are consistent with those for other multi-
family apartment complexes in the city.
The city encourages all community members to call 911 when they need urgent assistance. At
Windsor Pointe, the Police Department has specifically asked on-site staff, residents and
neighbors to call when they have an immediate safety concern. Many of the calls the
department has received since then have come from on-site staff, on-site security and remote
monitored security. Police officers also continue to patrol the area and follow up on previous
calls. All of these contribute to the number of calls for service.
Increased referrals to appropriate resources
Through ongoing efforts by Windsor Pointe management, the city’s Housing & Homeless
Services Department staff and the County of San Diego, we have also continued to see a
decrease in the number of calls for service related to non-criminal matters. While police units
are responding to a higher percentage of calls for service, the overall calls for service are down,
representing progress in resolving issues through other, non-law enforcement resources.
Some of the efforts to triage calls to non-law enforcement partners include:
• The city has a memorandum of understanding with the County of San Diego’s Mobile
Crisis Response Team. This team offers support to people experiencing a behavioral
health crisis as an alternative to a law enforcement response and the Police Department
uses the team as appropriate under the terms of the memorandum.
• On-site staff and Police Department dispatchers have been using the assistance of the
Mobile Crisis Response Team more frequently to apply the most appropriate response
for each call for service.
• When appropriate, police dispatchers may divert calls to a crisis response team,
precluding the need for a uniformed officer to respond.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 4 of 9
City staff will continue to request appropriate on-site and remote behavioral health services
from the County of San Diego to address the specific needs of Windsor Pointe’s residents.
Cases vs. calls for service
Tracking cases related to Windsor Pointe is a better public safety indicator than counting calls
for service. When an incident requires police action, such as an investigation or arrest, a single
case number is assigned. During the previous February 2025 report to the City Council, Windsor
Pointe generated eight cases in six months. Of the thirteen cases generated in the six months
between February 2025 and July 2025, police made two arrests both related to domestic
violence incidents. (There had been five arrests in the previous six-month period.)
Types of cases (February 2024 – July 2025) Cases
Traffic collision (not related to resident or guest, included because of location of vehicle) 1
Reported domestic incident (non-criminal) 5
Domestic violence arrest 2
Custody dispute (non-criminal) 1
Identity theft (resident was victim) 1
Bike theft investigation (related to a guest) 1
Vehicle burglary (resident was victim) 1
Mental health detention (non-criminal) 1
TOTAL 13
Fiscal Analysis
There is no fiscal impact to receiving this report.
Next Steps
City staff have completed all of the short-term actions directed by the City Council and will
continue to carry out the longer-term actions outlined in Exhibit 1.
Environmental Evaluation
This action does not require environmental review because it does not constitute a project
within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act under California Public
Resources Code Section 21065 in that it has no potential to cause either a direct physical
change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the
environment.
Exhibits
1. Summary of city and county action items
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 5 of 9
Exhibit 1
Windsor Pointe Apartments
Actions to Address Community Concerns
City Actions Security
Requested Action Status
Bring back an amended management plan to
the City Council on April 9, 2024, that reflects
an amended guest policy to require visitor
check in and the presence of an onsite security
guard for each site when appropriate staff are
not available.
Plan approved by the City Council on April 9.
New guest policy in place
Implemented secured entry for visitors
Onsite security guard at both sites (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
when appropriate staff are not available)
Implemented 24/7 monitored video security system
Collaborate with the property manager to
strengthen the protocol to divert low-level
issues to onsite personnel.
City staff, Affirmed Housing and the property
management company worked on a protocol for
onsite personnel to handle low-level non-public
safety issues.
Require repair of any broken or
malfunctioning locks or access control
systems.
The locked access to enter from some exterior
stairwells was fixed and confirmed by city staff. The
property manager also entered into a new contract
that includes regular maintenance on the locks and
doors.
Working with the City Council’s Legislative Subcommittee, develop and implement a
strategy to effectively advocate for the County
of San Diego to release operating subsidy
reserve funding for this project to cover the
cost of additional onsite security at both
locations.
County Housing and Community Development staff
have confirmed authorization of the eligible use of
the project’s operating reserves for onsite security.
There is still a question of the maximum allowed
within a five-year period. The City of Carlsbad will
advocate to the California Department of Housing
and Community Development that the first five years
of permanent supportive housing tend to have
higher needs before reaching stabilization and those
projects should be allowed to draw a higher
percentage of operating reserves.
Request amended management plan include
regular inspections of gates, access doors,
access control systems and timeline
expectations to repair needed repairs to such
items.
Affirmed Housing and Solari developed an updated
Management Plan that include regular inspections of
gates, access doors, access control systems and
timeline expectations to repair needed repairs to
such items.
Request amended management plan include a
detailed staffing and security plan that
provides sufficient on-duty management and
security staff.
Affirmed Housing and Solari developed an updated
Management Plan that provides sufficient on-duty
management and security staff. Solari Enterprises
hired a second onsite community manager that
works Tuesday through Saturday to provide more
onsite coverage.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 6 of 9
Completed In progress No resolution at this time
Services
Requested Action Status
Work with the City Council Legislative
Subcommittee to draft a letter for the region’s
legislators to be asked to sign in support of the
City of Carlsbad’s efforts to hold Affirmed
Housing accountable for its commitments on
Windsor Pointe and return the letter to the
City Council for final approval.
On Jan. 14, 2025, the City Council approved the draft
letter, which had been reviewed and recommended
for approval by the Legislative Subcommittee. The
letter is now being circulated to the region’s
legislators.
Working with the city’s Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and the city’s
contracted lobbyists, develop and implement a legislative advocacy strategy within 60 days to
effectively lobby for supportive housing to be
fully funded at the state and federal levels to
provide adequate levels of service.
This action will be pursued in conjunction with the
city’s Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and the
City Council Legislative Subcommittee. The matter
was discussed at the City Council Legislative
Subcommittee meetings on April 9, July 9, and
Dec. 10, 2024.
Develop and implement a plan within 45 days
to urge the County of San Diego to allow new
Windsor Pointe residents housed under the No
Place Like Home funding to start with a higher
level of service with the option to move to a
lower level if appropriate, rather than starting
with minimal services and adding as needed.
City staff, Affirmed Housing, the property
management company and County Behavioral
Health Services staff are in active conversations to
identify ways to better leverage existing supportive
services for residents, including at move in, and
develop additional levels of support to respond to
resident needs.
There have been no changes since the last report
out. County staff had previously increased onsite
behavioral health support at Windsor Pointe but
then cut hours back to 19 hours per week. County
staff state the number of on-site hours will change
depending on residents’ needs.
An array of substance use and mental health
treatment options are available to residents,
including 24/7 support for a behavioral health crisis.
County staff explored funding opportunities to
enhance clinical support seven days per week;
however, funding was not identified for this level of
service.
Applicant priority
Working with the city’s Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and Legislative
Subcommittee, develop and implement a
strategy for the state and federal governments
to allow veteran benefits to exceed maximum
income limits for permanent supportive
housing units to remove barriers to ending
veteran homelessness.
Recent federal and state legislation allow veterans’
disability benefits to not be counted toward
maximum income limits.
Additionally, the project was awarded six project-
based housing vouchers through the HUD-VASH
program administered by the County of San Diego in
December 2024. The units will be reserved for
veteran households referred by the San Diego
Veterans Affairs office.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 7 of 9
Completed In progress No resolution at this time
Applicant priority
Requested Action Status
Examine participating in a regional fair housing
legal analysis to determine if implementation
of a local, or subregional (i.e., North County),
priority would be consistent with federal and
state fair housing laws and other applicable
laws.
This action is a long-term effort that will be pursued
by the city’s Housing & Homeless Services
Department. City staff from neighboring cities have
expressed support for such an analysis.
Working with the city’s Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and Legislative
Subcommittee, advocate to the Regional Task
Force on Homelessness and the region’s
Continuum of Care Board of Directors to make
policy changes that could provide a
subregional priority in the Coordinated Entry
System referral process in certain situations,
such as when cities provide a significant
financial investment for a housing
development.
This action is a long-term effort that will be pursued
in conjunction with the city’s Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and City Council
Legislative Subcommittee.
City staff are also advocating for a subregional
priority in the Coordinated Entry System referral
process.
Staff have engaged with the Regional Task Force and
County Supervisor Lawson-Remer, who serves as
First Vice Chair of the Continuum of Care Board, to explore viable approaches to pursue both regionally
and with the state. The matter was discussed at the
City Council Legislative Subcommittee meetings on
April 9 and July 9, 2024.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 8 of 9
Completed In progress No resolution at this time
County Reported Actions
Security
Requested Action Status
Coordinate with the Windsor Pointe
development team to develop a plan for
using No Place Like Home capitalized
operating subsidy reserve funds to add
supplemental security personnel at Windsor
Pointe.
County Housing and Community Development staff have
confirmed authorization of the developer’s use of a
project’s capitalized operating subsidy reserves for eligible
onsite security.
Advocate to the California Department of
Housing and Community Development to
maximize the funding flexibility of capitalized
operating subsidy reserve funds for the
Windsor Pointe project
County Housing and Community Development staff have
confirmed authorization of the developer’s use of
capitalized operating subsidy reserves for eligible onsite
security.
Ensure onsite personnel receive mental
health first aid training and are trained on
how to refer people to 24/7 behavioral health
crisis response resources.
Assessment of staffing needs to ensure at
least 1 mental health first aid trained staff
onsite 24/7, identify gaps and
recommendations how to fill them.
Onsite personnel were offered mental health first aid
training to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms
of mental health crisis. Training includes strategies to help
someone in both crisis and noncrisis situations, and
response resources for appropriate professional help. The
county will continue to leverage training resources to
support onsite staff. Immediate support for a behavioral
health crisis is available 24/7 through other programs.
Develop a strategy to ensure visitor check-in
complies with requirements.
County staff does not have the authority to require a visitor
check-in process, however, will continue to work with
developer to ensure compliance with the No Place Like
Home program guidelines.
Analyze all options and opportunities to
maximize the level of services and hours of onsite case management services and
referrals to behavioral health services for
Windsor Pointe.
There have been no changes since the last report out.
County staff had previously increased onsite behavioral health support at Windsor Pointe but then cut hours back
to 19 hours per week. County staff state the number of on-
site hours will change depending on residents’ needs.
An array of substance use and mental health treatment
options are available to residents, including 24/7 support
for a behavioral health crisis.
County staff explored funding opportunities to enhance
clinical support seven days per week; however, funding
was not identified for this level of service.
Pilot program to enhance clinical support and
maximize case management services and
referrals to Behavioral Health Services
County staff had increased onsite behavioral health
support at Windsor Pointe but then cut hours back to 19
hours per week. County staff state the number of on-site
hours will change depending on residents’ needs.
An array of substance use and mental health treatment
options are available to residents, including 24/7 support
for a behavioral health crisis.
County staff explored funding opportunities to enhance
clinical support seven days per week; however, funding
was not identified for this level of service.
Sept. 30, 2025 Item #5 Page 9 of 9
Adriana Trujillo
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
City Clerk
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 10:00 AM
Adriana Trujillo
FW: Windsor Pointe 9/30/25 Item 5
From: michael ajdour <michaelajd@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2025 10:44:23 AM
To: Melanie Burkholder <melanie.burkholder@carlsbadca.gov>
Subject: Windsor Pointe 9/30/25 Item 5
Dear Melanie,
!\II Receive -Agend.i Item # 5
For the Information of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date ~V-CC ~
CM ~ ACM ..J::::::""DCM (3) _!:::-
From my perspective Windsor Pointe seems more peaceful. Thank you for all efforts in that direction.
A few questions I hope you can get answers to:
1. How many apartments are being held temporarily empty because their tenants are currently
incarcerated? (Hopefully none!)
2. How many tenants actually are from Carlsbad?( not just clumped in with who works here)
3. What is the process if a mentally ill Carlsbad resident is loosing their current housing to get a place
at WP? Do they go to the end of the line?
Thank you for representing us well,
Julie Ajdour
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
CAUTION: Do not open attachments or click on links unless ou recognize the sender and know the content i
safe.
1
WINDSOR POINTE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Mandy Mills, Director, Housing & Homeless Services
Reid Shipley, Assistant Police Chief
Sept. 30, 2025
1
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Receive report on City Council directed actions
related to the Windsor Pointe Affordable Housing
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
2
LOCATION ITEM 6: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
3
BACKGROUND
•Apartments with supportive services
•Community concerns
•City Council updates
•March 12, 2024
•April 9, 2024
•June 11, 2024
•Aug. 20, 2024
•Oct. 22, 2024
•Feb. 25, 2025
ITEM 6: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
4
ACTIONS COMPLETED ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
5
Mar 2024 Sept 2025
Affirmed began
management
agent change
Management plan
updated
Visitor access
control with photo
Mental health referral
training completed
Legislative
advocacy plan
begins
County refers more
specialized care Veteran housing
vouchers approved
On-site security
hours increased
Legal analysis re
management change
Notice of
deficiencies
sent
Door and
locks repaired
On-site security
increased to
both locations
Second on-site
manager added
MANAGEMENT CHANGE
Affirmed Housing hired new management company,
Solari Enterprises
Company approved by each funding agency
Developed updated management plan between
Affirmed Housing and Solari Enterprises that address
goals and priorities identified by the City Council
Added second on-site manager, providing greater
oversight and presence at the property
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
6
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
COMPLETE
INCREASE VETERAN RESIDENCY
Approved for 6 veteran housing vouchers
•Changed veterans preference to requirement
•Referred by the San Diego Veterans Affairs office
•Will be referred with future turnover
•Ongoing case management through the VA Medical Center
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
7
CALLS FOR SERVICE
Broad term including all 911 calls
•Police, fire and emergency medical
•Hang ups and misdials
•Police follow up visits
•Police-initiated patrols
Indicates activity, but not necessarily use of police
resources
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
8
USE OF POLICE RESOURCES
Need for police response has gone down
•Police encourage residents, neighbors, on-site staff to call
•More training for on-site staff results in resolution or
referral
•Increased referrals to Mobile Crisis Response Team
•When crime occurs, it is addressed
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
9
FEBRUARY 2025 – JULY 2025
Windsor Pointe
87 calls for service
Citywide
54,799 calls for service
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
10
AVERAGE MONTHLY CALLS FOR SERVICE
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE
11
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Mar 2024 - July 2024 Aug 2024 - Jan 2025 Feb 2025 - July 2025
62% decrease overall
UNDERSTANDING CALLS FOR SERVICE
Resulted in an arrest
2.3%
12
ITEM 5: WINDSOR POINTE UPDATE