HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-09; City Council Legislative Subcommittee; ; Windsor Pointe Advocacy EffortsLEGISLATIVE SUBCOMMITTEE
Staff Report
Meeting Date: July 9, 2024
To: Legislative Subcommittee
Fr.om: Jasori Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director
Staff Contact: Jason Haber, Intergovernmental Affairs Director
jason.haber@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2958
Subject: Windsor Pointe Advocacy Efforts
District: All
Recommended Action
Receive an update on regional, state and federal advocacy efforts concerning the Windsor Pointe
affordable housing development and provide feedback.
Discussion
This item is in response to a June 11, 2024, Subcommittee Member request to provide an update
on city advocacy efforts related to Windsor Pointe.
Windsor Pointe is a SO-unit affordable housing project with half of the units offering a priority for
veterans and their families, and the other half, funded in part by the No Place Like Home program,
serving people with serious mental illness who are homeless, chronically homeless or at risk of
becoming chronically homeless. The project has been in operation for approximately two years.
Concerns have been raised about the project, principally regarding safety in the neighborhood
surrounding it. To address these concerns, the City Council approved several actions on March 12,
2024. These actions were summarized in a letter dated March 25, 2024, addressed to the County of
San Diego Health & Human Services Agency (Exhibit 1).
Among the approved actions, the City Council directed staff to work with the Legislative
Subcommittee to develop strategies to:
1. Advocate for Funding for On-Site Security:
The City Council directed staff to work on a strategy to advocate for the release of Capital
Operating Subsidy Reserve {COSR) funding by the County of San Diego to cover the costs of
additional on-site security at Windsor Pointe.
The city and county worked with the California Department of Housing and Community
Development {HCD) to maximize the COSR disbursement allowed by regulations, thereby
July 9, 2024 Item #4 Page 1 of 6
enabling the project developer to cover the cost of providing onsite security from 6 a.m. to 6
p.m. and 24-hour video surveillance monitoring, seven days per week at both locations.
2. Advocate for Supportive Housing Funding:
Staff was also tasked with developing and implementing a legislative advocacy strategy to
lobby for full funding of supportive housing at the state and federal levels. Funding dynamics,
particularly the depletion of authorized state funds and the current focus on ca pital
investments, highlight the need for ongoing supportive services funding.
This effort is ongoing. Staff continue to engage in coalitio·n-building efforts at the_regional
level and in direct engagement with state and fe~eral ·represeritatives. • ..
City advocacy resulted in the county increasing Tenant Peer Support Services for N_o Pface
Like Home residents by 20 hours per week,,from 24 on-site hours to 44 on-site hours per
week, Monday through Friday .. • •
3. Advocate for Policy Changes in Homeless Housing Placement Referral Process:
St aff was further tasked with engaging the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and the
region's Continuum of Care Board of Directors to initiate policy changes aHowing for a local
or subregional priority in the Coordinated Entry System referral process. Such changes also
require authorizatio~ from HCD, which has previously denied similar request s.
Staff have engaged with the Regional Task Fo rce 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.
HCD staff have indicated that a county-led regional fair housing lega l analysis would be
required to determine if implementation of a housing placement priority system would be
consistent with federal and state fair housing laws, and other applicable laws. Staff will
provide the City Council with an update on t his item in August.
4. Advocate for Allowing Veteran Benefits to Exceed Maximum Income Limits
Finally, staff was tasked with attempting to address barriers to end veteran homelessness by
advocating for veterans to be ab le to exceed maximum income limits for supportive housing
units or for veterans benefits to not count toward these maximum income limits.
At the federal level, U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman (with several co-sponsors, including
Rep. Mike Levin) introduced H.R. 8340, the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act, on
May 10, 2024. The bill proposes to exclude any disab ility benefits received by a veteran from
the definition of adjusted income for the purposes of determining eligibility for the
supportive housing program under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act.
The Legislative Subcommittee may wish to recommend that staff prepare a letter of support
for H.R. 8340, in furtherance of this advocacy effort.
At the state level, staff and the city's contract lobbyists are seeking to determine whether
statutory changes could be achieved through a state budget trailer bill to either waive
July 9, 2024 Item #4 Page 2 of 6
income limits for veterans or exclude veteran benefits from income calculations for regional
housing placements in state-funded units.
On all matters discussed above, staff and the city's contract lobbyists have engaged with the city's
state and federal representatives to inform them of the city's efforts.
Next Steps
Staff will incorporate input received from the Legislative Subcommittee into the advocacy
strategies to be pursued and reported back to the City Council in August.
Exhibits
1. March 25, 2024, Letter to County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency
July 9, 2024 Item #4 Page 3 of 6
March 25, 2024
Eric C. McDonald, MD, MPH, FACEP
Interim Agency Director
County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency
1600 Pacific Highway, Room 206
San Diego, CA 92101
Dear Dr. McDonald,·
(city of
Carlsbad
Thank you for your letter dated March 8, 2024, regarding Windsor Pointe. As you know, on
March 12, 2024, the Carlsbad City Council received an update on the Windsor Pointe affordable housing
project and directed city sta.ff to pursue a number of actions, both immediate and long-term, to address
current concerns with the Windsor Pointe project. I want to bring your attention to one City Council
direction action item in particular that addresses behavioral health services provided by the County of
San Diego. The Carlsbad City Council voted to formally advocate for an increase in behavioral health
services available for Windsor Pointe residents that need and want it. The table below shows all City
Council directed action items and current status:
Action Status
Working with the City Council's Legislative County Housing & Community
Subcommittee, develop and implement a strategy to Development staff have confirmed
effectively advocate for the County of San Diego to authorization to use operating reserves for
release operating subsidy reserve funding for this onsite security. There is still a question of
project to cover the cost of additional onsite security at the maximum allowed within a five-year
both locations. period. The City of Carlsbad will advocate
to State HCD 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.
Bring back an amended management plan to the City City staff, Affirmed Housing and ConAm
Council on April 9, 2024, that reflects an amended property management are working to
guest policy to require visitors to sign in and sign out develop new policies to be included in a
and the presence of an onsite security guard for each property management plan that will be
site when appropriate staff are not available. presented to the City Council on April 9.
Collaborate with the Property Manager to strengthen City staff, Affirmed Housing and ConAm are
the protocol to divert low-level issues to onsite working on a protocol for onsite personnel
personnel. to handle low level non-public safety
issues.
City Manager's Office
Exhibit 1
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 442-339-2820 t
July 9, 2024 Item #4 Page 4 of 6
Eric C. McDonald, MD, MPH, FACEP
March 25, 2024
Page 2
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.
Working with the city's Director of Intergovernmental
Affairs and the city's contracted lobbyists, develop and
implement a legislativ·e 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.
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.
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.
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.
City staff, Affirmed Housing, ConAm and
County Behavioral Health staff {BHS) are
currently in active conversations to identify
ways to deliver additional and higher levels
of support to Windsor Pointe residents.
BHS staff did recently announce that they
have approved a part time behavioral
health clinician on site at Windsor Pointe
for 20 hours per \f\/eek.
This action will be pursued in conjunction
with the city's Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and City Council
Legislative Subcommittee.
This action will be pursued by the city's
Housing & Homeless Services Department.
This action will be pursued in conjunction
with the city's Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and City Council
Legislative Subcommittee.
This action will be pursued in conjunction
with the city's Director of
Intergovernmental Affairs and City Council
Legislative Subcommittee.
Carlsbad city staff have continued to work with all project partners to address concerns. We are
appreciative of the changes already approved by the County of San Diego such as the increase in onsite
supportive and behavioral health service hours and the ability to pay for security at both locations out of
the Capitalized Operating Subsidy Reserve. These changes will make a difference for project residents as
well as community members. City staff will continue to work with your department to ensure
appropriate treatment referrals are made based on the acuity levels of Windsor Pointe residents.
Thank you for your efforts to support collaborative solutions to ensure the safety, health and welfare of
tenants and the surrounding community. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact
Housing & Homeless Services Director Mandy Mills at (442) 339-2907, or mandy.mills@carlsbadca.gov.
July 9, 2024 Item #4 Page 5 of 6
Eric C. McDonald, MD, MPH, FACEP
March 25, 2024
Scott Chadwick
City Manager
cc: Sarah E. Aghassi, County of San Diego Interim Chief Administrative Officer
Courtney McDonald, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency Chief of Staff
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Mickey Williams, Chiefof Police
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Mandy Mills, Housing & Homeless Services Director
July 9, 2024 Item #4 Page 6 of 6