The Carlsbad City Council approved two agreements this week aimed at creating opportunities for lower-income residents and people experiencing homelessness.

Homebuyer program

• The City Council approved spending $230,000 to purchase an affordable housing condominium in the Mulberry community in Bressi Ranch so it can be resold to another eligible lower-income buyer.
• The purchase is part of the city’s Affordable Housing Resale Program, which preserves affordable housing in Carlsbad and aims to put home ownership within reach for low-income households.
• The homes in the program were originally built by a private developer to meet city’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requirements and were sold to qualified lower-income buyers at an affordable restricted price.

When homeowners decide to sell, the city can use city and federal funds to purchase the units to preserve and extend the homes’ long-term affordability. Since the program launched last year, the city has purchased 11 units. This will be the twelfth.

When the city announced the program last year it received thousands of applications. The city has since closed the application list and is working through it to get the units sold to eligible low income buyers.

Job placement help
On Tuesday, the City Council also approved an agreement with the nonprofit Community Resource Center for a full-time employment and benefits specialist who will help people experiencing homelessness find jobs and get job training.

The program is just one of the ways the city is working to reduce homelessness in Carlsbad by 50% over the next five years.

The specialist will

• Assist people participating in the program with resume building, interview prep, counseling and job coaching, as well as connecting them with recruiters seeking to fill available positions
• Create partnerships with local employers for job placement opportunities
• Refer people to community-based programs and services such as the San Diego Workforce Partnership
• Link participants to aid programs that can provide food and other resources

The City Council has identified homelessness as a top priority, dedicating more than $5 million in new spending in the current city budget to make measurable progress by addressing gaps in county and state programs.

More information
Housing & Homeless Services
Affordable Housing Resale Program
Mandy Mills, Housing & Homeless Services Director, mandy.mills@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2907