The project is located on two properties, one on Harding Street just north of Magnolia, and the other on Oak Avenue just west of I-5. The Harding building has 26 apartments, and the Oak building has 24.

This project provides supportive housing to:

• Veterans who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless or
• People who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness with veterans in their families or
• People who are homeless or nearly homeless who have a serious mental illness

To qualify residents must be U.S. citizens or legal residents and have a household income at either 25% or 50% of the median income for the San Diego region. Under state law, these categories are called extremely low and very low income.

Federal guidelines require the owner to screen out registered sex offenders and anyone who was convicted of manufacturing or producing methamphetamine.

Windsor Pointe will also screen anyone convicted of a violent crime or drug-related offense within the previous three years.

Yes, Windsor Pointe was originally designed as supportive housing for veterans. However, because Affirmed Housing could not secure state funding specifically for veterans, it applied to other sources, including the county’s No Place Like Home funds, which provides money for housing for seriously mentally ill people who are experiencing homelessness. 

No Place Like Home is a state of California program designed to provide housing for homeless people who are being treated for mental illness. California voters approved the funds for this program as Proposition 63 in 2004.

Because of the funding source, up to 24 apartments are set aside to provide supportive housing for people with serious mental illness. Not all veterans suffer from mental illness, but there is a higher incidence of mental illness within the veteran population. The county has a list of veterans being treated for mental illness who need housing. The City of Carlsbad has asked that Windsor Pointe give preference to veterans and Carlsbad residents, and Affirmed Housing has agreed to honor that request to the best of its ability.

If the county does not have 24 veterans qualified to live in the apartments set aside for people undergoing treatment for mental illness, those units will be made available to non veterans.

Yes.

Residents of Windsor Pointe who qualify because of mental illness must have a diagnosis from a licensed mental health professional. According to the American Psychiatric Association, serious mental illness, also referred to as severe mental illness, is a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder (excluding developmental and substance use disorders) resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. Examples of serious mental illness include major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

The safety of the Carlsbad community and Windsor Pointe residents is a top priority for the city. Both buildings have highly trained, qualified personnel on hand in the form of health professionals, security or trained staff around the clock. Trained professional staff are present during weekdays, and a private security guard will be on site after hours and on weekends. Each building has a property manager living on the premises, and security camera systems cover grounds and are monitored off site.

In addition, each resident has a case manager who assesses their needs and works with them on an action plan to meet specific goals and not relapse into homelessness. Oftentimes supportive housing is the only way out of chronic homelessness.

No. A shelter is a temporary location where someone can find a bed overnight, but it is not considered a home. This project is long-term supportive housing where homeless veterans and people with severe mental illness can live in their own homes and receive such support services as job counseling, physical and mental health support, addiction support and more, and help obtaining and retaining a home.

The project’s developer selected and purchased the sites. The city provides general land use and zoning rules, but within those rules, the market dictates where and when housing is built and what type. Currently, of the city’s 2,300 affordable housing units, 268 are located in the Barrio, including the 50 this project adds.

The land in question was occupied by one single-family home and two duplexes. Not all of the units are occupied. The developer was required to offer relocation services to anyone living there in the form of substitute housing and financial assistance. Relocation services are well defined by law and the city assured that Affirmed Housing performed due diligence in helping those residents find substitute housing.

Studies show that supportive housing, such as what will is provided at Windsor Pointe, is an effective way for chronically homeless people to get into permanent housing.

The city contributed $8.3 million to help pay the construction costs by purchasing the land and leasing it back to Affirmed Housing and providing a long-term loan. Other funding came from state and federal tax credit equity, which are financing mechanisms to build affordable housing ($14.2 million), and County of San Diego No Place Like Home funds ($10.1 million).

This assistance is designed to help get homeless people off the streets and into long-term housing.

For the consideration of the project itself, the city followed the same notification process required for other development projects, which includes notice of application signs placed on the properties, mailed public notices and notices of Planning Commission public hearing and meeting agendas. The city also publicized the agendas for upcoming meetings through email alerts, social media and the newspaper.

For the 2017 and 2020 funding assistance requests from the developer to the City Council, meeting agendas were posted according to open meeting laws at least 72 hours in advance. The city also publicized the agendas for upcoming meetings through email alerts, social media and the newspaper.

By law, the city cannot treat people will mental illnesses and those experiencing homelessness differently from anyone else.

Federal and state housing laws protect people from discrimination in housing due to mental or physical disabilities, religion, race and many other characteristics. The law specifies that it is unlawful to publish any notice “with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on … handicap.” This prohibition applies to persons undergoing treatment for mental illness.

Under California state law and the City of Carlsbad zoning ordinance, supportive housing that assists groups like veterans and disabled persons is a residential use, and not a business or commercial use. Such housing must be treated the same way as any housing under the city’s land-use and zoning rules. Moreover, state and federal fair housing laws prohibit discrimination based on disability.