Thanks to a vote by the Board of Supervisors this week, residents of the Windsor Pointe apartment complex and other county-affiliated residential facilities will receive enhanced mental health treatment and safety.
Tuesday’s board vote was 4-0 following safety concerns for the 50-unit affordable housing development at 965 Oak Ave. and 3606 Harding St. in Carlsbad. .
“Since its opening in spring 2022, community members and residents have consistently expressed concerns about this project and its impact on the safety and security of the neighborhood,” according to a board letter written by Vice President Tera Lawson Lemar. ”. “Working with the City of Carlsbad, affordable housing developers, county staff and the community, we are making progress toward resolving the concerns of Carlsbad residents.”
The City of Carlsbad provided the land and $8.3 million to the Windsor Pointe development through a land lease agreement. For the county, he contributed $13 million in No Place Like Home funds to the project. The state program funds permanent supportive housing for people in need of mental health services who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless.
The county also contracts with the nonprofit Alpha Project, which provides on-site case management for 24 Windsor Point residents.
According to Lawson Roemer’s office, supervisors have instructed county staff to:
- Consider all options to maximize on-site and referral-based behavioral health services
- Find ways to increase service levels and on-site case management time when residents are likely to need additional support
- Plan to use No Place Like Home operating reserves to pay for additional security personnel at Windsor Point.
- Urges the state Department of Housing and Community Development to provide more flexibility in capital operations reserves for Windsor Pointe.
After the vote, Lawson Roemer said the policy “will have a long-term positive impact on the people we serve with behavioral health services and the communities where our homes are located.”
In a related measure, regulators are launching a pilot program to increase seven-day-a-week support for residents with severe mental illness living in four North County government housing complexes, including the Windsor Pointe complex. Acknowledged.
The other three complexes are Greenbrier Village (Oceanside), Valley Senior Village (Escondido) and Santa Fe Senior Village (Vista), which also receive No Place Like Home funding through the county.
The regulator has directed interim chief administrative officer Sarah Agassi to implement a program that includes training in mental health first aid and referrals to crisis response resources.
Agassi will work with the Department of Behavioral Health, the Department of Housing and Community Development Services, as well as affordable housing developers and the companies that manage the four developments.
Agassi plans to update the board within 90 days. In six months, she will return to the board with a new update on the plan, which also incorporates countywide changes.
Supervisor Jim Desmond, who introduced the pilot program, said his proposal and Lawson Roemer’s proposal complement each other.
“What we learned in Carlsbad and Windsor Point is that we have to get people to the appropriate level of care that they need,” Desmond said, adding that plans call for visits to four developments. It added that it also requires people to check in and check out.
Desmond said it’s important for the county to help people who live in apartment complexes and be good neighbors. “This is a new learning experience for all of us,” he added.
During the public comment period, several people commented in support of efforts to improve both security and access to mental health care.
Chris Schilling, homeless services manager for the city of Carlsbad, said he and others are “looking forward to the positive impact this will have on our community.”
Rachel Hayes of Lived Experience Advisors points out that while affordable housing projects always have their problems, the homes she lives in are well-maintained and secure, so tenants feel safe. did.
Yusef Miller of the North County Fair Justice Coalition said wraparound services could allay concerns at Windsor Point. He said seven out of 50 residents there are considered problematic. “We’re criminalizing and penalizing other people who need these resources…We all want safety, we all want safety,” he said.
Commissioner Norma Vargas was absent from Tuesday’s vote.
City News Service contributed to this article.
