More military veterans could be moving into Carlsbad’s Windsor Pointe affordable housing under a program expected to be approved next week by the Carlsbad City Council.
The San Diego County Housing Authority has offered to provide six rental assistance vouchers for veterans in Windsor Pointe under the Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing project.
Six apartments in the two-building, 50-unit complex would be restricted to only veteran tenants, instead of just recommended for them, under the program. One of the complaints about Windsor Pointe has been that, though the project was intended to house veterans, few of them live there.
“Veterans are given preference for all units at Windsor Pointe, but it has been challenging to place veterans in (some) units for several reasons,” states a city report. “The main reason being that veterans are referred first to projects that are required to serve only veterans, as opposed to those with a preference for veterans, like Windsor Pointe.”
The vouchers would only be accepted within the 24 apartments in the complex funded through the county’s No Place Like Home Program. All the apartments are occupied, and veterans using the vouchers could only move in when the present tenants move out.
“Tenants will still be required to have a serious mental illness to meet the No Place Like Home requirement,” the report states. “One distinct difference is that tenants who accept a … voucher must also agree to meet with a case manager each month, ensuring some level of engagement with available services.”
Residents and city officials have been concerned about reports of drugs, crime and bad behavior in and around Windsor Pointe since it opened in 2022 in the city’s downtown Barrio neighborhood. The Carlsbad Police Department has responded to hundreds of 911 calls for service related to activities at or near the buildings.
The City Council has asked the project’s developer, Affirmed Housing, to implement additional security, more case management services, and an improved program to monitor guests at the complex.
The city owns the property, and Affirmed has a 55-year lease. The development must be used as affordable housing for the duration of the lease, under the requirements of the government loan programs that helped fund it.