Carlsbad forms Homeless Impact Fund
By Gary Warth
July 7, 2026
Carlsbad residents can help homeless people in their community by donating directly to a new fund that will be created by the city.
The City Council voted to create the new Homeless Impact Fund without discussion as part of the consent calendar at their July 7 meeting.
The new fund was created in response to the city’s Homeless Action Plan, which includes an initiative to develop a charitable fund that can support homeless services in Carlsbad through community financial donations.
According to the agenda report, setting up a fund through an established foundation would provide an easy way for people to support formal efforts to help homeless people, and staff members identified the San Diego Foundation as the best choice to administer the fund.
The foundation is a nonprofit hub for charitable giving that has served community needs and philanthropic causes in San Diego County for more than 50 years and manages more than $1.5 billion in assets.
One-time or recurring tax-deductible financial donations will be made through an online page that will be created by the foundation.
Donations will fund grants to nonprofit organization to address homelessness in Carlsbad with an emphasis on case management, housing and shelter.
The concept is not new in Carlsbad, which also has charitable funds to support Carlsbad Friends of the Arts, the Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation and Friends of the Carlsbad Library, among others.
Also at the July 7 meeting, the City Council approved grant agreements with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a related agreement with the Community Resource Center for rapid re-housing services.
Since July 2020, HUD grants have funded the city’s contract with the Community Resource Center to provide rapid re-housing services, which provide rental assistance and support to help permanently house homeless individuals.
HUD had announced in 2024 that Continuum of Care grants would cover two years, meaning the city’s program would be funded through fiscal year 2026-27. In 2025, however, HUD rescinded the two-year commitment and announced it would only renew grants for a single year.
Following a legal challenge, HUD has agreed to provide a 12-month non-competitive renewal of existing Continuum of Cares grants, resulting in Carlsbad again receiving grants for both programs through fiscal year 2026-27.
The city’s FY 2026-27 budget includes $1,679,846 in total HUD Continuum of Care Program, which includes $494,336 for permanent supportive housing and $1,185,510 for rapid re-housing.
The rapid re-housing agreement with Community Resource Center will include $1,142,745 in HUD funding and $175,000 from the city’s General Fund, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $1,317,745.
