Vista staff report progress on homelessness plan as council debates aid eligibility, shelter data

City of Vista staff presented the City Council with an update on the city's strategic plan to address homelessness, detailing program spending, shelter outcomes and plans for a permanent navigation center. Staff outlined funding sources, contracted service activity and measures the city is using to track unhoused residents.

"Tonight's workshop provides the city council and members of the public an update on the implementation of the city's strategic plan to address homelessness," said Jonathan Lund, the city's homeless services program manager, as he opened the presentation.

The update said the strategic plan (adopted March 2020) has appropriated roughly $27 million through June 30, 2025, and spent nearly $12 million of those appropriations. Staff said approximately 63% of appropriations came from the State of California, 31% from locally generated revenues and about 5% from federal sources. Notable grants cited in the presentation included $9.6 million from encampment resolution funding rounds 1 and 3 and roughly $8 million from the city's year-end fund balances and cannabis revenue.

To measure homelessness, staff described two tools. The annual point-in-time count coordinated by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) counted 265 people within the city's point-in-time boundaries in 2025 (a 2.2% decrease from February 2024). Staff also highlighted a "by-name" list maintained by San Diego Rescue Mission (SDRM) as a more precise, client-level tool; staff reported 326 individuals engaged with Rescue Mission outreach workers in Vista by June 30, 2025. Council members and providers noted the two tools differ because the point-in-time count is a volunteer-driven snapshot while the by-name list is updated daily by providers.

Program updates and contract status

- VISTA Emergency Housing Assistance Program (VHAP C2): The council appropriated $200,000 from the year-end fund balance to create this rental assistance program. Staff said awards are limited to $5,000 per household and up to three months of assistance; eligibility follows HUD Category 2 definitions. On June 10, 2025, the council approved an agreement with Interfaith Community Services to administer VHAP C2; staff reported the program was finalizing implementation and no contract funds had been disbursed…