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Oceanside council approves Encampment Resolution Fund contracts after staff says Zone 1 cleared, 54 people housed
Summary
City staff told the council the ERF-supported Zone 1 operation cleared a complex encampment on schedule and housed 54 people; council approved three service agreements and an amendment to continue outreach, rapid rehousing and technical support.
Oceanside — The City Council on Sept. 17 approved a set of contracts to continue services funded through the Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF), after housing officials described rapid deployments in Zone 1 that they say cleared a dense encampment and connected dozens of people to housing.
Salvador Grama, senior management analyst in the housing department, told the council the ERF grant — awarded in April 2024 and administered in partnership with Carlsbad — funded outreach, stabilization and rapid rehousing delivered by local nonprofit contractors. "We were awarded $11,400,000 in partnership with the city of Carlsbad," Grama said during the presentation.
Project staff described a targeted effort behind the Hobby Lobby/Plaza Lane/College Boulevard area (Zone 1). "We counted about 65 [individuals]" in the initial binamelist, the presenter said, and contractors later "served 76 clients, not all of whom were on the by-name list." The staff presentation said the Zone 1 closure was completed as scheduled on July 15 and remained clear in the two months that followed.
Sophia Hughes, who delivered the zone-level update, reported operational results: "We removed over 24 tents from the ravine as well as 30 tons of trash. We ended homelessness for 54 individuals and all of them have remained housed so far." The presentation also noted a 17 percent reduction in unsheltered homelessness in the mapped ERF area in a two-month period and stressed continued monitoring and stabilization case management through the remaining grant term.
Council members asked for clarifications about funding overlap and contractor selection after public speakers raised questions about Interfaith Community Services. Grama and other staff said the bridge housing program is a separate tool from ERF and that multiple providers and consultants — including the Regional Task Force on Homelessness — supported the Zone 1 deployment.
The council voted 5–0 to authorize continued agreements with Interfaith Community Services and to approve the recommended amendment extending technical support from the regional task force, while directing the city manager to execute documents as to form. Councilmembers and staff emphasized a housing-first approach and the need to monitor outcomes as the project moves into additional zones.
