As of 2024, the homeless population in Carlsbad has doubled and continues to rise. With the rising prevalence of this issue, several CHS students have raised concerns for the homeless community and urge Carlsbad to take greater initiative.
Freshman Kelsey Joyce has volunteered at food drives and food kitchens since 2017, aiming to aid the local homeless community and those unable to provide for themselves. She was inspired to start participating in these efforts after often seeing homeless people at shopping centers, parks and near the train station in Carlsbad Village.
“I wish more people understood that most homeless individuals don’t choose this life and aren’t usually bad people,” Joyce said. “They’re just in a bad situation.”
Not all contributions to these efforts have to be grand to make a difference. Sophomore Elijah Johnson tries to give food and money to people experiencing homelessness whenever he sees them. He believes the community has tried to support homeless people, but should find better solutions with the resources available.
“Most homeless people went through something difficult and deserve to have a second chance at a better life,” Johnson said. “Especially those who have pets, I’ve seen dogs tied up to poles outside of gas stations.”
While Carlsbad has facilities and camps for unhoused individuals, those who own vehicles often decide to live in them. Living in vehicles can affect their safety, however, by being more vulnerable to crime and harsh conditions. To combat this issue, the Carlsbad city council recently approved a ban on camping in vehicles in public spaces, largely impacting this community of the homeless.
“As I’ve gotten older I learned that most of the time the reason someone has become homeless isn’t that simple,” Joyce said. “It can often be more complex and deeper than what we observe on the outside.”
Sophomore Lukas Judd infers that many homeless people need more support in applying and being considered for jobs. As a result of their poor financial stability, many homeless people often have poor credit scores along with limited access to certain job-recruiting resources, making employment more difficult to obtain.
“I think more people should understand that [homeless people] have what it takes to work a job, but instead they just see them at face value and judge how they look,” Judd said.
Although there are many in the Carlsbad community who volunteer at food drives and soup kitchens to help homeless people, sometimes it isn’t enough. To achieve greater change, Judd feels that greater implements are needed to cause true progression.
“I think that the government should give cities more money so they can more effectively help the homeless and better handle their situations,” Judd said.
Many people are quick to judge the homeless simply because of their living situation. People who are struggling with homelessness have often dealt with hardships that resulted in their living situations, which is why it is vital to approach this issue with empathy and a goal for reform.
“When I was younger I wouldn’t take into account what was happening, but now I realize their situation and am more conscious about why and how they need help,” Johnson said.
