Escondido looks to expand rental support for low-income residents

Escondido plans to expand rental support to help people with low incomes stay in their homes.

The City Council directed staff last month to update spending plans to increase the amount people can get in rental assistance, boost the number of people who can get it and expand the program to people of all ages. It was previously only available to people over the age of 65.

The council is expected to vote on a finalized version of the plan March 4. Leading up to that decision, city staffers have said they will share information about the plans with residents and create opportunities for public input.

The changes were first discussed at a City Council meeting last month. Public speakers at the meeting were universally in support of the proposed changes.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” resident Richard Cannon told the council. “Research clearly shows that preventing homelessness saves cities substantial amounts of money.”

The council members pointed to the need in the community for housing support as they discussed the changes. There are 876 Escondido residents receiving vouchers through the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8. An additional 5,276 residents are on the waiting list.

“That’s mindboggling to me,” Councilman Joe Garcia said about the numbers.

The city has $590,369 in federal housing funds in its 2025-26 annual action plan created to tell the federal government how it’s ...