As frustration continues to grow over sprawling homeless encampments in nearly every corner of the Bay Area, the state is stepping in with hundreds of thousands of dollars to maneuver people from city sidewalks, parks and floodplains across the region into shelters and shelters.
Seven local cities and counties are set to receive a share of about $48 million to maneuver potentially a thousand people from the camps into shelters or shelters. The awards are a part of a $131 million statewide initiative launched by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2022 to deal with more homeless people indoors.
“We support local communities’ efforts to move people out of encampments and connect them with care and housing across the state,” Newsom said in a press release. “It is important and urgent work in which everyone must play their part.”
These Bay Area cities and counties will receive funding:
– Antioch: $6.8 million
-Berkeley: $5.4 million
-Petaluma: $8.1 million
-Richmond: $9.3 million
-San Jose: $4.8 million
-San Francisco: $7.9 million
-Contra Costa: $5.7 million
To date, the $1 billion encampment clearance program has provided greater than $730 million to clear encampments in not less than 21 counties and 41 cities and funded 109 emergency shelters. The aim is to assist homeless people find everlasting accommodation The initial results were mixed.
At last count, there have been an estimated 38,000 homeless people within the Bay Area, a rise of about 35% since 2019.
The funding announcement comes two months after Newsom ordered state agencies to step up camp cleanups after which threatened to withhold state funding from local governments that fail to get more people off the streets. The executive order followed a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that gave state and native governments sweeping latest powers to clear homeless encampments even when shelter beds should not available.
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