Months after Gov. Gavin Newsom unsuccessfully tried to chop a $1 billion program to assist local governments combat homelessness, the governor on Tuesday announced the initiative's latest round of funding, now going to cities and counties across the state goes.
The grants will help fund everlasting housing, housing and various support services for homeless people and folks liable to homelessness. Newsom said the awards include latest accountability measures and reporting requirements to make sure the cash is well spent.
Local governments must report on their spending every month and commonly report program results, including what number of individuals are assisted find housing. The information is published on public online dashboards.
“In the past, the money was just sent down the drain, whatever happens, happens – that's no longer the case,” Newsom said Tuesday at a news conference in Los Angeles to announce the $827 million in awards. Dollars were announced.
The money will go to 37 regions representing 100 cities, counties and native organizations. Everyone needed to submit an approved plan to handle homelessness to use for funding.
In the Bay Area, the Santa Clara County region will receive $57 million, the Alameda County region will receive $56 million and the San Francisco region will receive $43 million. Areas with smaller homeless populations, including San Mateo, Marin, Napa and Solano counties, will receive $5 million or less.
In total, the nine-county Bay Area will receive nearly $170 million. The money is split between county and city governments.
“Continued state funding … has been tremendously important to Santa Clara County's efforts to provide temporary housing and services for homeless individuals and families,” said KJ Kaminski, acting director of Santa Clara County's Office of Supportive Housing, also in The money was used to supply financial support to residents who’re on the verge of homelessness.
During state budget negotiations this spring, Newsom initially rejected in his budget proposal the inclusion of a sixth round of funding for the Homeless Housing and Prevention Program. Lawmakers countered by demanding the complete $1 billion. The governor then proposed cutting $280 billion from this system, arguing that cuts were needed to handle a multibillion-dollar budget deficit ultimately agreed to totally finance it.
Tuesday's announcement follows a scathing state audit in April that found the state didn’t adequately account for the $24 billion it has spent on homelessness over the past five years. During that point, the variety of homeless people in California increased by 38% to over 181,000 people. In 2022, there have been an estimated 38,000 homeless residents within the Bay Area.
Shortly after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June gave officials latest powers to watch homelessness, Newsom ordered state agencies to step up encampment clearances and urged local governments to do the identical — while threatening local governments to do the identical , who didn’t accommodate more people, withheld funding off the streets.
On Tuesday, Newsom also announced latest guidelines for encampment closures, including prioritizing encampments based on health and safety concerns, notifying camp residents a minimum of 48 hours upfront and connecting them to supportive services. In 2022, Newsom launched a separate, multi-year, $1 billion program to assist cities and counties clear encampments and place homeless residents in shelters.
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