SACRAMENTO, Calif. — US. Senator Alex Padilla was back in California Tuesday urging Congress to pass his Housing for All Act, which would invest more than $530 billion over a 10-year period to address homelessness and the affordable housing crisis.
At the event in San Diego, Mayor Todd Gloria emphasized that homelessness is not just a California issue.
"Make no mistake," Gloria said. "This is not a San Diego issue. This is not a California issue. This is a national issue. There is not a mayor in this country that I speak to that does not have this crisis in their city."
Padilla added that it is, however, worse in the Golden State.
“In recent years, the rates of homelessness in California, in particular, has increased larger than most states, and that by the way, includes 11,000 veterans who experience homelessness in California on any given night."
Their call to action is in the Housing for All Act.
“This bill is a comprehensive plan with a vision to end homelessness, and secure affordable housing for all across America. As the plan that works from the bottom up, we know that every community is different. Every city is different,” Padilla said.
He said this new affordable housing community, St. Teresa of Calcutta Village, is the perfect example of a private-public partnership that he’d like to see more of. The project designated 20% of its units to veterans.
“It is also our job to better serve America's veterans," he said.
California accounts for 12% of the U.S. population, but it is home to 28% of the country's homeless veterans.
Dr. Rajni Shakar Brown is the vice president of the National Coalition on Homelessness. She said states like Florida have reduced homelessness by focusing on veterans.
"There's been a lot of investment working with HUD (Housing and Urban Development) federal voucher program, really looking at dollars invested into veteran support services, making sure that veterans have access to get into long-term housing, rental housing. So that's really been an area where it has really decreased homelessness," she said.
