CALIFORNIA, USA — Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an announcement Monday that about $300 million dollars in grants will be awarded to California cities and towns to fight homelessness.
This funding is primarily used to keep people out of encampments and provide them with safer and more permanent housing options. The funding is estimated to help about 10,000 people get off the streets, according to the governor's office.
Half of the new grants will be prioritized for encampments near highways.
“Through the Encampment Resolution Grants, Caltrans is working to connect people experiencing homelessness on its right-of-way to more secure and stable housing situations offered by local partners,” said Alisa Becerra, Caltrans Deputy Division Chief, Office of Homelessness and Encampments, Division of Maintenance, in a statement. “The strength of this effort relies on collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to creating real solutions that help the people who need it most.”
The California Interagency Council on Homelessness is now accepting applications for the grants. The money is available to cities, counties and continuums of care. Applications for the grants will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 30, 2024, or until the funds are used.
“Since day one, combatting homelessness has been a top priority. Encampments are not safe for the people living in them, or for community members around them. The state is giving locals hundreds of millions of dollars to move people into housing and clean up these persistent and dangerous encampments. And we are doing the same on state land, having removed 5,679 encampments since 2021,” Newsom said in a statement.
The governor's office says more than $400 million has already been awarded to 66 communities since the fund was created in 2021.
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