SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s 58 counties, 13 largest cities, and a group of homeless service providers were in line to receive $1 billion in state spending for local governments if they submitted plans showing how they would use it for homelessness.
But Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday he’s delaying the funding to local governments after saying they’re not doing enough to curb homelessness in their communities. He says the plans were unacceptable since they would only reduce the state’s homeless population by 2% over the next four years.
"Locally, we have the same frustrations with the city and the county moving really slowly,” said Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness Executive Director, Bob Erlenbusch. "Nevertheless, you wake up in Sacramento this morning and it's near freezing. It's the wrong time of year to do this."
He says Newsom’s decision is counterproductive and pausing the funding could be the difference between life or death for some in the unhoused population.
"There's no reason that the Governor couldn't have said, 'Look, we're not getting the results we want. Let's bring all of the government jurisdictions together, and if you don't show up, then we'll freeze to your community but not the entire state,’” Erlenbusch said.
ABC10 spoke with an unhoused man in Sacramento who identified himself as Michael. He says addressing homelessness goes beyond state funding and that there needs to be stronger efforts to address mental health and drug addiction among the unhoused population.
"I think they should hold it back until they get it straight,” said Michael. "Somebody's taking the money off the top and acting like they're doing something… the money's not going to change it. It's going to be different angles."
Sacramento Mayor Darryl Steinberg says he’s just as frustrated as the governor with the ever-growing homeless crisis. He sent this statement to ABC10:
“As someone who has led on mental health and homelessness statewide for decades, I am as frustrated as the governor with the ever-growing homeless crisis. We have helped more than 17,000 people get housed since 2017 in Sacramento city and county and now operate more than 1,100 beds and safe spaces each night in our city. Our HHAP funds go directly into funding shelter operations. We need the resources to maintain the beds we have built.
It is not enough, and the nation’s housing crisis has caught up to Sacramento.
I take the Governor’s provocation to heart. Let’s use this moment to create a legally enforceable obligation for all cities, counties, and the state to get more people into permanent housing. Let’s use this moment to create a right to mental health care for the people who are desperately sick on our streets. It must not be optional, but mandatory, for counties to intervene directly in these numerous encampments where the suffering of people and our neighborhoods is so obvious. We can pair new rights and obligations with the responsibility of people to accept the housing and services when they are offered.
I am ready to work with the governor and all our partners to say once and for all; the commitment of this civil society must be that no one lives in these terrible conditions. The law must communicate clearly to all the leaders and systems responsible for that common sense commitment: You are required to get people off the streets.”
Newsom is now calling for a meeting with local officials later this month to review the state’s collective approach to homelessness.
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