Homelessness is a problem across the nation. And as displaced populations grow, cities and states find managing the crisis more and more difficult. Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who calls himself the “homeless czar,” has made tackling the issue one of his top priorities. Last week, he announced a new strategy in which the state could withhold funding to cities that don’t properly address their homeless problem.
The Homeless Spread
About a third of the nation’s homeless – an estimated 180,000 people – live in the Golden State. Encampments can be found most everywhere, including shopping mall parking lots, parks, and neighborhoods.
Emboldened by a June Supreme Court ruling that allows cities to enforce bans on sleeping on public lands, Newsom decided to take advantage and warned officials that if they aren’t doing their part to clear encampments, they could lose state funding. "This is not about criminalization," Newsom said. "What's criminal is neglecting people that are struggling and suffering and dying on our watch." In a July post on X (formerly Twitter), the governor wrote: “No more excuses. We’ve provided the time. We’ve provided the funds. Now it’s time for locals to do their job.”
Since Newsom took office in 2018, California has spent around $24 billion to address the homeless crisis, which includes $3.2 billion given to local governments to clear encampments, build shelters, and provide needed services, the governor explained. Earlier this year, he pushed a ballot measure to allow the state to borrow close to $6.4 billion to help build 4,350 housing units.
Newsom’s newest plan to withhold funding to areas that don’t do enough to address clearing homeless encampments would mandate that state agencies, which includes state parks as well as the Department of Transportation, will need to prioritize projects by level of safety risks. Officials will need to give advance notice to the people they plan to remove and connect them with organizations that can help store their belongings for 60 days or longer.
Cities Take Action
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has more homeless – about 75,000 – than any other city in the state. One of the problems with addressing homeless people, officials claim, is their fear they will be incarcerated simply for not having a home. The LA County Board of Supervisors passed a motion that, despite penalties or citations that may arise for noncompliance with the governor’s directive, individuals living in encampments or on the streets will not be taken to jail.
“Simply having law enforcement performing campus sweeps, in my opinion, does nothing to deliver permanent lasting results,” Republican County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, told NBC News.
San Francisco
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The City by the Bay has around 8,000 homeless people, the second most in California. Mayor London Breed said she has increased the number of shelter beds by more than 60% since she took office, but the need continues to outpace their resources. Earlier this month, Breed announced a plan to offer relocation for those interested.
Sacramento
Democrat Mayor Darrell Steinberg blames mental health issues as a big contributor to homelessness. In 2004, he introduced a bill to tax the wealthy to provide services for such individuals. It was voted on and passed, placing a 1% tax on personal incomes of $1 million or more. However, it did not provide funding for shelters.
Steinberg said their initiatives are trying to combine “compassion and enforcement with aggressively adding more beds, more services and permanent housing for people.” The efforts seem to be having some effect. Last year, there was a 29% decrease from the previous year in homelessness in the city and a 49% decrease in unsheltered homelessness.
Newsom's Gambit
Not everyone agrees Newsom’s approach is the best – and some claim it is only going to cause more harm. Advocates for the homeless call encampment sweeps a waste of taxpayer money as well as cruel. Jeni Shurley, a homeless person in Los Angeles, told CNBC: “It’s absolute mayhem and craziness … I honestly feel like I need to leave the country, because I have so desperately searched the entire country trying to find some kind of solution, literally gone coast to coast.”
Mission Action provides emergency shelter services in San Francisco’s Mission district. In a statement to NBC news, the group said it was concerned the city doesn’t have enough beds for the homeless living in encampments. “If the city is unable to provide emergency shelter to those who need and want shelter, then essentially, we are criminalizing the very act of being unhoused,” said Laura Valdez, the organization’s executive director.
However, Newsom claims money is not the issue. Tara Gallegos, the governor’s deputy director of communications, said: “Local government have been provided ample funding to help address this issue within their communities.”
This is not Newsom’s first attempt to withhold funding to cities that don’t clean up their homeless encampments. In 2022, he suggested pulling $1 billion for homeless expenses from cities that weren’t doing enough. Last month, his office took back a $10 million grant from San Diego to build tiny homes because the city didn’t move quickly enough. Clearing encampments means the homeless have to go somewhere. If the situation continues to deteriorate further, even the Golden State's homeless population may end up moving to friendlier states.
