As the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hears San Francisco’s appeal of a court order constraining the city from addressing homelessness, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced an additional $38 million to help local communities clean up encampments throughout the state.
In total, under the Newsom Administration, the state is providing $750 million to local governments to connect individuals living in encampments to housing and services.
“In California, we are cutting red tape and making unprecedented investments to address homelessness, but with each hard-fought step forward, the courts are creating costly delays that slow progress. I urge the courts to empower local communities to address street encampments quickly and comprehensively,” said Newsom.
Throughout the country, decisions handed down by judges from Phoenix to San Francisco are paralyzing local government’s ability to address homelessness.
These decisions prohibit cities from enforcing reasonable limits on sleeping and camping on public sidewalks, and allow unsafe encampments with makeshift, dangerous housing structures to grow unchecked — running counter to common-sense approaches to address the challenges on our city streets.
The $38 million announced today is provided through the Encampment Resolution Fund which was designed by the administration and the Legislature to provide communities of all sizes with the support to move people living in encampments into housing.
As the state continues to invest dollars and resources to assist individuals living on the streets, it is critical that the judicial branch not constrain these efforts.
This most recent round of funding will support seven communities statewide, connecting approximately 1,250 people experiencing homelessness in encampments to needed services and housing. Six of the seven projects will resolve encampments along state rights-of-way.
The following communities are receiving the funding announced Wednesday:
• San Joaquin County will receive $11.1 million.
• The Bakersfield/Kern County Continuum of Care will receive $7 million.
• The city of Thousand Oaks will receive $5.8 million.
• The city of Long Beach will receive $5.3 million.
• The city of Visalia will receive $3.6 million.
• Sonoma County will receive $2.8 million.
• The Pasadena Continuum of Care will receive $2.1 million.
San Francisco previously received two Encampment Resolution awards totaling over $17 million.
Collectively, the Newsom Administration has committed more than $30 billion to address housing and homelessness since taking office, with $3.5 billion for homelessness in the 2023 state budget alone.
