Current Events > Executive branch threatens to pull funds unless CA cities crack down on homeless

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/gavin-newsom-california-homeless-funding?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Californias governor warned cities and counties that they could lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding if they do not make progress in clearing out encampments and tackling homelessness.

Gavin Newsoms comments on Monday, while announcing $920m in funding to address the crisis, come as he escalates efforts to push local governments to take greater action. Last summer, Newsom told counties he could withhold state support if they failed to do more homeless encampment sweeps.

We want to see results. We have to address unsheltered homelessness, encampments and tents, Newsom said. We have been too permissive we need them cleaned up. Were providing unprecedented support, now we need to see unprecedented results.

If we dont, were not going to continue to fund excuses, [were] not going to continue to fund failure.

Californias homelessness crisis is the worst in the US with roughly one-third of the countrys population of unhoused people, which experts attribute to a lack of affordable housing in the state. A 2023 count found that more than 180,000 people in the state were experiencing homelessness, including 123,000 people who were unsheltered or living outside on the streets in tents, trailers, cars and makeshift shelters.

Cities in California and across the US have begun cracking down on homelessness with harsher anti-camping policies following the US supreme courts ruling last year that cities can criminalize unhoused people for sleeping outside even when there are no shelter spaces available.

Over the summer Newsom issued an executive order calling for the removal of encampments on state property. This month the Bay Area city of Fremont passed a controversial law banning camping on public property and making permitting, aiding, [or] abetting encampments illegal. Advocates for unhoused people have warned that such policies only worsen the crisis and make it harder for people to access services.

Newsoms announcement on Monday of the $920m in newly available funds came with stricter accountability measures for local governments and an online tool allowing residents to track progress in their communities. The money includes $760m in new funding, as well as roughly $160m in grants for local governments.

This years funds come with significantly more strings attached, Newsom said, and governments are expected to aggressively focus on clearing encampments, as well as creating new shelter. The governor has proposed a clawback provision that will allow the state to take back funding from local governments that fail to demonstrate progress.

People want to see their sidewalks taken back. They want their streets safe again. They want to bring their kids, walk them down the streets to the playground without stepping over people on the sidewalks, Newsom said.

State funding could take on even greater importance during the Trump administration. Elon Musks so-called department of government efficiency has targeted the Office of Community Planning and Development, which funds housing and support for unhoused people, for significant cuts. The department is expected to lose 84% of its staff, according to an NPR report.

People want this guy to run for president

Send them to Sacramento

Smashingpmkns posted...

People want this guy to run for president

So does he.The "cruelty to the poor" thing is him building his resume to try and win over trump voters

Here's the deal

California spends tens of billions of dollars to address homelessness, but it still keeps going up. They've even tried to send out mini houses (larger than a tent but nothing fancy) to help get people off the streets.

I see where he's coming from. If they're going to keep spending money to help people then they need to hold the counties and cities accountable for using the money in good ways, not just keep doing what they've been doing because it's not working.

And yes it is a problem in California. I live in a wealthier part but still can't take my daughter to the beach without worrying if she's gonna see a guy jerking it in a tent or if we're going to step on human feces.

Anyway yeah the Guardian makes it sound like they want to just round up all the homeless and bus them to another state or sail them off in a boat but that's really not the case.

Hexenherz posted...

Here's the deal

California spends tens of billions of dollars to address homelessness, but it still keeps going up. They've even tried to send out mini houses (larger than a tent but nothing fancy) to help get people off the streets.

I see where he's coming from. If they're going to keep spending money to help people then they need to hold the counties and cities accountable for using the money in good ways, not just keep doing what they've been doing because it's not working.

And yes it is a problem in California. I live in a wealthier part but still can't take my daughter to the beach without worrying if she's gonna see a guy jerking it in a tent or if we're going to step on human feces.

Anyway yeah the Guardian makes it sound like they want to just round up all the homeless and bus them to another state or sail them off in a boat but that's really not the case.

In before someone accuses you of being hateful towards the homeless.

'Surely providing LESS support will reduce homelessness and not put even more on the streets. Surely!'