Homelessness in California: A Failed $10 Billion Experiment
Despite California spending nearly $10 billion on homelessness between 2018 and 2021, the state is facing an escalating crisis of homelessness.
The report by the state's Interagency Council on Homelessness indicates that the problem remains intractable, with the number of homeless individuals increasing every year.
Homelessness services are spread among nine state agencies, hundreds of county and municipal governments, nonprofits, and charitable organizations, leading to disjointed efforts and ineffective outcomes.
Assemblymember Luz Rivas' bill aims to demand tangible results from local governments before they receive homelessness grants, mirroring an idea from the governor's own budget proposal.
The report reveals that California has spent $5.5 billion on housing between 2018 and 2021, with only 8% of more than 75,000 people placed into permanent supportive housing ending up back on the street within six months.
The influx of new people into homelessness remains one of the largest challenges facing the state, despite efforts to help people experiencing homelessness expand.
The recent anti-camping ordinance in Culver City has sparked fierce criticism from leaders and residents who say it will displace the most vulnerable to make way for gentrification in the rapidly changing city.
Homelessness policy experts are calling for increased accountability, more funding, and more effective spending to address the complex problem of homelessness affecting every part of the state.
Homelessness policy To solve the homelessness crisis, California's State Legislature, local governments, and nonprofits must work together to move people into permanent or supportive housing that provides a long-term subsidized place to stay along with other on-site social services.
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